The Master himself, MF DOOM
The Beginning
Doom, born Daniel Dumile, was a British-born American hip hop artist who rose to prominence in the early 1990s as part of the group KMD. The group was dropped from their record label after their album was shelved, and Doom disappeared for several years, re-emerging as MF Doom.
Doom was also known for his trademark villainous metal mask, which he rarely removed in public appearances.
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Albums and Inspirations
In 1999, he renamed himself MF DOOM and self-released Operation: Doomsday, inspired by the Marvel character Dr. Doom. He spits bars with a humorous, twisted intricacy, anchored by his own classic soul and funk sampling production.
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After that, he released numerous solo and collaborative albums and has become one of the most well-respected and influential hip-hop artists of all time.
Doom’s lyrics are often dark and complex, dealing with topics such as depression, drug addiction, and conspiracy theories. His music is also heavily influenced by classic hip hop and soul music, which can be heard in his choppy, jazz-influenced beats.
Several more solo albums (the instrumental Special Herbs series, 2004’s MM..FOOD, and 2009’s Born Like This), collaborations (Madvillainy with Madlib, The Mouse and the Mask with Danger Mouse), and aliases (including Viktor Vaughn and King Geedorah) followed in the 2000s; all spun from a seemingly limitless creative mind. He also worked with Ghostface Killah and MF Grimm on tracks.
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Collaboration with Madlib
Dumile’s 2004 collaboration with the equally mysterious producer Madlib cemented his reputation as an extraterrestrial soothsayer. Madvillainy, a record so thick with notions that it still stands as an example of the dexterity and durability of rap as a medium, was released by the team under the name Madvillain. Mm.. Food introduced DOOM’s knack for storytelling to the people the same year.
DOOM’s near-delirious ability to create endless and playful metaphors about niche interests like snacks and Food, turning them into near-existential concerns, was on display on this record.
Impact on Music
MF DOOM’s influence on music is difficult to overstate, even outside of his formal releases. He was a quick and nimble producer, reusing pop culture ephemera for a doom-filled autopsy of the human condition.
He was uncompromising as a lyricist, embodying a kind of insight that both probed within and kept a 10,000-foot viewpoint above it all. He dug deep into America’s beliefs about Blackness in order to uncover a greater truth.
From the brash attitude of Odd Future to the raucous rockstar spirit of Playboi Carti, the young rappers he influenced operate on a framework for Black emancipation sketched out by MF DOOM’s monotonous treatises. Tyler, the Creator, tweeted, “Safe travels, villain.”
The Story goes on…
He, throughout his life, went through many personal tragedies. From his brother’s death to the demise of his son in 2017, he went through it all and continued to be the persona that he was until he himself left the world in 2020. The world will never be the same place without him in it, but the Story goes on. Rest in Power..
