MF DOOM: Larger than Life
“Know who’s the illest ever like the greatest story told.”
By Albert Lee (@karatekidali)
Daniel Dumile. Zev Love X. King Geeodrah. Viktor Vaughan.
MF DOOM.
The man was known by countless different monikers, but struck a single chord with underground hip-hop fans all across the globe with his non sequitur flows, impeccable wisdom, and vibrant personality. With such an emphatic persona hidden beneath a silver mask (an ode to Dr. Doom and other comic book figures), it was both ironic and fitting that the legendary MC passed on Halloween — a day where children and college students alike wear masks to embrace a character.
Dumile wore the mask not to hide an imperfection. He wore it to hone in and create a niche space in the game.
Infectious flows, comedic lines, and an aura that listeners could both be in awe of and connect with. His out of this world sound matched his demeanor and ability to evoke the spirit of the comic book universe. From D.B. Cooper to Seinfeld.
DOOM was unlike any MC before or after him as his style single handedly gave birth to Odd Future’s Tyler the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt as they were hip-hop infants when they discovered the off-kilter tempo and flow of the supervillain.
DOOM was the strange, cool uncle in the hip-hop realm: distant, all-knowing, friendly but selective, shrewd, peculiar, bizarre, and wrapped in mystery.
He shadowed his genius behind a mask indicated personality: showing off true artistry that was dipped in gold, but wanting to hide behind a curtain to avoid the limelight.
Dumile famously sent imposters to actual shows and festivals billed under the MF DOOM name (including the former legendary hip-hop festival series Rock the Bells), causing a large uproar amongst hip-hop aficionados as they labeled him as a “phony.”
Misunderstood is a word that can largely describe DOOM’S first half of his life. Born in London, but moved to New York when he was very young. He soon fell in love with hip-hop at a tender age as he was not only in the epicentre, but he lurked in its playground amongst the b-boys, corner stores, and cardboard boxes.
A regular on the street, whether it was running with his dunnies or putting together a dope rhyme, Dumile became one with his environment as he became surrounded in the hip-hop's totality. Dumile took these inspirations and formed K.M.D. — a group that started out as a graffiti crew, but grew to be the first bud in his musical catalog. Catching a break with the legendary MC Serch of the 3rd Bass, he got his first taste of stardom — under his first guise.
Zev Love X was Dumile’s first hip-hop identity, a young, brash, and intelligent MC who spoke upon anything from social injustice (Peachfuzz) to the stank face (The Gas Face). Dumile’s brother, DJ Subroc, was his right-hand man on K.M.D. along with Onyx the Birthstone Kid. The trio released ‘Mr. Hood’ in 1991 on Elektra Records and as soon as they were to release their sophomore album, Black Bastards, tragedy struck.
A car hit and struck Dumile’s beloved brother and rhyming partner, Subroc, and died — and around the same time, K.M.D. was released from their record contract. With his brother fatally passing away and his career seemingly in hindsight, Dumile was practically homeless, with no guidance, walking the streets and sleeping on benches, living a life of emptiness.
With the help of radio DJ and friend Bobbito Garcia, MF DOOM’s new music was spun across radio waves and got startling reviews. Listeners that tuned in had no clue what had hit them.
Combined with the newfound swagger behind the mask, he had an uncanny flow that was both relentless and unorthodox to go with his menacing and confident voice. With soul-samples as well as gritty recording sounding as if it were mastered in a friend’s garage (which it was), Dumile came after the throne with the release of ‘Operation Doomsday!’ on April 20th, 1999. With an endless flow along with seemingly nonsensical references, ‘Operation Doomsday!’ was an immediate standout upon release date.
It was ahead of its time.
Even more left field pieces of work followed ‘Operation Doomsday!’ such as ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ and ‘Vaudeville Villain’, where Dumile respectively took the personas of a Godzilla-like monster and a young, intelligent, but brash college student.
Dumile rhymed under these different personas in order to keep things interesting for his listeners, but they all hit home as far as coming from a creative and genuine place. Continuing this hot streak, dropping three projects in 2004. ‘Venomous Villain’, highly acclaimed ‘Madvillainy’ filled pure underground hip-hop lore, and ‘MM..Food’ being his perhaps best solo album.
“The best MC with no chain ya ever heard.”
A true father of his own style, DOOM stayed in the lane he created and made his own journey through his adventurous and non-linear projects that his fans adored. ‘MM..Food’ was one of his more conceptual canvas creations in almost an attempt to challenge himself and set a higher standard.
Dumile rapped about the political stance of mainstream hip-hop and incorporated it with a food theme. As interesting as the subject were the guest appearances such as Count Bass D and Mr. Fantasik — the best MC’s you’ve never heard of until their performances on this stellar project.
‘Madvillainy’ was a hip-hop love story in the meeting of two equally esoteric and eccentric oddities. Madlib and Dumile as Stones Throw helped salvage an experience that was the fantasy of message board hip-hop nerds alike.
Like any historical piece of art, the work itself was anything but linear.
Dumile flew out to Los Angeles to spend time and manufacture the album with Madlib, as they would hardly communicate in person or even be up during the same time, as they spoke rather through the music itself.
Madlib would send beats looped and dipped in butter to DOOM, who would carve out mind-boggling rhymes as the two were a potent.
Dumile later partnered up with DJ Danger Mouse, who was known for creating a mish-mosh of Jay-Z and The Beatles, which turned heads in the wrong way as he was another character who was known for stirring controversy through innovation.
Known as DANGERDOOM, they released ‘The Mouse and the Mask’ in 2005, created in collaboration with Adult Swim as it paid homage to the network and characters from shows such as “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”.
Dumile also worked with Ghostface Killah — another rapper known for alter-egos.
DOOM had a hand in production on his ravishing ‘Fishscale’ album. DOOM produced the cuts “9 Milli Bros.,” “Clipse of DOOM,”& “Jellyfish” as he provided some riveting and colorful beats to match the equally invigorating flow and spirit of Tony Stark.
In 2012, both his career and life took a strange turn as he was exiled from the United States forced back to the UK. In true DOOM fashion, Dumile stated that he was “done with the United States” as he retreated to his homeland and continued to make music, seemingly unfazed.
Dumile collaborated with Jneiro Jarel under the collected name JJ DOOM, with the lead single of the album serving as a reference to British royalty (Guv’nor). As every sage does, Dumile became a mentor and leader for the youth as he took a young rapper under his wing in that of Bishop Nehru, and upcoming rapper at the time whose flow sounds oddly familiar to that of his mentor’s. DOOM met Bishop Nehru at one of his own shows, as he helped clear a path for the young MC, releasing a collective project ‘NehruvianDoom.’
Soon thereafter, he faded into the twilight of his career, dropping gems unannounced, whether it was a loosie with the “Adult Swim Singles Program” or an appearance with Flying Lotus in coherence with Grand Theft Auto V. Although the mask was worn and cuffed in, one could still hear the witty rhyme sequence, the non-stop and unhalting flow from what made him a beloved character in hip-hop.
Perhaps one gem during his later years was the Adult Swim Singles Program’s “Between Villains” with Flying Lotus and Earl Sweatshirt — a meddling, taunting beat in which the three mystifying characters take turns shrouding the beat with their lyrical prowess and expertise.
Outside of a lyricist, DOOM was a profound producer. You could see it in ‘Special Herbs’ series stand-off that would alone make for a legendary career. ‘Special Herbs’ was a ten-part instrumental series that was a full of mystifying, pure genius and whim where Dumile produces instinctually gorgeous melodies that fit right into the scheme of an 8-Bit video game.
DOOM’s weapon of choice was the Akai MPC 2000, as he was a traditionalist in the sense of a producer, with one of his biggest influences being the late and great JDilla.
He paid homage to the legends of the craft when he sampled Rakim’s “The Microphone Fiend” on the appropriately titled “The Mic!,” but Dumile could also come from left field when he flipped Scooby Doo on “Hey!” — lacing some cartoon-ish lyrics along the way.
Dumile was just as innovative and unpredictable on the boards as he was with his lyrics, as he was a true master of the craft on keeping his listeners entertained sonically on all levels.
“By candlelight my hand will write these rhymes ’til I’m burnt out.”
DOOM leaves us with a legendary collection of true artistry as various characters and caricatures. Although he passed and transitioned into the heavens, his remembrance lives on through his vast catalog, including his colorful instrumentals, in which he evoked a myriad of colorful emotions behind a seemingly stoic mask.
The authenticity of his catalog and the man himself is that he never changed for anyone, kept true to himself, and his output strengthened as his years progressed. Even before his death, when listening to the villain, his rasp, smooth voice and spirit emitted far beyond the speakers into the listener’s soul — giving us a glimpse and taste of not only a genius but also a character that was half man, half metal — but 100% pure.
When Danile Dumile passed and left this earth into the greater essence, we lost a kindred soul, a free-spirit, an innovative being whose sole purpose was to stretch the boundaries of reality through the vehicle of his work.
Past the countless albums and one-liners embedded in his music, what we will remember as his legacy is the courage to be different, to create your own lane, and to be indifferent to the status quo and create your own canvas without fear including your own life experiences.
He touched souls and spirits worldwide behind the mask during his 49 years.
He influenced and ushered an entire generation of underground hip-hop heads alike. Here’s to Damile Dumile: a pure artist who truly poured his soul into his work and left it all on the mic stand. It’s a word! No, a name! MF — the supervillain!
