Tribute to MF DOOM
My serendipitous discovery of MF DOOM’s artistry. RIP to the enigmatic icon.
I was planning to write this article a little over 2 months ago, right after MF DOOM passed. What stopped me up until this point was a mixture of resistance, procrastination, and doubt. But here I am. Better late than never. But never late is better.
Discovery
I discovered MF DOOM late into his music career, basically at the tail end of it. I first listened to some tracks off Madvillainy, MM…FOOD and Operation: Doomsday around 2014- 2015. But I didn’t give his discography a sincere listen until 2019. That year, before listening to his albums, I discovered his Special Herbs Instrumentals on a Youtube playlist while studying. I was captivated. From that point on, I became obsessed with all of his beat tapes. They just hit differently. I would go on to use them as background music for any activity I was doing: studying, working out, writing (like I am now) driving, or chillaxing. The various intensities of the instrumentals were perfect for accommodating any type of vibe I wanted: mellow, hype, or somewhere in between. Vibe check? Yessir. But while the instrumentals were heat, I wanted to discover the songs behind them, leading me to check out his albums in full.
Soon, Operation Doomsday and MM…FOOD became repeats on my Spotify playlist. I would later discover that he raps (or has rapped) under several aliases related to the DOOM character: King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn. Also, that he rapped under the name Zev Love X as part of KMD before he embarked on the supervillain persona. Needless to say, he has quite a lengthy discography, but taking the time to listen to each album has been a rewarding experience. MF DOOM, to me, is one of few artists, where, if I could only listen to one artist for the rest of my life, he’d be my choice. Drake and Kanye would be the other artists in that category. Thinking of it now, my favorite artists are in this order: Drake, Kanye, DOOM. Controversial order? Probably.
Why DOOM?
I’m a fan of many rap artists and their skills with the pen, so why did MF DOOM stick out to me? I think it had to do with his witty lyricism and wordplay. Other rappers are good at this, but DOOM did it in a unique fashion that I never heard done before. His lyrics were carefully thought out and tactically woven over his beats and comic skits he sampled. He discussed his writing process in an interview published in Spin for the 15th anniversary of Madvillainy. DOOM equated the quality of his songwriting to the quality of a word in Scrabble:
“When you’re looking at quality of wordplay, you’re looking at, how many words repeat in a bar, or two bars? How many syllables can you use that still make sense in a song? In certain ways, you get a triple word score. You know how in Scrabble, you have triple word score joints, the way you get points based on words, and how they correlate on the board? It’s similar to getting points like that, if you really take it to the next level….how many references can you cross and still stay on topic? And still rhyme? The more complex the subject matter and wordplay is, that’s where you get your points.”
When I read this part of the interview, I immediately thought of Jay-Z’s “Lyrical Exercise” and how he equated his rap skills to a disciplined exercise routine. Both DOOM and Jay-Z saw songwriting as a regimen: a skillset that had to be properly trained and cleverly executed. It wasn’t an impulsive thought process; it was methodical. To me, this approach is what sets apart pros from amateurs in the rap game, why DOOM and Jay-Z are praised for their skills. Nonetheless, there are an abundance of gifted lyricists in rap, but I believe there are few who are as skilled with the pen as MF DOOM was. I will say Jay-Z is right up there in skill level, among others. But in DOOM’s case, he seemed to be in a different league when it came to his writing and production style. To see an example of what I’m saying, peep some of his verses in “Figaro” below, via Genius.
Personal Impact
After only seriously listening to him for two years, MF DOOM is my most played artist of all time on Spotify, which I’ve been using since 2013. His sound, to me, is timeless. I can solely listen to his instrumentals for hours on end. His beats alone inspired me to make some of my own on Garageband, and soon FL Studio if I can find a free version that won’t crash my laptop.
To close, MF DOOM has genuinely deepened my appreciation for hip hop. I never really gave the art of wordplay or the intricacies of production serious thought until I started listening to him. He is the perfect example of someone who was genius at what he did. He was always on point in his rhymes and beats. And even though DOOM might not have gotten the proper recognition in mainstream hip hop, he built a cult following in the underground rap landscape. To be honest, I think his artistry never even fit the contemporary landscape anyway. His place in the underground was well-suited.
While it is quite sad to know there will never be new releases from him, I am content with the music he has blessed our ears with. And considering the purpose of this article is a personal tribute to MF DOOM, it’s only right that I share my favorite tracks. My Top 5:
Thank you, DOOM, for making me a lifelong fan. Oh and finally, one more thing….
Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name.
RIP.
