MF Doom sparked change in hip-hop
For a while, I never truly ventured into the underground area of hip-hop, choosing to stick to better-known artists. However, I still knew of an underground artist here and there, but nothing substantial like an entire album. Considering I have specific taste in just about everything, you would probably think that the underground and I would get along like two peas in a pod — and you’d be right.
One artist in particular always caught my eye, but I never got around to listening to him until this year. He goes by MF DOOM, and he manages to check off pretty much every box on my “must-have” list for a hip-hop artist. Authentic? Yep. Good flow? In spades. Production? Unique and original. That “it” factor? You betcha. Even if I wasn’t pleased with MF DOOM, I have his other personas to listen to, including: King Dumile, King Geedorah, Metal Fingers, The Supervillain, Viktor Vaughn and Zev Love X. In other words, this was a match made in heaven, and during a long drive in the summer, I listened to one of his best albums from start to finish for the first time.
OPERATION: DOOMSDAY is a prime example of what happens when you give an artist the room they need to express themselves in a way that they feel best represents them and not their label. There’s so much personality in this album that it feels like I’m getting a private concert from DOOM himself every time I listen to it. Every tiny bit of his inner-workings coming out to create something that best represents him. His likes, his dislikes, his views and a version of himself that he created on an album without any interference from someone higher-up telling him what to do and how to be. He has the freedom to be who he wants to be as an artist, and while it’s not for everyone, it certainly got my attention.
He seems to have a huge fixation for the late-’60s television series, Fantastic Four, and he splices dialogue of people talking about Doctor Doom or the mad villain himself into musical interludes and skits throughout the album. There’s an obvious parallel to the character Doctor Doom and his own rap persona, but the little bits of dialogue add that extra bit of flavor to the album that you didn’t know was missing. He’s able to turn his nerdy comic book love and give his music a personal twist that’s like a breath of fresh air. If you follow the skits closely enough, they actually tell a lot about how Viktor Vaughn, the artist’s real name, came to create his persona MF DOOM, but they’re fun enough to take at surface value too.
MF DOOM’s production is often overlooked, which is travesty in my opinion. These tracks aren’t only great for him to rhyme over, but they’re good as standalone tracks too. Some are smooth and pleasing to the ears like “Rhymes Like Dimes,” “Gas Drawls,” “?” and “Doomsday,” which are heavily influenced by soul and old-school R&B. Others are a little out there like “Tick, Tick…” and “Hey!,” but are fresh and innovative, really showcasing MF DOOM’s unique approach to his music. “Hey!” is especially important, since it’s based on a sample from the opening seconds of The New Scooby-Doo Movies intro.
His flow and rhyming are off-kilter, and it’s noticeable enough for anyone to take note of when they first listen to it. However, as odd as they are, they’re the final ingredients to the concoction that makes MF DOOM what he is. His raspy voice is a match made in heaven for his raps, and anyone else trying to do what he’s doing on this album would sound like a mess. I’m amazed “Doomsday” isn’t more celebrated, as it’s one of the best hip-hop songs I’ve ever heard. Then again, if it was more popular, it wouldn’t be underground, and I wouldn’t have the pompous satisfaction of knowing a musical artist a lot of people haven’t even heard of.
After being introduced to MF DOOM, I started to venture more into underground hip-hop. He started me down a long path of discovering an infinite library of new sounds and artists just waiting to be found. I’m thankful, since I have plenty of new music to get around to, but it’s also a curse. It’s like when you throw everything that has at least a four-star rating in your Netflix list, with so many options you don’t even know where to begin. Regardless, I’m beginning to expand my taste in music, which is never a bad thing. I definitely have a certain type when it comes to hip-hop, but it’s never a bad thing to have some diversity in just about anything, especially in music.
Spencer Lee is a junior majoring in narrative studies. His
column, “Spencer’s Soapbox,” runs every Tuesday. He is also the chief copy editor of the Daily Trojan.