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Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and "
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are of ...
" stage persona, Dumile became a major figure of underground hip hop and
alternative hip hop Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising " hip hop groups that refuse to confo ...
in the 2000s. After his death, '' Variety'' described him as one of the scene's "most celebrated, unpredictable and enigmatic figures". Born in London, Dumile moved to
Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...
, at a young age. He began his career in 1988 as a member of
KMD KMD ('' K.M.D.'', ''Kausing Much Damage'', or ''A Positive Kause in a Much Damaged Society'') was an American hip hop trio active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The core of the group was composed of brothers Daniel "Zev Love X" Dumile an ...
, performing as Zev Love X. The group disbanded in 1993 upon the death of member
DJ Subroc Dingilizwe Dumile (August 3, 1973 – April 23, 1993), known professionally as DJ Subroc, was an American hip-hop artist and a member of KMD and Constipated Monkeys. Biography Dumile was born on August 3, 1973 at Nassau County Medical Center in ...
, Dumile's brother. After a hiatus, Dumile reemerged in the late 1990s. He began performing at
open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether t ...
events while wearing a metal mask resembling that of
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
supervillain
Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fict ...
, who is depicted on the cover of his 1999 debut solo album '' Operation: Doomsday''. He adopted the MF Doom persona and rarely made unmasked public appearances thereafter. Between 2003 and 2005, Dumile released four solo albums and three collaborative albums. In addition to the critically acclaimed '' Mm..Food'' (2004) under the MF Doom moniker, he released solo albums including one under the pseudonym King Geedorah and two as Viktor Vaughn. ''
Madvillainy ''Madvillainy'' is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records. The album was recorded between 2002 and 2004. Madlib cr ...
'' (2004), recorded with producer Madlib under the name Madvillain, is often cited as Dumile's '' magnum opus'' and is regarded as a landmark album in hip hop. In 2005, Dumile released '' The Mouse and the Mask'' with producer Danger Mouse as
Danger Doom DANGERDOOM was a hip hop project consisting of Danger Mouse and MF DOOM. Their first album, ''The Mouse and the Mask'', was released in 2005, and followed by the '' Occult Hymn'' EP in 2006. Background Danger Mouse and MF DOOM had previously co ...
. Though he lived the majority of his life in the United States, Dumile never gained American citizenship. In 2010, he was denied reentry after returning from an international tour for his sixth and final solo album, '' Born Like This'' (2009). He relocated to London and, in his final years, worked mostly in collaboration with other artists, releasing albums with
Jneiro Jarel Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist, music producer, composer and DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who ...
(as JJ Doom),
Bishop Nehru Markel Ni'Jee Scott (born August 26, 1996), better known by his stage name Bishop Nehru, is an American rapper and record producer from Nanuet, New York. He also directs and edits music videos. Career 2009–13: Early career At age 13, Nehru ...
(''
NehruvianDoom ''NehruvianDoom'' is the collaborative studio album by American hip hop duo NehruvianDoom which consists of MF DOOM and Bishop Nehru. The album was released on October 7, 2014, by Lex Records. Background In January 2014, during an interview w ...
''), and
Czarface Czarface () is an American hip hop supergroup formed in 2013 by underground hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. They released their acclaimed debut studio album, '' Czarface'', February 19, 2013. The album was follo ...
(''
Czarface Meets Metal Face ''Czarface Meets Metal Face'' is the first collaborative album by American hip hop supergroup Czarface and British-American rapper MF Doom. It was released on March 30, 2018 through Get On Down, a Boston-based record label. The album features ...
'' and the posthumous '' Super What?'').


Early life

Dumile was born in
Hounslow Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in ...
, London, on July 13, 1971, the son of a
Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...
mother and Zimbabwean father. He was the eldest of five children. According to Dumile, he was conceived in the United States, and happened to be born in London because his mother was visiting family. As a child, Dumile moved with his family to
Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...
; he grew up in
Long Beach, New York Long Beach is an oceanfront city in Nassau County in New York, United States. It takes up a central section of the Long Beach Barrier Island, which is the westernmost of the outer barrier islands off Long Island's South Shore. As of the 2020 ...
. He said he had no memory of his London childhood and his parents had no affiliation with British culture. However, he remained a British citizen, never gaining American citizenship. Dumile began DJing during the summer after third grade. As a child, he was a fan and collector of comic books and earned the nickname "Doom" (a phonetic play on the name Dumile) among friends and family.


Career


1988–1997: KMD, Subroc's death, and hiatus

As Zev Love X, Dumile formed the hip hop group
KMD KMD ('' K.M.D.'', ''Kausing Much Damage'', or ''A Positive Kause in a Much Damaged Society'') was an American hip hop trio active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The core of the group was composed of brothers Daniel "Zev Love X" Dumile an ...
in 1988 with his younger brother
DJ Subroc Dingilizwe Dumile (August 3, 1973 – April 23, 1993), known professionally as DJ Subroc, was an American hip-hop artist and a member of KMD and Constipated Monkeys. Biography Dumile was born on August 3, 1973 at Nassau County Medical Center in ...
and Rodan, who was later replaced by Onyx the Birthstone Kid. A&R representative Dante Ross learned of KMD through the hip hop group 3rd Bass and signed them to
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
. Their recording debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" on ''
The Cactus Album ''The Cactus Al/Bum'' (also known as ''The Cactus Cee/D'' and ''The Cactus Cas/Ette'' depending on release format) is the debut album by hip hop trio 3rd Bass, released on Def Jam Recordings on November 10, 1989. The album received positive rev ...
'', followed in 1991 by their debut album ''
Mr. Hood ''Mr. Hood'' is the debut studio album by hip hop group KMD. It was released on May 14, 1991 via Elektra Records. Recording sessions took place at Calliope Studios in New York. Production was handled by K.M.D., except two tracks produced by the ...
''. Dumile performed the last verse on "The Gas Face"; according to
Pete Nice Peter J. Nash (born February 5, 1967), known by his stage name Prime Minister Pete Nice or simply Pete Nice, is an American baseball historian and author, member of the Society for American Baseball Research, Hip Hop historian, and former rapp ...
's verse on the track, Dumile created the phrase. On April 23, 1993, just before the release of the second KMD album, ''
Black Bastards ''Black Bastards'' is the second and final studio album by KMD (an American rap trio featuring an early alias of MF Doom), completed in 1993 and eventually released on May 15, 2000, through Readyrock Records. Initially, the album was scheduled f ...
'', Subroc was struck by a car and killed while crossing the
Long Island Expressway Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music me ...
. Dumile completed the album alone over the course of several months, and it was announced with a release date of May 3, 1994. KMD was dropped by Elektra and the album went unreleased due to its controversial cover art, which featured a cartoon of a stereotypical pickaninny or
sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , olymp ...
character being hanged. After his brother's death, Dumile retreated from the hip hop scene from 1994 to 1997, living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, sleeping on benches". In the late 1990s, he settled in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
; he had moved to Georgia in the mid-90s. According to interviews with Dumile, he was "recovering from his wounds" and swearing revenge "against the industry that so badly deformed him". ''Black Bastards'' had been bootlegged by that time, but was not officially released until 2000.


1997–2001: ''Operation: Doomsday'' and production work

In 1997 or 1998, Dumile began freestyling incognito at
open-mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether the ...
events at the
Nuyorican Poets Café The Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) Poets Cafe is a nonprofit organization in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip ...
in Manhattan, obscuring his face by putting tights over his head. He turned this into a new identity, MF Doom, with a mask similar to that of
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
supervillain
Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fict ...
. He later used a mask based on the character Maximus from the 2000 film ''
Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
''. Bobbito Garcia's
Fondle 'Em Records Fondle 'Em Records was a hip hop record label founded and owned by Robert "Bobbito" Garcia from 1995 to 2001, based in New York, New York. Bobbito formed the label after realizing that the many unsigned rappers making guest appearances on '' T ...
released '' Operation: Doomsday'', Dumile's first full-length LP as MF Doom, in 1999. Dumile's collaborators on ''Operation: Doomsday'' included fellow members of the
Monsta Island Czars Monsta Island Czars was a New York City hip-hop collective that was formed by MF Grimm and included MF DOOM among numerous other NYC MC's. Due to inactivity and DOOM's death in 2020, the group ceased activity. History The members of the group t ...
collective, for which each artist took on the persona of a monster from the ''Godzilla'' films. Dumile went by the alias "King Geedorah", a three-headed golden dragon space monster modeled after
King Ghidorah is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster''. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originally ...
. The album's productions sampled cartoons including ''Fantastic Four''. Jon Caramanica, in a review of ''Operation: Doomsday'' for ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...
'', emphasized the contrast between Dumile's
flow Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psyc ...
as Zev Love X in KMD and his revised approach as a solo artist: "Doom's flow is muddy, nowhere near the sprightly rhymes of KMD's early days, and his thought process is haphazard." Caramanica revisited ''Operation: Doomsday'' in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' in 2021, calling it "one of the most idiosyncratic hip-hop albums of the 1990s, and one of the defining documents of the independent hip-hop explosion of that decade". Cyril Cordor, in a review for ''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
'', described ''Operation: Doomsday'' as Dumile's "rawest" lyrical effort. In 2001, Dumile began releasing his '' Special Herbs'' instrumentals series under the pseudonym Metal Fingers. In a review of a 2011 box set containing ten volumes of the ''Special Herbs'' series, ''Pitchfork'' observed that the instrumentals stand on their own without vocal tracks: "most of these tracks sound plenty 'finished' even in rhyme-less form".


2002–2004: King Geedorah, Viktor Vaughn, and ''Madvillainy''

In 2003, Dumile released the album '' Take Me to Your Leader'' under his King Geedorah moniker. In ''Pitchfork'', Mark Martelli described ''Take Me to Your Leader'' as close to a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...
, noting how it lays out the "mythos" of the eponymous King Geedorah. Martelli praised the album, particularly tracks such as "One Smart Nigger" which, in his view, were superior to other artists' attempts at
political hip hop Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that was developed in the 1980s as a way of turning hip hop into a call for political and/or social action and a form of social and/or political activism. Inspired by 1970s political artists ...
. ''
Fact A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scie ...
'', in a brief notice for a 2013
reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...
of ''Take Me to Your Leader'', called it "arguably the most cinematic" of Dumile's albums from the turn of the 21st century. Later in 2003, Dumile released the LP '' Vaudeville Villain'' under the moniker Viktor Vaughn (another play on Doctor Doom, who is also known as Victor von Doom). '' NME'' described the Viktor Vaughn persona as "a time travelling street hustler". ''Pitchfork'' named ''Vaudeville Villain'' the week's best new album and highlighted its lyricism, writing that Dumile was one of the best writers in rap. Dumile's breakthrough came in 2004 with the album ''
Madvillainy ''Madvillainy'' is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records. The album was recorded between 2002 and 2004. Madlib cr ...
'', created with producer Madlib under the group name Madvillain. They recorded the album in a series of sessions over two years before a commercial release on March 23, 2004. ''Madvillainy'' was a critical and commercial success, and has since become known as Dumile's masterpiece. Also in 2004, Dumile released '' VV:2'', a follow-up LP under the Viktor Vaughn moniker. Nathan Rabin noted in '' The A.V. Club'' that ''VV:2'', coming as it did after the commercial and critical success of ''Madvillainy'', represented an unusual career choice for Dumile whereby he went "deeper underground" instead of embracing wider fame. Later in 2004, the second MF Doom album '' Mm..Food'' was released by Rhymesayers Entertainment. ''Pitchfork'' gave the album a positive review. Nathan Rabin described it as a "crazy pastiche" but argued that it grew more coherent on repeated listening.


2005–2009: Danger Doom, ''Born Like This'', and Ghostface collaboration

Although still an independent artist, Dumile took a bigger step towards the mainstream in 2005 with '' The Mouse and the Mask'', a collaboration with producer DJ Danger Mouse under the group name
Danger Doom DANGERDOOM was a hip hop project consisting of Danger Mouse and MF DOOM. Their first album, ''The Mouse and the Mask'', was released in 2005, and followed by the '' Occult Hymn'' EP in 2006. Background Danger Mouse and MF DOOM had previously co ...
. The album, released on October 11, 2005, by
Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
and Lex, was developed in collaboration with
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
's
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
and featured voice actors and characters from its programs (mostly '' Aqua Teen Hunger Force''). ''The Mouse and the Mask'' reached #41 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Critic Chris Vognar, discussing the role of comedy in hip hop, argued that "Doom and Danger exemplify an absurdist strain in recent independent hip-hop, a willingness to embrace the nerdy without a heavy cloak of irony". In the same year, Dumile appeared on the second
Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
album, '' Demon Days.'' Dumile produced tracks for both of
Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of '' Enter the Wu-Tang (36 ...
's 2006 albums '' Fishscale'' and ''
More Fish ''More Fish'' is the sixth studio album by rapper Ghostface Killah, released on December 12, 2006 through the Def Jam label. The album's name derives from Ghostface's earlier 2006 release, '' Fishscale''. The track "Good", featuring Ghostface's f ...
''. In February 2013, Ghostface Killah said that he and Dumile were in the process of choosing tracks for a collaborative album. In 2015, Ghostface Killah announced that the album, ''Swift & Changeable'', would be released in 2016, and later posted promotional artwork for the collaboration. It remains unreleased. Dumile's '' Born Like This'' was released on Lex Records on March 24, 2009. The album was Dumile's first solo album to chart in the US. In a largely favorable review for ''Pitchfork'', Nate Patrin cast the album as a return to form for Dumile, following a period of limited output. He observed that Dumile's lyrics and flow—"a focused rasp that's subtly grown slightly more ragged and intense"—were darker than on earlier records. He also highlighted the overtly homophobic "Batty Boyz", a
diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the t ...
against unnamed rappers. Steve Yates, reviewing the album in ''The Guardian'', likewise saw ''Born Like This'' as hearkening back to Dumile's earlier output. Yates felt it presented Dumile at "his scalpel-tongued, scatter-mouthed best". Both Patrin and Yates noted the influence of Charles Bukowski on ''Born Like This'': the first line of Bukowski's poem "Dinosauria, We" gives the album its title.


2010–2021: Move to London and later collaborations

In early 2010, Dumile released the EP '' Gazzillion Ear'' on Lex, a compilation of remixes of the track "Gazzillion Ear" from ''Born Like This'' that included a remix by
Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...
and two mixes by
Jneiro Jarel Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist, music producer, composer and DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who ...
. A further remix by Madvillain featuring a voicemail message from
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
was released online. The EP coincided with Dumile's first performances outside North America. On March 5, 2010, Lex and
Sónar Sónar is a festival dedicated to music, creativity and technology, founded in Barcelona in 1994 by Ricard Robles, Enric Palau, and Sergi Caballero. The festival has been divided into two parts since its inception: Sónar by Day and Sónar b ...
presented the first Doom show in London, at the Roundhouse in Camden. '' Expektoration'', Dumile's second live album, was released on September 14, 2010, through Gold Dust. In a review of ''Expektoration'', ''Pitchfork'' noted that Dumile's vocal performance was considerably more energetic than on his recordings, which it characterized as "laidback" by comparison. After completing his European tour, Dumile was refused entry into the United States. He settled in the UK in 2010. ''
Key to the Kuffs ''Key to the Kuffs'' is a collaborative album by alternative hip hop artists Jneiro Jarel and MF DOOM under the moniker JJ Doom. It was released on Lex Records on August 20, 2012. Recording Jneiro Jarel produced the music in his studio in New Orl ...
'', an album Dumile made in collaboration with producer
Jneiro Jarel Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist, music producer, composer and DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who ...
as JJ Doom, was released on August 20, 2012, and included guest features from
Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...
,
Beth Gibbons Beth Gibbons (born 4 January 1965) is an English singer and songwriter. She is the singer and lyricist for the band Portishead, which has released three albums. She released an album with Rustin Man, '' Out of Season'', in 2002, followed by an ...
of Portishead,
Khujo Willie Edward Knighton Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known as Khujo, is an American rapper. He is one-fourth of Goodie Mob (along with T-Mo, Cee-Lo, and Big Gipp), and one-half of The Lumberjacks (with T-Mo). Life and career Khujo was ...
Goodie of
Goodie Mob Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. History The group was formed in 1991 by Cameron " Big Gipp" Gipp, Willie "Khujo" Knighton Jr., CeeLo Green (born Tho ...
and Dungeon Family, and Boston Fielder. Reviews of ''Key to the Kuffs'' in ''Pitchfork'' and ''
Fact A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scie ...
'' emphasized its references to Dumile's "exile" in the United Kingdom, while ''
Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. It was established in 2001. ''RA''s editorial team provides news, musi ...
'' noted its play on Britishisms in tracks like "Guv'nor". ''
NehruvianDoom ''NehruvianDoom'' is the collaborative studio album by American hip hop duo NehruvianDoom which consists of MF DOOM and Bishop Nehru. The album was released on October 7, 2014, by Lex Records. Background In January 2014, during an interview w ...
'', Dumile's collaboration with rapper
Bishop Nehru Markel Ni'Jee Scott (born August 26, 1996), better known by his stage name Bishop Nehru, is an American rapper and record producer from Nanuet, New York. He also directs and edits music videos. Career 2009–13: Early career At age 13, Nehru ...
, was released on October 7, 2014. Dumile produced all the tracks on ''NehruvianDoom'', often using beats developed in the ''Special Herbs'' series; vocals are primarily Nehru's, with some contributions from Dumile. The album was Nehru's major label debut. Critics emphasized Nehru's comparative youth (he was still in his teens when the album was recorded) and the consequent limits to his artistic achievement on the album—especially given its brevity, at just over 30 minutes. Dumile's contributions were also seen as limited: ''Pitchfork'' wrote that he often seemed on "autopilot"; ''XXL'' suggested that neither he nor Nehru were able to "push the envelope". In August 2017, Adult Swim announced a Doom compilation, '' The Missing Notebook Rhymes'', that would consist of songs from his upcoming projects and featured appearances on other artists' songs. The Adult Swim website was to release one new song per week over the course of 15 weeks. However, the arrangement was canceled in September after the release of only seven tracks. In February 2018, Dumile and
Czarface Czarface () is an American hip hop supergroup formed in 2013 by underground hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. They released their acclaimed debut studio album, '' Czarface'', February 19, 2013. The album was follo ...
released "Nautical Depth", the first single from their collaborative album ''
Czarface Meets Metal Face ''Czarface Meets Metal Face'' is the first collaborative album by American hip hop supergroup Czarface and British-American rapper MF Doom. It was released on March 30, 2018 through Get On Down, a Boston-based record label. The album features ...
''. The album was released on March 30, 2018. In a lukewarm review for ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'', Mehan Jayasuriya compared verses by Open Mike Eagle favorably to Dumile's, but noted that Dumile's contribution to "Nautical Depth" exhibited his "once razor-sharp lyricism". Ben Beaumont-Thomas, in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', was more complimentary, noting Dumile's "stoner surrealism" in "Captain Crunch". Aside from the album with Czarface, Dumile's musical output in the final three years of his life was limited to one-off guest appearances on other artists' tracks. Posthumous releases included appearances on two songs for the video game '' Grand Theft Auto Online'': "Lunch Break", with Flying Lotus; and "The Chocolate Conquistadors", with BadBadNotGood, made for the game's content update ''The Cayo Perico Heist.'' Shortly after Dumile's death was announced, Flying Lotus revealed that they had been working on an EP. Having been completed in early 2020 but later delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, Dumile's second collaborative album with Czarface and first posthumous release, '' Super What?'', was released in May 2021.


Style and artistry

Dumile's lyrics are known for
wordplay Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phon ...
. Bradley and DuBois, describing Dumile as "among the most enigmatic figures in hip-hop", wrote that Dumile's "raspy baritone weaves an intricate web of allusions drawn from comic books and metaphysics along with seeming nonsense and non sequiturs". According to an obituary in '' The Ringer'', his
flow Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psyc ...
was "loose and conversational, but delivered with technical precision", and his use of rhyme and meter eclipsed that of
Big Pun Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the e ...
and
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing Hip hop music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...
. Dumile's production work frequently incorporated samples and quotations from film. A review of ''Special Herbs'' volumes 5 and 6 in ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' compared Dumile's beats to " soul jazz".


MF Doom persona

Dumile created the MF Doom character as an
alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...
with a backstory he could reference in his music. The character combines elements from the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
supervillain
Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fict ...
, Destro, and the Phantom of the Opera; like Doctor Doom and Phantom, Dumile referred to himself in the third person while in character. His signature mask was similar to that of Doctor Doom, who is depicted rapping on the cover of Dumile's 1999 debut album '' Operation: Doomsday''. Dumile wore the mask while performing, and would not be photographed without it, except for short glimpses in videos and in earlier photos with KMD. Later versions of the mask were based on a prop from the 2000 film ''
Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
''. Academic Hershini Bhana Young argued that, by appropriating the Doctor Doom mask, Dumile "positions himself as enemy, not only of the music industry but also of dominant constructions of identity that relegate him as a black man to second-class citizenship". Dumile sometimes sent stand-ins to perform in the mask, which he saw as a "logical extension" of the concept but angered audiences. Dumile initially claimed that he had lost weight and thus looked and sounded different. At a 2010 show in Toronto, an imposter was booed off stage before being replaced by Dumile. In an interview with ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', Dumile described himself as the "writer and director" of the character and that he "might send a white dude next ... Whoever plays the character plays the character." In November 2019, during his performance at the
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
Festival, electronic artist Flying Lotus announced that he would be joined onstage by Dumile; instead, the masked figure who appeared on stage was revealed to be comedian
Hannibal Buress Hannibal Amir Buress ( , born February 4, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, producer, rapper and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; styliz ...
. Dumile's involvement in the prank has not been confirmed.


Legacy and influence

Dumile is considered one of the most celebrated and influential musicians in hip hop. The English musician
Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...
, who collaborated with Dumile on two occasions, wrote: "He was a massive inspiration to so many of us, changed things... For me the way he put words was often shocking in its genius, using stream of consciousness in a way I'd never heard before." ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'', reviewing ''Operation: Doomsday'' on its 20th anniversary, noted Dumile's "formative" influence on younger rappers. El-P of Run the Jewels described him as a "writer's writer", while Q-Tip called him "your favorite rapper's favorite rapper".


Personal life

Dumile's worldview was informed by
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
and the
Afrocentrism Afrocentrism is an approach to the study of world history that focuses on the history of people of recent African descent. It is in some respects a response to Eurocentric attitudes about African people and their historical contributions. It ...
espoused by
African-American Muslims African-American Muslims, also colloquially known as Black Muslims, are an African American religious minority. About 1% of African Americans are Muslims. Nonetheless, African American Muslims account for over 20% of American Muslims. They re ...
. His parents raised him and his brother as
Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
in the
Five-Percent Nation The Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE/NOGE) or the Five Percenters, is a Black nationalist movement influenced by Islam that was founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, ...
, a religious black nationalist movement influenced by Islam. Dumile's father taught him about
pan-African Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
history, including historical figures such as
Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
and
Elijah Muhammad Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole; October 7, 1897 – February 25, 1975) was an African American religious leader, black separatist, and self-proclaimed Messenger of Allah, who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until his dea ...
—lessons that he then strove to impart upon his peers. By the early 1990s, Dumile and the other members of KMD identified as a member of the Ansaar Allah Community, later known as the
Nuwaubian Nation The Nuwaubian Nation, Nuwaubian movement, or United Nuwaubian Nation () is an American new religious movement founded and led by Dwight York, also known as Malachi Z. York. York began founding several black Muslim groups in New York in 1967. H ...
. In their music, the members of KMD professed a religious message based on tenets of Nuwaubianism, which Dumile distinguished from Five-Percent beliefs in an early interview. In the music video for "Peachfuzz", Dumile and the other members of KMD wear kufi caps. By 2000, though he was no longer as strictly observant, Dumile still participated in Nuwaubian events such as the Savior's Day celebration at the
Tama-Re The Tama-Re compound in Putnam County, Georgia (a.k.a. "Kodesh", "Wahannee", "The Golden City", "Al Tamaha") was an Egyptian-themed set of buildings and monuments established in 1993 on 476 acres near Eatonton by the Nuwaubian Nation. This wa ...
compound in Georgia and held a positive opinion of the community. Dumile was married to Jasmine Dumile for an unknown period until his death in October 2020. According to various sources, they had either two or three children, one of whom was a son called Malachi. Malachi died at the age of 14 from unspecified causes in late 2017, with Dumile paying tribute on social media:
KING MALACHI EZEKIEL DUMILE 2/22/03 – 12/18/17 The greatest son one could ask for. Safe journey and may all our ancestors greet you with open arms. One of our greatest inspirations. ‘Thank you for allowing us to be your parents. Love you, Mali.
Dumile was refused re-entry to the United States in late 2010 after completing a European tour. Although he had lived in the country for most of his life, he never became a
naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
citizen. He had previously avoided leaving the United States—it had only been his second international tour—but had acquired a
British passport A British passport is a travel document issued by the United Kingdom or other British dependencies and territories to individuals holding any form of British nationality. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requ ...
prior to the tour. He had believed he would be able to secure reentry based on his long-term residency and family connections. The denial of reentry forced Dumile apart from his wife and three children, and for nearly two years he saw them only via video calls or during their brief visits to the United Kingdom. He was reunited with his family when they moved to London in 2012. The same year, Dumile said he was "done with the United States". In December 2017, Dumile announced that his 14-year-old son, King Malachi Ezekiel Dumile, had died.


Death

On December 31, 2020, Dumile's wife announced on social media that he had died on October 31. His representative confirmed the death. The cause of death was not announced. Many musicians made tributes to his work and his passing. President Joe Biden included Dumile's 2004 track "Coffin Nails" in his
inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...
playlist. The decision was criticized by some of Dumile’s fans, as Biden was part of the
Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
, which had barred him from returning to the United States.


Selected discography


Solo albums

* '' Operation: Doomsday'' (1999) * '' Take Me to Your Leader'' (2003) * '' Vaudeville Villain'' (2003) * '' VV:2'' (2004) * '' Mm..Food'' (2004) * '' Born Like This'' (2009)


Collaborative albums

* ''
Mr. Hood ''Mr. Hood'' is the debut studio album by hip hop group KMD. It was released on May 14, 1991 via Elektra Records. Recording sessions took place at Calliope Studios in New York. Production was handled by K.M.D., except two tracks produced by the ...
'' (1991) * ''
Black Bastards ''Black Bastards'' is the second and final studio album by KMD (an American rap trio featuring an early alias of MF Doom), completed in 1993 and eventually released on May 15, 2000, through Readyrock Records. Initially, the album was scheduled f ...
'' (2000) * ''
Madvillainy ''Madvillainy'' is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records. The album was recorded between 2002 and 2004. Madlib cr ...
'' (2004) * '' Special Herbs + Spices Volume 1'' (2004) * '' The Mouse and the Mask'' (2005) * ''
Key to the Kuffs ''Key to the Kuffs'' is a collaborative album by alternative hip hop artists Jneiro Jarel and MF DOOM under the moniker JJ Doom. It was released on Lex Records on August 20, 2012. Recording Jneiro Jarel produced the music in his studio in New Orl ...
'' (2012) * ''
NehruvianDoom ''NehruvianDoom'' is the collaborative studio album by American hip hop duo NehruvianDoom which consists of MF DOOM and Bishop Nehru. The album was released on October 7, 2014, by Lex Records. Background In January 2014, during an interview w ...
'' (2014) * ''
Czarface Meets Metal Face ''Czarface Meets Metal Face'' is the first collaborative album by American hip hop supergroup Czarface and British-American rapper MF Doom. It was released on March 30, 2018 through Get On Down, a Boston-based record label. The album features ...
'' (2018) * '' Super What?'' (2021)


Footnotes


References


Sources

* * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doom, MF 1971 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers 20th-century English singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century English singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers African-American male rappers African-American Muslims American hip hop record producers Black British male rappers British hip hop record producers East Coast hip hop musicians English male rappers English expatriates in the United States English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent English people of Zimbabwean descent Five percenters Lex Records artists Illeists Masked musicians People from Long Beach, New York Rappers from London Record producers from New York (state) Rhymesayers Entertainment artists Underground rappers 21st-century African-American musicians People from Hounslow 20th-century African-American male singers