MF DOOM

About

Daniel Dumile, best known under by his stage name and alter ego MF DOOM, was a British-born rapper and producer. He was best known for his "super villain" stage persona and distinct lyrical style.

History

Dumile first appeared as Zev Love X in the rap trio KMD ("Kausing Much Damage", or "A positive Kause in a Much Damaged society"). Their second album, Black Bastards (or Bl_ck B_st_rds), came out in 1993, but was quickly shelved afterwards due to its controversial album art and lyrics. KMD was dropped by their label in the same year, along with Dumile departing from the hip-hop scene.^[1] In addition, KMD would also split following the death of band member and Dumile's younger brother Dingilizwe Dumile, also known as DJ Subroc.

He returned as MF DOOM in 1999, together with his debut solo album Operation: Doomsday. The record received critical acclaim from music reviewers and numerous album reissues.^[2] From the album art, his character wears a mask and costume similar to the popular Marvel Comics super villain Doctor Doom.

Since then, he has released solo albums under the MF DOOM name along with many other aliases, such as King Geedorah (from Take Me to Your Leader) [shown below, left] and Viktor Vaughn (from Vaudeville Villain and Venomous Villain). He also has several collaborative projects with artists such as Danger Mouse (as DANGERDOOM) [shown below, right] and Ghostface Killah (as DOOMSTARKS).

During his appearances and performances, he would wear a mask based on a prop helmet from the movie Gladiator to conceal his identity.^[3] This later became a staple to his character.

Madvillainy

Madvillainy is the debut album of the collaborative group Madvillain, comprising of MF DOOM (as MC) and Madlib (as producer). It is considered to be one of the most critically acclaimed undergroup hip-hop & rap albums of all time, according to both critics and fans of either artists.

Online Presence

The rapper has a high following on social media, with over 745,000 likes on his official Facebook page^[4] and 105,000 followers on his Instagram account.^[5] His subreddit, /r/MFDOOM, has more than 7,000 subscribers.^[6] He also has several posts on 4chan's /mu/ board,^[7] Tumblr, ^[8] and Reddit ^[8] related to him.

Many of his albums have gained critical acclaim not only from critics and fans, but also from other rappers, often being called "your favorite rapper's favorite rapper." Famous music critic Anthony Fantano claims Madvillainy to be the "most celebrated abstract hip-hop album ever," and very influential to future emcees. Vox featured his songs in their video essay on the deconstruction of rap music, stating that he uses his verses "like a villain would use his super power."

Reputation

MF DOOM keeps his personal life and appearance very private, with only little to no footage of his actual face. He was also known to intentionally send impostors to perform for him in live shows.^[1] His son, Malachi Ezekiel Dumile, died on December 18, 2017 (picture below).^[10]

Death

On December 31st, Dumile's family confirmed in a statement that the rapper died age 49 on October 31st, 2020.^[11] No cause of death was immediately given.

Notable Videos

Search Interests

External References