Dumile's eccentric wordplay makes him a favorite of underground hip-hop fans. He is heavily influenced by American comic books (especially the Fantastic Four and their battles with Dr. Doom). Japanese science fiction is also an influence; the concept for King Geedorah (which is derived from Ghidorah) and the Monsta Island Czars comes from the Godzilla movie series. He is also renowned for bringing comedy back into the sometimes overly serious world of rap lyrics and a unique, sample-heavy production style.
Early Years with KMD
He was born in Southwest London, England on January 9, 1971 to a South African father and a West Indian mother; the family moved to New York and lived in Long Island where he was raised.
His debut in the world of rap music came when he devised the concept for, and guest-appeared on, the song "The Gas Face" by the rap group 3rd Bass, under the MC name Zev Love X along with his younger brother Subroc. Zev Luv X, Subroc, and another MC called Onyx The Birthstone Kid together formed the group KMD. Originally, "KMD" stood for "Kausing Much Damage," but before their first album they changed it to "a positive Kause in a Much Damaged society." KMD were all members of the Ansaar Allah community based in Brooklyn, New York. KMD signed with Elektra Records label under the A&R Dante Ross, who noticed KMD through the 3rd Bass record. KMD released 1991's Mr. Hood as part of a short-lived trend of conscious hip hop outings, along with labelmates Brand Nubian and other groups like Poor Righteous Teachers.
Subroc was accidentally struck and killed by a car in 1993 while attempting to cross a busy Long Island expressway, before the release of a second KMD album entitled Bl ck B st rds. The group was subsequently dropped from Elektra Records before the release of the album due to controversy over the album's cover art which featured a cartoon of a stereotypical pickaninny or sambo character being hanged from the gallows.
Birth of MF DOOM
Still dealing with the loss of his brother, Dumile became disillusioned and began to suffer from bouts of depression. He disappeared from the hip-hop scene from 1994-1997, and testifies to living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of Manhattan, sleeping on benches and shit." Shortly after this time, he left New York City and settled in Atlanta. According to interviews with DOOM, he was also "recovering from his wounds" and swearing revenge "against the industry that so badly deformed him." Meanwhile, Black Bastards was heavily bootlegged and Zev Love's legend grew. In 1997, he began appearing at the Nuyorican Poets Café at open mic events for rappers, although few people knew that the man freestyling with a stocking over his face was the former Zev. The imaginative MC began using new identity MF DOOM, inspired by the Marvel Comics supervillain Dr. Doom, and wearing a similar metal mask which he would not perform or be photographed without. The Dr. Doom style mask was eventually replaced with a replica of the mask Russell Crowe wore in the film Gladiator.
"My partner Lord Scotch came up with the design. Ill graffiti artist. He fabricated the mask out of...it was originally...you know that movie Gladiator? Son had the helmet piece on it with the mask on the front. We found an exact replica of the mask. He takes the faceplate off, attached that to the inside of a construction helmet, where you can tighten the helmet."
(MF stands for Metal Face (and his production name: Metal Fingers). MF Grimm gave the MF title to DOOM. Grimm's stands for Mad Flows. Grimm has since givin the MF title to other emcees).
The release of Operation: Doomsday in 1999 by independent label Fondle 'Em marked the official turning point for Dumile in his reinvention of himself from a major label recording artist of minor status to independent artist, where he would find his greatest success while maintaining the most control over his music.
Operation: Doomsday was received very well by underground listeners and was re-released in 2000. The following year, he began releasing albums of instrumental work, a series known as Special Herbs for several small record labels under the name Metal Fingers. He created an additional alter-egos King Geedorah as a member of Monsta Island Czars, a group consisting of MF Grimm and (currently) 14 other underground New York emcees who released their debut album in 2003.
Mainstream Recognition
MF DOOM was still far below the radar of mainstream press when two albums were released under new aliases by different labels in 2003. The first was Vaudeville Villain, released under the name Viktor Vaughn on Sound-Ink Records, and the second was King Geedorah's Take Me To Your Leader, released by Big Dada/Ninja Tune. Viktor Vaughn appears as solely a rap project - he has no production or executive producer credit on the album, but raps throughout the album - and alternately, King Geedorah is a conceptual production project. Although he raps on few of the songs on Take Me To Your Leader, the album is produced entirely by MF DOOM. Several of his long time collaborators appear as MCs.
DOOM's first commercial breakthrough came in 2004, with the album Madvillainy together with producer Madlib under the group name Madvillain. Released by Stones Throw Records, the album was a critical and commercial success. MF DOOM was seen by mainstream audiences for the first time as Madvillain received publicity and acclaim in publications such as Rolling Stone, New York Times, The New Yorker, and Spin. A video for "All Caps" and a 4-date U.S. tour followed the release of Madvillainy. An additional video for "Rhinestone Cowboy" and a segment from the tour are shown on the DVD Stones Throw 101.
DOOM was featured on the 2004 De La Soul release The Grind Date, MF DOOM rapping on the track "Rock Co.Kane Flow", which was also released as a single. Late in the year, DOOM's second solo album MM..Food was released by the Minnesota-based label Rhymesayers Entertainment, using various food items to metaphorically explain life and his own complex personality. As Viktor Vaughn he released his sophomore effort Venomous Villain (also called VV2), an album which received mixed reviews mostly critical of production values considered inferior to DOOM's recent work, and its short 33 minute length, with only 10 minutes featuring DOOM.
In 2005 MF DOOM took another step towards the commercial mainstream (while maintaining his independent artist status) with The Mouse and the Mask, a collaboration with producer DJ Danger Mouse released under the group name Danger Doom. The album was released on October 11, 2005 and frequently references characters from Cartoon Network's [adult swim]. He also voiced the giraffe named Sherman in [adult swim]'s Perfect Hair Forever; not coincidentally a song on The Mouse and the Mask called "Perfect Hair" references the cartoon extensively. Perfect Hair Forever did not debut officially on [adult swim] until a month after Danger Doom, so many listeners might not have gotten the references to Coiffio and Mt. Tuna. Also on this album, MF DOOM dissed M.I.C and MF Grimm in a song called "El Chupa Nibre" when he referred to the group as "midgets into crunk". MF Grimm released a retaliatory track titled "The Book of Daniel", which will appear on his album, American Hunger.
In 2005, MF DOOM appeared on two other Danger Mouse-produced projects: the Gorillaz album Demon Days, rapping on the song "November Has Come", and Danger Mouse's remix of Zero 7's "Somersault".
Current & Upcoming Projects
MF DOOM's creativity continues in 2006. DOOM produced several tracks on Ghostface Killah's Fishscale album released in April, and the two are currently at work on a collaboration album called Swift & Changeable due sometime in '07 on Lex Records (UK) & Nature Sounds (US). A new Danger Doom EP Occult Hymn was released via download on Adult Swim's website. The EP included new tracks: El Chupa Nibre Remix (again dissing the MIC with Monkeys Into Crime), Korn Dogz, Perfect Hair II, Sofa King Remix, Madlib's version of Space Ho's and a couple skits. DOOM is also planning to make another Madvillain album with producer Madlib, with one song first appearing on the [adult swim]/Stones Throw Records album Chrome Children, which also contains the first-ever live show by DOOM released on DVD.
He also plans to make another Danger Doom album with Danger Mouse.
Also in the works is his own record label Metal Face Records. Upon launching of the label, DOOM will release Hassan Chop's debut LP The Pen & The Sword. Another LP to be released on the label is The John Robinson Project - Who Is This Man?, due early '07, which is a collaboration between Lil Sci (of Scienz Of Life) and DOOM. Sci will handle the vocals and DOOM the production.
Personal Life
Dumile is rarely seen in public without a mask or hood on, and there exist no promotional photos or videos of his face post-KMD.
In an interview conducted on Independence Day in 2006 and published on his Myspace page, he stated that he is married, with two children, one of them teenage.
He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Doomsday
Daniel Dumile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come through, dig the sound!
Crowd around!
I used to cop a lot
But never copped no drop
Hold mics like pony tails, tight, and bob alot
Stop and stick around
Of the fly brown six-o sicko psycho who throws his dick around
Bound to go three-plat
Came to destroy rap
It's a intricate plot of a b-boy strat
[PEM Stack or vmstat], cats get kidnapped
Then release a statement to the press - let the rest know who did that
Metal Face terrorists claim responsibility
Broken household name usually said in hostility
Um... what... it's MF, you silly
I'd like to take "Mens to the End" for two milli'
"Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!" That's a audio daily double
Rappers need to fall off just to save me the trouble, yo
Watch your own back
Can't even go out alone, black
Stay in the zone - turn H2O to Cognac
On Doomsday!
Ever since the womb 'til I'm back where my brother went
That's what my tomb will say
Right above my government, Dumile [Doom's real name is Daniel Dumile]
Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who's to say?
I wrote this one in B.C. D.C. O-section
If you don't believe me, go get bagged and check then
Cell number 17, up under the top bunk
I say this not to be mean, wish bad luck or pop junk
Pop the trunk on See-Cipher-Punk, leave him left scraped
God forbid, if there ain't no escape, blame MF tape
Definition "super-villain": a killer who love children
One who is well-skilled in destruction, as well as building
While Sidney Sheldon teaches the trife to be trifer
I'm trading science fiction with my man the live lifer
A pied piper holler a rhyme, a dollar and a dime
Do his thing, ring around the white collar crime
Get out my face, askin' 'bout my case, need toothpaste
Fresher mint, monkey-style nigga get [Denta-Dent]
And dope fiends still in they teens, shook niggas turn witness
Real mens mind their own business
That's the difference between sissy-pissy rappers that's double-dutch
How come I hold the microphone double-clutch
C.O.'s make rounds, never have 'ox found
On shakedown, lock-down, wet dreams of Fox' Brown
On Doomsday!
Ever since the womb 'til I'm back where my brother went
That's what my tomb will say
Right above my government, Dumile
Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who's to say?
Doomsday
Every since the womb 'til I'm back to the essence
Read it off the tomb
Either engraved or unmarked grave, who's to say?
Pass the mic like "Pass the peas like they used to say"
Some M-er F-ers don't like how Sally walk
I'll tell y'all fools it's hella cool how ladies from Cali talk
Never let her interfere with the Yeti ghetto slang
Nicknames [? off nipple and tip of nipples?].metal fang
Known amongst hoes for the bang-bang
Known amongst foes for flow without no talking orangutan
Only gin and Tang
Guzzled out a rusty tin can
Me and this mic is like yin and yang
Clang! Crime don't pay, listen, youth
It's like me holding up the line at the kissing booth
I took her back to the truck, she was uncouth
Spittin' all out the sunroof, through her missing tooth
But then she has a sexy voice, sound like Jazzy Joyce
So I turned it up faster than a speeding knife
Strong enough to please a wife
Able to drop today's math in the 48 keys of life
Cut the crap far as rap
Touch the mic, get the same thing a Arab will do to you for stealing
What the devil? He's on another level
It's a word! No, a name! MF - the super-villain!
Doomsday!
Dig the sound
Crowd around
In Daniel Dumile's song "Doomsday," he raps about his past experiences with drugs and his outlook on the rap industry. He starts by saying "mic check" and calling the crowd to come hear the sound. Then he talks about his former addiction to drugs by saying "I used to cop a lot, but never copped no drop." Despite his addiction, Dumile's talent and passion for music shone through; every time he held a mic, it was like holding a ponytail. He was a sick psycho whose lyrics left a mark on the rap industry. The industry that he came to destroy, as he saw it, was based on a simplistic b-boy strat, so he worked to come up with an intricate plot to overthrow it.
The following verses describe Dumile's experiences with jail and the justice system, with the lines "God forbid if there ain't no escape, blame MF tape," referring to the times he spent in jail writing new songs. Dumile was a well-known artist whose name sometimes caused hostility from the authorities. Finally, in the song's concluding bars, Dumile describes himself as a super-villain. He goes on to explain the definition of a super-villain, a killer who loves children, and contrasts the idea of destruction with building.
Line by Line Meaning
Mic check...
Testing the microphone to ensure quality sound output
Come through, dig the sound!
Come and enjoy the music being played
I used to cop a lot
I used to buy a lot of things
But never copped no drop
But never bought any drugs
Hold mics like pony tails, tight, and bob alot
Holding onto the microphone tightly and moving it like a ponytail
Stop and stick around
Stop and stay for some time
Come through and dig the sound
Come and enjoy the music being played
Of the fly brown six-o sicko psycho who throws his dick around
The unique and crazy performer who doesn't care about what people think about him
Bound to go three-plat
Guaranteed to sell three million copies
Came to destroy rap
Intends to change the rap scene
It's an intricate plot of a b-boy strat
It's a complicated plan of a breakdancing strategy
[PEM Stack or vmstat], cats get kidnapped
Not clear, could be a reference to a hacking technique or other similar trick
Then release a statement to the press - let the rest know who did that
Send a message to the media about the action taken
Metal Face terrorists claim responsibility
The artist refers to himself as a Metal Face terrorist and claims responsibility for something
Broken household name usually said in hostility
Refers to his name being associated with negative things in general
Um...what...it's MF, you silly
The artist is correcting someone who doesn't know his name
I'd like to take Mens to the End for two milli'
Wish to win a game show called 'Mens to the End' and get paid two million dollars
'Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!' That's an audio daily double
Making a reference to a sound effect used in game shows
Rappers need to fall off just to save me the trouble, yo
The artist thinks inferior rappers should quit so they don't have to compete with him
Watch your own back
Be cautious of danger
Can't even go out alone, black
Can't go out alone because of danger, especially due to racism
Stay in the zone - turn H2O to Cognac
Stay focused and confident, turning ordinary things into something extraordinary
On Doomsday!
At the end of the world
Ever since the womb 'til I'm back where my brother went
From birth until death
That's what my tomb will say
What will be on his tombstone
Right above my government, Dumile [Doom's real name is Daniel Dumile]
Above his legal name
Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who's to say?
Not sure how he'll be buried
I wrote this one in BC DC O-section
Meaning is unclear
If you don't believe me, go get bagged and check then
Suggesting someone check with authorities to see if he's telling the truth
Cell number 17, up under the top bunk
Referring to a prison cell he was once in
I say this not to be mean, wish bad luck or pop junk
He's not saying this to be rude, insulting or negative
Pop the trunk on See-Cipher-Punk, leave him left scraped
Not clear, could be a reference to a violent act
God forbid, if there ain't no escape, blame MF tape
If someone is trapped with no escape, they can blame his music
Definition 'super-villain': a killer who loves children
A bad guy who cares for children
One who is well-skilled in destruction, as well as building
An expert in both destroying and building things
While Sidney Sheldon teaches the trife to be trifer
In contrast to Sidney Sheldon, he teaches the hopeless to become better
I'm trading science fiction with my man the live lifer
Exchanging ideas of science fiction with someone who has lived to tell stories
A pied piper holla a rhyme, a dollar and a dime
A charismatic leader sings a song for money
Do his thing, ring around the white collar crime
He will do what he thinks is right, despite possibly offending rich people
Get out my face, askin' 'bout my case, need toothpaste
Leave him alone, he doesn't want to talk about his problems and he needs toothpaste
Fresher mint, monkey-style nigga get [Denta-Dent]
Smile freshener, like a monkey using Denta-Dent brand toothpaste
And dope fiends still in their teens, shook niggas turn witness
Drug addicts still being teenagers, and cowardly people turning informer when they're in trouble
Real mens mind their own business
Real men take care of their own issues first
That's the difference between sissy-pissy rappers that's double-dutch
The difference between weak rappers and skilled ones
How come I hold the microphone double-clutch
Asking why he has to work harder than other rappers
C.O.'s make rounds, never have 'ox found
Guards check cells but don't find anything illegal
On shakedown, lock-down, wet dreams of Fox' Brown
When cells are searched, no hidden items are found, and people are guilty of sexual desire
Pass the mic like 'Pass the peas like they used to say'
Passing the microphone like people used to pass food
Some M-er F-ers don't like how Sally walk
Some people don't like Sally's manner of walking
I'll tell y'all fools it's hella cool how ladies from Cali talk
It's cool when women from California talk
Never let her interfere with the Yeti ghetto slang
Never let someone change what you normally say
Nicknames [?off nipple and tip of nipples?].metal fang
Referring to various nicknames, including metal fang
Known amongst hoes for the bang-bang
Referring to him being known among prostitutes for gun-related matters
Known amongst foes for flow without no talking orangutan
Known among enemies for his smooth, articulate flow
Only gin and Tang
Drinking only gin and Tang brand instant beverage mix
Guzzled out a rusty tin can
Drinking out of a rusty metal can
Me and this mic is like yin and yang
He and the microphone are a perfect pair
Clang! Crime don't pay, listen, youth
Sound of a prison cell door slamming shut, and a warning to young people
It's like me holding up the line at the kissing booth
Delaying other people because he's not ready yet
I took her back to the truck, she was uncouth
He took her to his vehicle, but she was vulgar
Spittin' all out the sunroof, through her missing tooth
She's spitting out of the car's sunroof, despite a missing tooth
But then she has a sexy voice, sound like Jazzy Joyce
However, she speaks with a sexy voice similar to Jazzy Joyce
So I turned it up faster than a speeding knife
He liked her voice and turned up the volume quickly
Strong enough to please a wife
The quality of his music is strong enough to satisfy a wife
Able to drop today's math in the 48 keys of life
He can drop contemporary knowledge in any situation
Cut the crap far as rap
Stop all the fake talk when it comes to rap
Touch the mic, get the same thing an Arab will do to you for stealing
Touching his microphone is equivalent to a violent punishment for stealing something from an Arab
What the devil? He's on another level
A strong reaction to someone who is extremely talented
It's a word! No, a name! MF - the super-villain!
The artist realizes that MF is not just a word, but also his name, and he's a super-villain
Doomsday!
A repetition of the earlier chorus that the end is coming
Dig the sound
Enjoy the music
Crowd around
Come together in a group
Contributed by Micah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.