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Daniel Dumile ("doom-uh-lay") is a British born American hip-hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most famously MF DOOM (standing for metal fingers/metal face doom). He has also been known as Zev Love X, King Geedorah, Metal Fingers, Viktor Vaughn, DOOM, and has appeared in several collaborative projects such as DangerDoom (with Danger Mouse), Madvillain (with Madlib), JJ DOOM (with Jneiro Jarel) and NehruvianDOOM (with Bishop Nehru). Little is known about his personal life. Read Full BioDaniel Dumile ("doom-uh-lay") is a British born American hip-hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most famously MF DOOM (standing for metal fingers/metal face doom). He has also been known as Zev Love X, King Geedorah, Metal Fingers, Viktor Vaughn, DOOM, and has appeared in several collaborative projects such as DangerDoom (with Danger Mouse), Madvillain (with Madlib), JJ DOOM (with Jneiro Jarel) and NehruvianDOOM (with Bishop Nehru). Little is known about his personal life.
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.
His work with Madvillain has been covered by the New Yorker, as has his entire career.
Early years with KMD.
Dumile was born on January 9, 1971 in London, England, the son of a Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father. He then moved with his family to New York and was raised in the city of Long Beach, New York on Long Island
As Zev Love X, he formed the group KMD in 1988 with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another MC called Onyx the Birthstone Kid. A&R rep Dante Ross learned of KMD from the hip hop group 3rd Bass, and signed the group to Elektra Records.
Dumile and KMD's recorded debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" from The Cactus Album, followed in 1991 with KMD's album Mr. Hood, which became a minor hit through its singles "Peachfuzz," "Who Me?" and heavy video play on cable TV's Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City.
Subroc was struck and killed by a car in 1993 while attempting to cross a Long Island expressway before the release of a second KMD album, titled Black Bastards. The group was subsequently dropped from Elektra Records that same week. Before the release of the album, it was shelved due to controversy over its cover art, which featured a cartoon of a stereotypical pickaninny or sambo character being hanged from the gallows.
With the loss of his brother, Dumile retreated from the hip-hop scene from 1994 to 1997. He testifies to disillusionment and depression, living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of Manhattan, sleeping on benches." In the late 1990s, 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." Black Bastards had become bootlegged at the time, leading to Doom's rise in the underground hip-hop world.
Birth of MF Doom
In 1997, Dumile began freestyling incognito at open-mic events at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan, obscuring his face by putting a stocking over his head. He meanwhile had taken on a new identity, MF Doom, patterned after and wearing a mask similar to that of Marvel Comics super-villain Doctor Doom, who is depicted rapping on the cover of the 1999 album Operation: Doomsday. However, the MF Doom mask more closely resembles the same mask that Russel Crowe wears in the movie, "Gladiator" during the matches at the Colosseum, so it is unclear at this point as to exactly where the mask inspiration originated from. He wears this mask while performing and isn't photographed without it, except for very short glimpses in videos such as Viktor Vaughn's "Mr. Clean," "?," and in earlier photos with KMD. MF Doom's mask has undergone at least one design revision since its adoption (it is now an altered version of the mask worn by the character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the film Gladiator).
[edit] Early career
Dumile released three singles on "Bobbito" Garcia's Fondle 'Em Records, "Dead Bent," and "Greenbacks" (1997), and "The M.I.C." (1998). In 1999 Fondle 'Em released MF Doom's first full-length LP, Operation: Doomsday, which included these singles and their b-sides, and additional tracks. Dumile had used the spelling variant "M.F. Doom" for the singles releases, but thereafter changed this to "MF Doom."
Among the collaborators on these tracks were fellow members of the Monsta Island Czars collective (The M.I.C.), for which each artist took on the persona of a monster from the Godzilla mythos. Dumile went by the alias "King Ghidra" (a three-headed golden dragon "space monster"), and some of his appearances on the LP are as, and are credited to this persona, instead of that of MF DOOM. Dumile would revisit this character later under various name-spellings.
Guest appearances, production, and instrumental work
In the years intervening before his next full-length solo release, and continually since, Dumile has appeared on several tracks on other artists' LPs and remixes, contributed one-off tracks to compilations, and done various guest production work.
With few exceptions Dumile produces (creates) the instrumentation tracks for his solo releases.
Beginning in 2001, under the "Metal Fingers" moniker, Dumile began releasing his Special Herbs instrumentals series. Many of these beats can be heard as the instrumentation tracks throughout his body of work. A separate website catalogs for which tracks each instrumental has been used.
Ongoing career
In 2003, Dumile released the King Geedorah album Take Me to Your Leader. Geedorah is credited as producer (also, in this context: beat-maker), but only appears as an MC on four tracks. The majority of vocal tracks feature guest MCs, and the album features several instrumental montages of sampled vocals from old movies and TV shows—a technique employed on most of Dumile's albums. Both Venomous Villain and Take Me to Your Leader feature appearances by MF DOOM.
Also in 2003, Dumile released the LP Vaudeville Villain under the moniker Viktor Vaughn (another play on Doctor Doom, whose "real name" is Victor von Doom). In 2004 he released a follow-up LP, Venomous Villain (also called VV2).
And, in 2004, the second MF DOOM album MM..Food was released by the Minnesota-based label Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Mainstream recognition
DOOM's first commercial breakthrough came in 2004, with the album Madvillainy, created 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, Washington Post, New York Times, The New Yorker, and Spin. A video for "All Caps" and a four-date U.S. tour followed the release of Madvillainy. Additional videos for "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Accordion," both directed by Andrew Gura, were released on the DVDs Stones Throw 101 and "Stones Throw 102: In Living the True Gods," respectively.
Though still an independent artist, MF DOOM 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. The album, released on October 11, 2005 by Epitaph, was done in cooperation with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and featured voice-actors and characters from its programs (mostly Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Danger Doom reached #41 on the Billboard 200. In 2006 Doom hosted the [adult swim] Christmas special and he could be seen in between shows, usually talking about what was up next, and making jokes. DOOM also made an appearance in "November Has Come", a track on Gorillaz's 2005 album Demon Days, which reached #6 on the Billboard 200.
2006-2009
MF DOOM produced tracks for both of Ghostface Killah's 2006 albums Fishscale and More Fish, and the two are currently at work on a collaboration album titled Swift & Changeable. So far only one track has been released from the album, "Angels," which appeared on a Nature Sounds compilation in late 2006, and later re-released in a different fashion on DOOM's 2009 album Born Like This. DOOM has also revealed plans for a second Madvillain album with producer Madlib, with one song, "Monkey Suite," first appearing on the Adult Swim/Stones Throw Records album Chrome Children, later it appeared on Madvillainy 2 - The Madlib Remix. Other potential projects mentioned by DOOM include new albums from Danger Doom, KMD, as well as further albums under both his Viktor Vaughn and King Geedorah aliases. However, many such DOOM projects have been rumored in recent years without materializing.
Despite no new DOOM releases in 2006, Kidrobot and Stones Throw released an 8" tall Madvillain toy available to coincide with the release of the Chrome Children CD/DVD (hosted by Peanut Butter Wolf) which featured a DVD performance of Madvillain and several other Stones Throw artists. MF DOOM also continued to work with Adult Swim doing voice-over work as Sherman the Giraffe on Perfect Hair Forever, being the voice for The Boondocks ads and previews and hosting their Christmas Eve 2006 programming.
In late January 2009, Lex records confirmed DOOM's new album title to be Born Like This, and that the "MF" would be dropped from his name, now just DOOM[10]. The album was released worldwide on March 24, 2009. As a teaser, the track "Ballskin" was posted on Doom's Myspace page on January 13, 2009. Snippets of the entire album were made available for streaming on DOOM's MySpace on the album's release date. The title for the album was inspired by the poem "Dinosauria, We" by 1970s and 1980s poet Charles Bukowski. DOOM samples a performance of the poem by Bukowski on the track "Cellz." Previously, DOOM used a Bukowski sample for a vocal interlude on 2004's "All Outta Ale." Thom Yorke of Radiohead remixed the track "Gazillion Ear," which is available as an iTunes-only bonus track. June 26, 2009 Kurious released 'II' which featured DOOM on the song "Benetton".
Upcoming projects
On May 26, 2010, the first single for the next Madvillain album was dropped through Adult Swim. "Expektoration," a live DOOM album, will be released Sept. 14, 2010 through Gold Dust Media. In mid 2010, DOOM released 'DOOM!', a collection of greatest hits, B-Sides and rareties, including the theme for GTA: Chinatown Wars featuring Ghostface Killah and Biochemical Equation, featuring the RZA.
Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name.
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.
His work with Madvillain has been covered by the New Yorker, as has his entire career.
Early years with KMD.
Dumile was born on January 9, 1971 in London, England, the son of a Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father. He then moved with his family to New York and was raised in the city of Long Beach, New York on Long Island
As Zev Love X, he formed the group KMD in 1988 with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another MC called Onyx the Birthstone Kid. A&R rep Dante Ross learned of KMD from the hip hop group 3rd Bass, and signed the group to Elektra Records.
Dumile and KMD's recorded debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" from The Cactus Album, followed in 1991 with KMD's album Mr. Hood, which became a minor hit through its singles "Peachfuzz," "Who Me?" and heavy video play on cable TV's Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City.
Subroc was struck and killed by a car in 1993 while attempting to cross a Long Island expressway before the release of a second KMD album, titled Black Bastards. The group was subsequently dropped from Elektra Records that same week. Before the release of the album, it was shelved due to controversy over its cover art, which featured a cartoon of a stereotypical pickaninny or sambo character being hanged from the gallows.
With the loss of his brother, Dumile retreated from the hip-hop scene from 1994 to 1997. He testifies to disillusionment and depression, living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of Manhattan, sleeping on benches." In the late 1990s, 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." Black Bastards had become bootlegged at the time, leading to Doom's rise in the underground hip-hop world.
Birth of MF Doom
In 1997, Dumile began freestyling incognito at open-mic events at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan, obscuring his face by putting a stocking over his head. He meanwhile had taken on a new identity, MF Doom, patterned after and wearing a mask similar to that of Marvel Comics super-villain Doctor Doom, who is depicted rapping on the cover of the 1999 album Operation: Doomsday. However, the MF Doom mask more closely resembles the same mask that Russel Crowe wears in the movie, "Gladiator" during the matches at the Colosseum, so it is unclear at this point as to exactly where the mask inspiration originated from. He wears this mask while performing and isn't photographed without it, except for very short glimpses in videos such as Viktor Vaughn's "Mr. Clean," "?," and in earlier photos with KMD. MF Doom's mask has undergone at least one design revision since its adoption (it is now an altered version of the mask worn by the character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the film Gladiator).
[edit] Early career
Dumile released three singles on "Bobbito" Garcia's Fondle 'Em Records, "Dead Bent," and "Greenbacks" (1997), and "The M.I.C." (1998). In 1999 Fondle 'Em released MF Doom's first full-length LP, Operation: Doomsday, which included these singles and their b-sides, and additional tracks. Dumile had used the spelling variant "M.F. Doom" for the singles releases, but thereafter changed this to "MF Doom."
Among the collaborators on these tracks were fellow members of the Monsta Island Czars collective (The M.I.C.), for which each artist took on the persona of a monster from the Godzilla mythos. Dumile went by the alias "King Ghidra" (a three-headed golden dragon "space monster"), and some of his appearances on the LP are as, and are credited to this persona, instead of that of MF DOOM. Dumile would revisit this character later under various name-spellings.
Guest appearances, production, and instrumental work
In the years intervening before his next full-length solo release, and continually since, Dumile has appeared on several tracks on other artists' LPs and remixes, contributed one-off tracks to compilations, and done various guest production work.
With few exceptions Dumile produces (creates) the instrumentation tracks for his solo releases.
Beginning in 2001, under the "Metal Fingers" moniker, Dumile began releasing his Special Herbs instrumentals series. Many of these beats can be heard as the instrumentation tracks throughout his body of work. A separate website catalogs for which tracks each instrumental has been used.
Ongoing career
In 2003, Dumile released the King Geedorah album Take Me to Your Leader. Geedorah is credited as producer (also, in this context: beat-maker), but only appears as an MC on four tracks. The majority of vocal tracks feature guest MCs, and the album features several instrumental montages of sampled vocals from old movies and TV shows—a technique employed on most of Dumile's albums. Both Venomous Villain and Take Me to Your Leader feature appearances by MF DOOM.
Also in 2003, Dumile released the LP Vaudeville Villain under the moniker Viktor Vaughn (another play on Doctor Doom, whose "real name" is Victor von Doom). In 2004 he released a follow-up LP, Venomous Villain (also called VV2).
And, in 2004, the second MF DOOM album MM..Food was released by the Minnesota-based label Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Mainstream recognition
DOOM's first commercial breakthrough came in 2004, with the album Madvillainy, created 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, Washington Post, New York Times, The New Yorker, and Spin. A video for "All Caps" and a four-date U.S. tour followed the release of Madvillainy. Additional videos for "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Accordion," both directed by Andrew Gura, were released on the DVDs Stones Throw 101 and "Stones Throw 102: In Living the True Gods," respectively.
Though still an independent artist, MF DOOM 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. The album, released on October 11, 2005 by Epitaph, was done in cooperation with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and featured voice-actors and characters from its programs (mostly Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Danger Doom reached #41 on the Billboard 200. In 2006 Doom hosted the [adult swim] Christmas special and he could be seen in between shows, usually talking about what was up next, and making jokes. DOOM also made an appearance in "November Has Come", a track on Gorillaz's 2005 album Demon Days, which reached #6 on the Billboard 200.
2006-2009
MF DOOM produced tracks for both of Ghostface Killah's 2006 albums Fishscale and More Fish, and the two are currently at work on a collaboration album titled Swift & Changeable. So far only one track has been released from the album, "Angels," which appeared on a Nature Sounds compilation in late 2006, and later re-released in a different fashion on DOOM's 2009 album Born Like This. DOOM has also revealed plans for a second Madvillain album with producer Madlib, with one song, "Monkey Suite," first appearing on the Adult Swim/Stones Throw Records album Chrome Children, later it appeared on Madvillainy 2 - The Madlib Remix. Other potential projects mentioned by DOOM include new albums from Danger Doom, KMD, as well as further albums under both his Viktor Vaughn and King Geedorah aliases. However, many such DOOM projects have been rumored in recent years without materializing.
Despite no new DOOM releases in 2006, Kidrobot and Stones Throw released an 8" tall Madvillain toy available to coincide with the release of the Chrome Children CD/DVD (hosted by Peanut Butter Wolf) which featured a DVD performance of Madvillain and several other Stones Throw artists. MF DOOM also continued to work with Adult Swim doing voice-over work as Sherman the Giraffe on Perfect Hair Forever, being the voice for The Boondocks ads and previews and hosting their Christmas Eve 2006 programming.
In late January 2009, Lex records confirmed DOOM's new album title to be Born Like This, and that the "MF" would be dropped from his name, now just DOOM[10]. The album was released worldwide on March 24, 2009. As a teaser, the track "Ballskin" was posted on Doom's Myspace page on January 13, 2009. Snippets of the entire album were made available for streaming on DOOM's MySpace on the album's release date. The title for the album was inspired by the poem "Dinosauria, We" by 1970s and 1980s poet Charles Bukowski. DOOM samples a performance of the poem by Bukowski on the track "Cellz." Previously, DOOM used a Bukowski sample for a vocal interlude on 2004's "All Outta Ale." Thom Yorke of Radiohead remixed the track "Gazillion Ear," which is available as an iTunes-only bonus track. June 26, 2009 Kurious released 'II' which featured DOOM on the song "Benetton".
Upcoming projects
On May 26, 2010, the first single for the next Madvillain album was dropped through Adult Swim. "Expektoration," a live DOOM album, will be released Sept. 14, 2010 through Gold Dust Media. In mid 2010, DOOM released 'DOOM!', a collection of greatest hits, B-Sides and rareties, including the theme for GTA: Chinatown Wars featuring Ghostface Killah and Biochemical Equation, featuring the RZA.
Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name.
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Still Dope
by MF DOOM
I'm still dope even if the bag ain't coach
Even if I don't smoke til the hydro roach
I'm still dope rock a thrift store coat and a fresh pair of moccasins
Comfortable for walkin in. No A&R marketing, this is my reality
Still dope power walk burning off the calories
Fact and not fallacy. Metal face family
Imminent fatality, taking us too casually
I got it it's cool, just part of the school
And I'm acing the lesson this time so quit stressing
Still dope, vibrant natural game
No ring no chain still bringin the pain
I'm still dope got no choice but to cope listen take
notes I'm showing you the ropes
Still dope very high dosage, my approach is lights out buenos noches
Hold my glasses so I can get riddick
Send 'em home tail tucked holdin they fitted
Cold as a Guinness (1 pint miss)
Yo chill watch the table offish might flip
Crack jokes spit pop mad shit
That's what it's made for cop that quick
Drop that vick, butterfingers oopsie
Signed away your publishing for Jordan's and a loosie
The old one, two see, solo not groupie
All over that ass like sweats by juicy
Cats is puss like Sagwa and Morris
Stay spittin lines there is no chorus
Deploying the troublesome, sleep and bubblegum
That's a double dumb, hum if you feel where I'm coming from
Do it til your lips are numb, you gotta go for it
I stay moving forward, I'm baby bear porridge
Knick nack paddy wack fuck ya'll critics
This dime on the grind when it comes to the spinach
Conquered the id, vicious like sid flow
Not a nympho, Empress Official
She rock mics you wait to exhale
She rock shows like DMC rock Cazals
She rock shells manicured nails
Rock for every belle with a spliff to inhale
Holdin she own cone of homegrown shrubbery
Won't go hungry the flow too lovely
Leavin grills dented on the SUV rented
Classic as vintage Impalas that's all tinted
Raw business, like how them wifeys get hitted
Authentic the track is so love im all in it
Aw quit it, of course I'm inclined to shine, did-ick
Line for line with it, climbin infinite
Tu no sabe? Yo soy una bien mala madre
Confident aren't we? Playin' it smartly
Word to dios Estrella is lethal
Flow muy frio roll the dice chico
Live crazy decent insanely frequent
Strangely sleep wit one eye open not jokin', outspoken
Provokin' and chokin' ego strokin is lame
Word bonder than James 4 alarm wit the flames
Way ahead of the game, still playing the same
Royalty in my veins it'll always remain
Forever doin' the thing solo or crew I can hang
Like ylang and ylang bring the yin to the yang
They got placenta for brains testing my venomous slang
Fools get fitted for bangs and rented for change
Some people think I'm deranged others a little bit strange
Just trying to rattle my cage cuz I'm way outta they range
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
by MF DOOM
I'm still dope even if the bag ain't coach
Even if I don't smoke til the hydro roach
I'm still dope rock a thrift store coat and a fresh pair of moccasins
Comfortable for walkin in. No A&R marketing, this is my reality
Still dope power walk burning off the calories
Fact and not fallacy. Metal face family
Imminent fatality, taking us too casually
I got it it's cool, just part of the school
And I'm acing the lesson this time so quit stressing
Still dope, vibrant natural game
No ring no chain still bringin the pain
I'm still dope got no choice but to cope listen take
notes I'm showing you the ropes
Still dope very high dosage, my approach is lights out buenos noches
Hold my glasses so I can get riddick
Send 'em home tail tucked holdin they fitted
Cold as a Guinness (1 pint miss)
Yo chill watch the table offish might flip
Crack jokes spit pop mad shit
That's what it's made for cop that quick
Drop that vick, butterfingers oopsie
Signed away your publishing for Jordan's and a loosie
The old one, two see, solo not groupie
All over that ass like sweats by juicy
Cats is puss like Sagwa and Morris
Stay spittin lines there is no chorus
Deploying the troublesome, sleep and bubblegum
That's a double dumb, hum if you feel where I'm coming from
Do it til your lips are numb, you gotta go for it
I stay moving forward, I'm baby bear porridge
Knick nack paddy wack fuck ya'll critics
This dime on the grind when it comes to the spinach
Conquered the id, vicious like sid flow
Not a nympho, Empress Official
She rock mics you wait to exhale
She rock shows like DMC rock Cazals
She rock shells manicured nails
Rock for every belle with a spliff to inhale
Holdin she own cone of homegrown shrubbery
Won't go hungry the flow too lovely
Leavin grills dented on the SUV rented
Classic as vintage Impalas that's all tinted
Raw business, like how them wifeys get hitted
Authentic the track is so love im all in it
Aw quit it, of course I'm inclined to shine, did-ick
Line for line with it, climbin infinite
Tu no sabe? Yo soy una bien mala madre
Confident aren't we? Playin' it smartly
Word to dios Estrella is lethal
Flow muy frio roll the dice chico
Live crazy decent insanely frequent
Strangely sleep wit one eye open not jokin', outspoken
Provokin' and chokin' ego strokin is lame
Word bonder than James 4 alarm wit the flames
Way ahead of the game, still playing the same
Royalty in my veins it'll always remain
Forever doin' the thing solo or crew I can hang
Like ylang and ylang bring the yin to the yang
They got placenta for brains testing my venomous slang
Fools get fitted for bangs and rented for change
Some people think I'm deranged others a little bit strange
Just trying to rattle my cage cuz I'm way outta they range
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
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