- Soon, Boris, it won't
be a holographic image I hold in my hand but the Earth itself. - This is impossible. - The gun shoots dust. - I know you wanna buy my stocks. - I just wanna watch my soaps. What the heck's the big deal with this? Oh, hey, welcome back
to the Deep Discog Dive. The first of 2021. For those new to the series, this is where I tell you
the story of a given artist as told through their
principal discography. This month's artist was chosen by me, but next month's will
be chosen by all of you via the Deep Discog Dive Decision. In the description is a poll where you can vote on who
you want to see covered. The poll will run for the next two weeks. So go check that out before it's too late. You're also welcome to leave comments suggesting who you'd like to see covered. And if you wanna check
out any of the tracks that I talk about today, there's a Spotify playlist
in the description where you can check out all of them. For today's artist, I wanna do something a little bit different
and start at the ending. Last year, New Year's Eve to be exact, the general public was shocked to learn of this artist's
passing.. two months prior. I cannot tell you the
amount of people I saw paying their respects to this man, and that outpouring of
support and admiration, inspired me to look at
this hero of hip hop. Or should I say this villain. Today, we're talking about MF DOOM. Let's dive in. (light electronic music) - [Storyteller] I found Victor Von Doom and his father the next morning. - 1971, the Apollo 14
launches, Disney World opens and Daniel Dumile is born in London. Very early in his childhood, he and his family move
to Long Island, New York. It was there where he grew up, took an interest in music and comics and got the nickname DOOM from his family, which was a play on his last name. His first album would come out in 1991, but I should lay down
quickly that this dive is gonna work a little bit
differently than usual. You see, if I wanted to be
the cheekiest little cheek, I could say that the artist MF DOOM only has two albums credited to his name. And I would technically be right. But not only am I one angry
mob away from being evicted, I feel like that would
be a grave disservice to this man's body of work. Part of DOOM's artistic
journey was his collaborations with other artists and the
other aliases he would go by. As such, this dive is
gonna be taking a look at any full length project
that he had a leading role on. So let's look at his first alias. (light electronic music) In his late teens, Dumile
performing by the name Zev Love X, created the rap group KMD. Included in the group, was
his brother Dingilizwe, also known as DJ Subroc and Rodan. Their first recording was a guest feature on New York rap outfit,
3rd Bass's "The Gas Face" which got them noticed by and
signed to Elektra Records. Soon after, Rodan left
to finish high school and Onyx the Birthstone
Kid came in to replace him. Their first record as
a trio was "Mr. Hood" released in May, 1991. And I got to say, "Mr. Hood" is Mr. Good. (Crowd booing) The production handled by Zev and Subroc isn't anything groundbreaking but it is fun to hear them bring
disparate elements together and make them work. One track, the trio is dropping lines about their black Muslim roots, the next, they're sampling Sesame Street. I also got to say, the bass
work on some of these songs is so tight and immediately gratifying, specifically on "808 Man"
and "Trial 'n Error." Like I dare you not to head
bob to them at the very least. Hearing these three guys pass the mic between each other is entertaining. Lead single "Peachfuzz"
is a great example. And already the artist
formerly known as Zev, possessed confidence behind the mic. That said, these days,
it's weird to hear him rap so on the beat. Actually, that observation
doesn't make much sense at this point in time, but
keep that in mind for later. So yeah, it wasn't like a
record that lit up the rap world by any means, but if
you're a fan of De La Soul or A Tribe Called Quest, that
more conscious side of rap, I think you'll enjoy this. (light electronic music) Look up modest and
success in the dictionary, and you get Mr. and Hood respectively. KMD's first album made just enough impact and just enough money to get a second record
green-lit by Elektra. After a tour supporting 3rd Bass, the trio went back into the studio gearing up to release "Bl-ck B-st-rds" in May 1994. Given their success up to this point, this record had the potential
to be KMD's breakthrough. But I will remind the audience that all super villains
have an origin story and this record represented
Dumile's for two reasons. First, by May 1994, KMD
had become a one man show. Onyx left the group midway
through recording sessions and Subroc was tragically hit by a car and killed just as the album
was nearing completion. Daniel was left on his
own to finish the record, which he did, but that
leads to the second reason. You might've noticed on
this album's title card, I listed two different years
for when it was released and that's because Elektra refused to put the album out in 1994, the label had just gotten
past a massive controversy with Ice-T's "Cop Killer." The album cover had already
created negative buzz stemming from a Billboard article, and Elektra promptly dropped the album off their release schedule. It wouldn't be properly
released until 2001. And that means I should probably
talk about the album now. It's good! As many groups do with their sophomore LP, the trio mined themselves
for lyrical inspiration. Violence, alcoholism, drugs,
the general act of growing up. The production is more or less the same as it was on their first record. But the beats can sound a bit muddier by comparison on some tracks. Though, once again, I got
to highlight the bass work on songs like "Sweet Premium Wine", "It Sounded Like A Roc!"
and "Smoking' That S*#%." All in all, a fine second album. Now I'm not saying KMD
could have been the next Doritos, Cheetos, or Fritos
of popular rap music. And I'm not sure if this
would have been the record to get them there, but
their music was enjoyable. And it's really unfortunate that this was their final record. Dumile was left to reckon
with the loss of a brother and the dissolution of his
path to mainstream rap success. And he effectively disappeared
from the public space... until about 1997. (light electronic music) It was that year when Dumile began making public appearances again with a bit of a twist. Doing his best "Raising
Arizona" impression, he performed with tights over his head to obscure his identity. Eventually he would replace
the tights with a metal mask inspired by the film "Gladiator" and assume his new moniker MF DOOM. While the name came from
his childhood nickname, the look of his Metal Face
led many to connect him to Dr. Doom from Marvel's Fantastic Four, a connection that DOOM
wholeheartedly embraced in his music. The modern malefactor began
playing open mics in Manhattan, sharing the stage with
other underground acts like... this dude who raps
about candy or something? The villain's proper debut to the world was "Operation: Doomsday"
released in April, 1999. And now's as good a time as
any to talk about DOOM's flow. This man can rhyme so fine
on a dime it's a crime. DOOM has such a firm handle
on the English language and to hear him weave bars together, effortlessly hopping between rhyme schemes is a feat that very few
rappers can pull off. ♪ 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 ♪ It's the kind of delivery
that basically inspired those YouTube channels that break down and color code a rapper's verse, a stream of consciousness approach that all but requires a deeper analysis. You'll spend an hour
going over DOOM's verses to determine the exact way he's
saying he's better than you. It was to my surprise then, that DOOM's production isn't
really all that aggressive or in your face. At first, it feels off to hear DOOM drop these tangled verses over,
say, a James Ingram sample on "Rhymes Like Dimes" or a Steely Dan sample on "Gas Drawls", but the more you listen, the
more this inhibited production makes sense in how it allows
DOOM to be heard on the mic. It's a case of vocals and production working so well in tandem. And it's an excellent
introduction for DOOM, both as a lyricist and producer. (light electronic music) Between "Doomsday" and his
next full length record, DOOM release the first volume
of his "Special Herbs" tapes. These were instrumentals he made under his producing
pseudonym, Metal Fingers. And he would release another nine volumes between 2001 and 2005. I'm not gonna take the time to cover every single one in this video, but if you're a fan of
DOOM's production in any way, they're definitely worth checking out. In fact, some of the beats on these tapes are gonna pop up again
on future DOOM records. Also during this break, sometime in 2002, a friend introduced him to
the work of West Coast label Stones Throw and a certain
producer on their roster, but I'm gonna put a pin in
that and come back to it later. Anyway, our next stop on the DOOM tour is ♪ King Geedorah, take me to your leader ♪ Released in June, 2003. This time DOOM performed under
the alias of King Geedorah, which he had previously debuted as part of the Monsta Island Czars. He also handles all
production on this thing and my God, if you want
the clearest example of why DOOM's production
is so great, this is it. A few seconds into opening track "Fazers", with those beautiful
strings, and I was hooked. DOOM's intent with this project was to create an album that sounds like a giant three-headed dragon monster trying to craft a fire mixtape. And the results sear
themselves into your brain like said dragon monster's laser breath. DOOM is behind the board
for much of the record, instead of leaving most of the verses to other underground artists and... they're fine, they work. Honestly, none of the moments
I remember off this album come from the verses. I remember the soaring
guitars of "Fastlane." The B-movie sound collages
of the title track and "Monster Zero." The strings on "I Wonder." It's an excellent album and one that I cannot
recommend highly enough. It also kicked off a
frankly astonishing run of albums for DOOM between 2003 and 2005. (light electronic music) DOOM's next album was released
just a few months later in September 2003. "Vaudeville Villain" works as a compliment to "Take Me To Your Leader." Whereas "Leader" had DOOM
staying behind the board for most of its run,
"Vaudeville" puts him on the mic, with production handled by
mostly unknowns and also RJD2. And with DOOM mainly on the mic, he gets to debut yet another persona, this time he performs as a Viktor Vaughn, a teenage drug dealer/time traveler whose name is another Dr. Doom reference. The result is that DOOM is able to focus solely on the words. And man, does he relish the opportunity. The title track sets up
the character of Viktor with one of the album's best beats. "Modern Day Mugging" has
DOOM teaching us how to rob, even though he almost
gets killed by an old lady at the very end. "Can I Watch" has Viktor
and guest Apani B, flirt back and forth before he goes and puts
his foot in his mouth. "Never Dead" might be
the album's masterpiece from a lyrical standpoint. DOOM tells a story in
which he time travels to enact revenge on some kids who stole his Donkey Kong game. Now, if this was Mickey's Racing Adventure for the Game Boy Color that got stolen, I would've let it go, but
you steal Donkey Kong? Oh, it's over, it's over for you. And the production compliments
these stories so well. The producers here take
the R&B sample heavy vibe from the past two records, but inject it with some
electronic flourishes. It's the most futuristic
DOOM has ever sounded, and it still sounds fresh to this day. Definitely check this out. If "Operation: Doomsday"
established the man that was MF DOOM, then
"Take Me to Your Leader" and "Vaudeville Villain"
established the myth. And that just leaves the legend. (light electronic music) Lemme go back to that pin from earlier, like I said, in 2002, a friend of DOOM introduced him to Stones Throw and their most well-known artist, Madlib, who was a big fan of
"Operation: Doomsday." After hearing Madlib's work, DOOM decided to fly out to the
West Coast to work with him. The resulting sessions
were nothing short of... (crowd cheering) Madlib ended up creating
hundreds of beats, some with DOOM in person
and some after their meetup while he was touring in Brazil. It was here that unfortunately, the unfinished album was stolen and leaked onto the internet. The two then broke off to
work on other projects. Madlib worked on a Blue Notes remix album and a collab album with J Dilla. DOOM worked on the two
records I just covered. They eventually reconvened
to finish up the record. And by this point, a whole lot
of people had heard the leak and were excited to hear this new album. And hear it they did, in
March 2004 specifically, the finished album was "Madvillainy", credited to the super villain duo Madvill- oh my God, this thing is so good. I know it's cliche. I know it's the one that everybody loves, but Goddamn it, there's a reason for that. And it's because this
album is spectacular. I'm gonna start a new religion, and its primary text is "Madvillainy." Not only is Madlib a
kindred spirit to DOOM in how they're both crate diggers, but his beats are utterly
perfect for DOOM's flow. The beats are always slightly off tempo and DOOM's bars are
also slightly off tempo. You'd think that'd be disorienting, but the two have such a strong chemistry that they work in perfect harmony. What's more, when they met
up to finish the record, DOOM rerecorded all of his vocals to have a deeper husky tone. It gives his performance a
distinction and character that no other record of his has. This record is a masterpiece of cohesion. And as such, I feel weird
telling you to check out any one track or moment because they each flow
into each other so well, but I'm gonna do my best. First track "Accordion" has
such a perfectly off-kilter beat to kick off the album. Plus the DOOM drops about five bars that would be any other
rapper's best lines ever. - Livin' off borrowed time,
the clock ticks faster. - Oh, wait a minute, slip like Freudian. First and last step to playin'
yourself like an accordion. Oh my god! Come on, man. - "Meat Grinder" features DOOM spinning this intricate yarn about a girl he likes over one of the most lurid sounding beats on the whole album. "Bistro" establishes the
atmosphere of the record. It has DOOM pretending
he's opening a restaurant with all the album's collaborators. ♪ Madvillain Bistro Bed
and Breakfast Bar Grill ♪ ♪ Cafe Lounge underwater ♪ - Right this way everyone, free puppies, ginger snaps, pocket PCs. - "Fancy Clown" has this
guy calling his girlfriend and ripping her a new one for
cheating on him with DOOM. And the guy happens to be Viktor Vaughn, so it's really just DOOM bashing on DOOM. The piano sample on "All Caps", God, that part in the
left hand at the start is such an excellent Way to build hype. ("All Caps") The beat off "Great Day" is just a Stevie wonder
instrumental pitched up but it sounds so good. And the track also happens to have one of my favorite stanzas of any song. ♪ Last wish: I wish I
had two more wishes ♪ ♪ And I wish they fixed
the door to the matrix ♪ ♪ There's mad glitches ♪ ♪ Spit so many verses
sometimes my jaw twitches ♪ ♪ One thing this party
could use is more booze ♪ ♪ Put yourself in your own shoes ♪ It's just all so good. It is inhumanly good. And if you have not heard this yet, please do as soon as possible. (light electronic music) DOOM's next album following "Madvillainy" was a proper return to his
Viktor Vaughn character. Just about six months after his breakout, "VV:2", "Venomous Villain" was released. Hey, DOOM, what do you
think of this album? ♪ Dub it off your man,
don't spend that 10 bucks ♪ ♪ I did it for the advance,
the back end sucks ♪ Yeah, yeah, that's about right. I said earlier that DOOM
was in a very prolific phase during this time. But "Venomous Villain"
is the sole weak spot from this phase. Like on "Vaudeville Villain",
DOOM only raps on this, with beats being handled
by other producers, unlike "Vaudeville Villain", the beats aren't all that memorable. Apparently DOOM selected
producers for this through a raffle. And the overall tone of the record feels slapdash as a result. What's more, DOOM himself
is absent for a lot of it. The Pitchfork review of this album said he appears for less than
a 1/3 of its total runtime. He felt more present on
"Take Me to Your Leader", an album where he was behind
the board for most of it. Are there any tracks I'd recommend? Uh, this one with Kool Keith. That one was all right. Aside from that one song though, this record's not
crucial to enjoying DOOM, but the next record we're
gonna talk about though, was an unexpected turn amid a career full of unexpected turns. DOOM became a foodie. (light electronic music) DOOM's next project was only his second under the name MF DOOM, "Mm..Food" released in November
2004, is all about food. He's just like Bon Appetit in that way and in literally no others. I mean, it's also about other things but DOOM always brings it back to food. It's like the question he tried to answer when writing each track was, how can I tie this to the McDonald's menu? And just like McDonald's. ♪ I'm loving it ♪ DOOM handles a good
chunk of the production, though, Madlib does pop up for one beer which was actually an
outtake from "Madvillainy." The beat on "Hoe Cakes" is just- ♪ Super ♪ With a winning combination of J. J. Fad and Anita Baker samples, he
even throws on some beatboxing. That's neat. He's just like my college a
capella group in that way. And in literally no other. Also, I don't know if this is a hot take, but I enjoyed the four instrumental skits in the middle of the album. They reminded me of the sound collages off "Take Me to Your Leader", though, I do wish they
weren't all in a row. And lyrically, DOOM continues to operate on a whole other level. This album is basically an excuse for DOOM to put "Skilled with
food-based double entendres" on his resume. Opener "Beef Rapp" lays
out DOOM's disinterest with starting beef with other artists. "Rap Snitch Knishes" sees
DOOM and Mr. Fantastik rail against artists who confess to crimes in their own songs with, can I just say, a phenomenal beat from DOOM's
"Special Herbs" series. Tracks like "Deep Fried
Frenz" and "Kon Karne" show a more intimate side of the villain. The latter, especially, it's
a tribute to his late brother. It's a remarkably unpretentious album. One that sets out to do a thing and does it better than
anyone else could have. Excellent stuff. (light electronic music) Between "Mm..Food" and the next record, DOOM popped up as a guest on a few tracks. The most notable being his
spot on "November Has Come" off Gorillaz' "Demon Days", a record that was
produced by Danger Mouse. This was about a year after his
"Grey Album" mashup project. And a year before Gnarls Barkley. Here we had two men who
were relatively fresh off career defining projects and they teamed up as DANGERDOOM for "The Mouse and the Mask",
released in October 2005. And the two are joined by an
impressive array of guests, Ghostface Killah, Talib Kweli. ♪ Yo, Danger, It's me
your old buddy, Shake ♪ Master Shake? From "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"? Okay, I haven't mentioned this yet but this whole record is low key an advertisement for Adult Swim. They were the ones who
got MF Mouse together in the first place and characters from many
of their shows pop up here. Two songs on here are outright
based on Adult Swim shows. "Perfect Hair is about a show
called "Perfect Hair Forever." Which DOOM actually
starred in as a giraffe. and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"
is about... "Moral Orel." And while it's neat in theory,
and occasionally in practice, the Adult Swim connection
leads to a juvenile streak that runs through the album. For example, "Sofa King" has a great beat, but it's based on an Aqua Teen joke that reeks of 2000s middle school humor. You could make the case
that that works in tandem with MF DOOM's cartoonish side, but I wasn't a huge fan. But the humor isn't enough to
sour DOOM's intricate wordplay and Danger Mouse's production
is top-notch throughout. I loved the two Keith
Mansfield orchestra samples on "Old School Rules" and "Space Ho's." I'll also highlight Ghostface
Killah being on this record because of the reports that DOOM and Ghost had been working on an album
together called "DOOMStarks." The album, unfortunately, never released, but their working
relationship would continue for the next 15 years. Even with its warts,
"The Mouse and the Mask" is still an enjoyable ride and it concludes MF DOOM's
spectacular run of albums and also "Venomous
Villain" in the mid-2000s. It would be another four years before we'd see DOOM on a
full length project again. (light electronic music) That four year period was
fairly quiet for DOOM, at least compared to
his run from '03 to '05. He was a guest on a couple of tracks. I'll shout out his spot with Ghostface on the main theme for Grand
Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, if only because it was
the first of many tracks he would do for the game series. We also got an EP followup
to "The Mouse and the Mask" called "Occult Hymns", Plus "Madvillainy 2", which was just a remix
album done by Madlib. Yeah, rumors had been swirling and would continue to swirl about a proper "Madvillainy" sequel, but it unfortunately never came out. But you know what did come out? Sneakers! The MF DOOM Nike SB Dunk High was released in 2007 as a
collab between DOOM and Nike. And it answers the age old question, what if DOOM was a shoe? If you're curious, the pair
of shoes usually retail these days for about AHHHHHHH. But MF DOOM or rather just DOOM this time, made his grand return to the scene with "Born Like This"
released in March 2009. And right off the bat, something feels a bit
different about this one. DOOM still wraps in his
usual twisted and twisty way. Production is mostly done by DOOM, though we do get beats from
Madlib and the late J Dilla. We get samples from
Roger rabbit and Mr. T, but also Charles Bukowski? - [Charles] Hospitals,
which are so expensive that it's cheaper- - The album itself is named
after one of his poems. And overall the tone of
this record is darker than anything DOOM has done before. If his past records were
explorations of villainy, "Born Like This" is an
exploration of evil. This means DOOM gets to explore
his own psyche and persona which can be really captivating. He brings a razor
sharpness to tracks like, "Gazillion Ear" and "Angelz." Plus, I gotta shout out "That's That" which might be the most layered dense set of lyric DOOM ever wrote. ♪ Trees is free, please leave a key ♪ ♪ These meager fleas, he's the breeze ♪ ♪ And she's the bees knees for sheez ♪ So on one hand, this darker turn, yield some of DOOM's
most fascinating work. On the other hand, you get a track like- (Glass shatters) So the alleged story behind this track is that DOOM's son said
Batman was cooler than DOOM. That could be an interesting
basis for a track especially considering
DOOM's villainess persona. So what does he do? He writes a song about how Batman and a bunch of other
superheroes... are gay. I'm not selling it short. That is it, that's the joke
of the song, that's it. Now DOOM spoke about this track
as yet another reinforcement of his villainous character. That said, I don't think it's
aged well in the slightest. And I would rather just listen
to all of the other tracks where DOOM's being a villain. Hey, another thing, why are
DOOM's vocals so distorted on many of these songs? I'd get it if the production
was similarly grainy but the production sounds
super clean and modern. And it takes me out of
the experience to hear what I think is DOOM clipping in the mix. It also doesn't really end that strongly. After the underground
posse cuts "Supervillainz", the next three tracks are
all shorter than two minutes. And the last two are instrumentals, solid instrumentals but
it just kind of feels like the album ends because
it has to at some point. But even though this one
does have its shortcomings, I respect the more personal
take on the supervillain. And I understand why some people are especially fond of this one. (light electronic music) DOOM spent most of 2010
touring for "Born Like This." First in North America and then in the UK. And as he was rapping up
the UK leg of the tour, he was delighted to find out he was barred from reentering the U.S. Did I say delighted? I meant pissed. Okay, so turns out I have indeed been the cheekiest little cheek because I didn't tell you the full story at the start of this dive. You see, while DOOM did
indeed move to the U.S. at a young age and live
there for most of his life, he never actually became a legal citizen. And so DOOM was unfairly
stranded in the UK, an ocean away from his wife and child. It would be another two years before they'd move across
the pond to be with him. In the interim, he based himself in London and his next project tapped
into his disillusionment surrounding the situation, "Key to the Kuffs" credited to JJ DOOM, released in August 2012. Producing duties this
time went to Jneiro Jarel, a New Orleans based producer. He and DOOM would send
each other beats and bars over the worldwide web. Jarel's production falls in
line with DOOM's past work, yet these beats are the
most electronic sounding DOOM's rapped over since
"Vaudeville Villain." That in and of itself is
enough to separate Kuffs from the rest of DOOM's discography, but what's more, he and Jarel, along with guests like Damon
Albarn and Beth Gibbons, create this laidback atmosphere
for most of the record. DOOM still spits as well as he ever has, but his delivery is
often weary and guttural, closer to his delivery on "Madvillainy." That same weariness means that this record doesn't jump out in any way, it tends to just stay in its own lane. Tracks like "Guv'nor" and "Winter Blues" are highlights on their own. And any track with this line. ♪ Catch a throatful from the fire vocal ♪ ♪ Ash and molten glass
like Eyjafjallajökull ♪ Is worthy of praise, but the rest is... underwhelming, but not in a bad way. I think this record
captures the exact mood and feeling it wants to. I just also think that said
mood is hazy and understated, and doesn't make much of an impact. Granted, I think knowing
about this record's backstory has made me a little
more sympathetic to it. I do think it is worth checking out, in part, because of the history and in part, because it is good. But I can't guarantee that you
specifically will enjoy it. (light electronic music) The next record in the DOOMcography saw him back on primary producing duties, handing the mic over to
newcomer, Bishop Nehru. They collaborated under
the name NehruvianDOOM, which also happens to be
the name of their album released in October 2014. DOOM does pop up every
so often for a verse. Highlight "Great Things" actually has him imparting wisdom to young Bishop, but Nehru is the one we hear the most. And he handles the mic well. At first, I was kind
of underwhelmed by him but then I learned he was
15 when this album dropped. As one former 15 year old
to another, I gotta respect. You can clearly tell
that Nehru was inspired by rappers like DOOM, and to have both the old
and new guard team up, is pretty sweet. The only thing going
against this record is that, like "Keys to the Kuff", it
stays firmly in its lane. The production by DOOM is good. I didn't dislike any beat on here, but it's the same sonic vibe he nailed back in the 2000s. And by this point in my
listening for this video, I was starting to get tired of it. Still, that's more of an acknowledgement of where I was personally. And if that vibe is what you want, this will deliver it for you. (light electronic music) Between 2014 and 2017, DOOM could once again be found hopping on other artists' tracks. The one I wanna highlight and one of my favorite DOOM
appearances is "Frankie Sinatra" off The Avalanches' comeback
album, "Wildflower." Hearing him and Danny Brown on
a track together is a treat. It really makes me wish
we got more collabs between DOOM and The Avalanches. DOOMalanches? Anyway, his next full length collaboration was with Czarface, a rap outfit made up of Wu-Tang's Inspectah Deck
and producers 7L & Esoteric. On the production end, the duo's style is perfect for DOOM. It's the exact kind of
'90s throwback sampling that DOOM himself became famous from. Tracks like "Bomb Thrown"
and "Nautical Depth" are production highlights. I was also impressed by Inspectah Deck, particularly on "Meddle with
Metal" and "Astral traveling." ♪ I'm a modern day Gil Scott-Heron ♪ ♪ Heading down Fury Road
with Charlize Theron ♪ You know who else is really good on this? Open Mike Eagle on "Phantom", just listen to the way
he starts his verse. ♪ I fought Ghost in my apartment ♪ ♪ He had too many hitpoints ♪ ♪ He bested me and told me ♪ ♪ I should've invested in Bitcoin ♪ You can't not love this. You might've noticed I haven't mentioned DOOM's presence on this so far
and that's because he's fine. He doesn't drop any duds, but there aren't any classic
lines by him on this one. He does his thing and his thing he does. I'm not gonna pretend like this album reinvents the rap wheel or that it's some groundbreaking project like "Madvillainy" was. But if what you want is some solid rap that hearkens back to the golden '90s, this'll definitely do the trick. The only real disappointing
thing about this album is that it ended up being
DOOM's last studio record. (light electronic music) - Out, I have no time for you. - Okay. - DOOM popped up on a couple more tracks after the Czarface collab. The most recent tracks were from last year for Grand Theft Auto Online. One with Flying Lotus and
one with BADBADNOTGOOD. Which... Man, beggars can't be choosers, but imagine if we got records with DOOM where Flying Lotus was behind the board or if BADBADNOTGOOD was the backing band. Just... God, imagine, would've been so cool. And then we got the news
on New Year's Eve 2020, a post on social media from his wife saying that he had passed away on October 31st that same year. There haven't been any posthumous releases from his estate so far. I think the last time he was
referenced in pop culture was when Kylie Jenner wore
the DOOM Nikes at one point, but yeah, that's been it. To be honest, I've been thinking a lot about MF DOOM's death recently because about a week before filming this, we lost another massive
musician, producer SOPHIE. And aside from the fact
that they both left us far far too soon, the one
thing that connects them both in my mind is their
monumental impact on the scenes they were a part of. Even if you had never heard
a song by them before, you probably listened to an artist who was in some way shaped
by one of these musicians. And to be even more honest,
there's a part of me that wishes that KMD was able to survive. And that DOOM might've been able to enjoy some other kind of success. One that was unencumbered by the pain that spurred his
villainous transformation. But considering the circumstances, I am very thankful for
the music he did give us and I am all but certain that
his name will be remembered for years to come. Just remember, all caps when
you spell the man's name. if you wanna get into MF DOOM, "Madvillainy" should absolutely
be your first listen. And then "Operation: Doomsday",
"Take Me to Your Leader" and "Vaudeville Villain" to follow up. And if you have a favorite
MF DOOM song or album or beat or verse, or related thing, I would love to know what
it is in the comments. Again, the poll for next month's
dive is in the description. So go check that out if you
want a say in who I cover. And be sure to check out
the Spotify playlist too. Thanks for watching. And let me see if I can
get back to my soaps. - What is happening to this gun? It is changing its form. It is turning into an ape.
