"I'll tell y'all fools it's hella cool how ladies from Cali talk"

MF Doom is the emcee every backpacker has wet dreams about. I may be crossing the line here, but really, he has it all; a golden era pedigree, member of KMD, production skills, a beef with the industry, bootleg-looking videos, and a raw, unorthodox flow. I mean, how many emcees can get away with wearing a metal comic-book mask at all his public appearances and still command respect? And while I realize that the worth of an emcee comes down to mic skills, you really have to love his story. From losing his brother in a tragic car accident, being dissed by his own label, losing almost everything he had (literally), re-incarnating as the mysterious MF Doom, and rebuilding his rep from the ground up with a vengeance, you have to give Doom his due. In a time when I’ve nearly lost hope in hip hop, Metal Face is one of those few artists who remind me of the genre’s continued potential to mature, evolve, and keep heads nodding.

[MP3] MF Doom :: Doomsday
(This is what sparked me on Doom. Ok, the hook is a bit cheesy, but the warm, almost propulsive beat with Doom’s choppy flow is a head nodder through and through.)

[MP3] KMD :: Peachfuzz
(A classic from his KMD days as Zev Love X, this is one of my life’s theme songs.)

[MP3] MF Doom :: I Wonder (feat. Hassan Chop)
(Ok, I know this isn’t Doom, but it’s off his King Geedorah album. Part confessional, part meditation on life, it’s rare to come across hip hop songs with so much depth. To get the full effect, follow along with the lyrics. And those strings??? Ooh. Nutter butter.)

ps. Ok one last reason to love Doom: a food-themed album!?!? Yes yes y’all.

|bruce banner|