On this day in Hip Hop history, duo KMD released their debut LP, Mr. Hood. Although it may not have had much commercial success, Mr. Hood ushered in the career of one of Hip Hop’s most respected figures, MF DOOM.
Mr. Hood came at a time in Hip Hop culture where consciousness and positive Afrocentric messages were prominent in the majority of popular rap music. The Nubian renaissance taking place in Hip-Hop at the time birthed artists like Queen Latifah, Brand Nubian, and The Jungle Brothers.
Lyrically, Mr. Hood‘s subject matter is politically charged while being able to retain its youthful nature. Zev Love X and Onyx the Birthstone Kid were able to satirize and intellectually dissect oppressive American culture and weave it seamlessly into their rhymes.
DJ Subroc’s production is also of merit. The sampling techniques used to turn already composed pieces into separate instruments meshed perfectly with the group’s style and influenced generations of producers to come. Even the “Mr. Hood” character that appears throughout the album was sampled clips from a language-learning tape.
Released by Elektra Records, the album’s commercial success does not reflect its importance. KMD and Mr. Hood did a lot for the culture as far as promoting righteousness. Their message is one that inspired not only fellow artists but also a community to be conscious of their culture and grow as a people against a system built against them. Take some time to listen to the beginning of the career of some of Hip Hop’s most influential underground artists.
Salute to DOOM(RIP) and his brother DJ Subroc(RIP) for giving fans this important piece of Hip Hop history!
On the last day of 2020 the world was shocked to learn that hip hop’s supervillain, MF DOOM had passed away 2 month’s prior on October 31st. Shock, disbelief and sadness spread across the community of fans, family and people who loved him.
My story with DOOM started in 2004. I was working on The Beautiful Struggle tour for Talib Kweli and DOOM was the opener. I was rushing around backstage when I saw him and Benn Grimm waiting to go onstage.
“You got a dutch?” I asked him, pushing past Benn who seemed like he was trying to block him. “Nah I don’t have one, he replied, flashing a smile of 18k gold fronts. At that moment, Kweli walks by and says, “Oh you met DOOM, this is my assistant Courtney Brown— Court, you know DOOM is from KMD?’
BB Kings Show in NYC
This was the beginning of a friendship that would forever influence my life. Not much long after our initial meeting we became road buddies and I came to know the author Daniel Dumile. After watching me problem solve on the road for Kweli, he asked me to work for him and his wife Jasmine once that tour ended. They both taught me how to navigate the business world as well as helped with my personal growth. DOOM was a teacher and to be in his circle you had to study. He would send countless 4 hour lectures and sign books that he felt were pertinent to my growth.
Onstage with Mos who loved DOOM
Once his mask was removed, he revealed he was thoughtful… full of curiosity, kindness and unusual talent. He treated me like a queen in an industry that took advantage of women. He didn’t act like a rapper because as he said that wasn’t even him. He would run errands, helped with my goals and always knew how to fix everything. He inconspicuously took the train from NYC in a snowstorm to Jersey Shore to help us pack up my granny’s 7 bedroom house for sale. Even though he just released his classic album MM…FOOD , he trooped through the snow walking from the train to our house in Neptune, NJ because no cars were available. We stayed up all night talking about everything under the sun as he meticulously wrapped heirlooms inquiring about each item.
I moved to LA to assist him as he worked on DangerDOOM. During that time we spent a lot of time finding inspiration for that album and hanging out with my best friend at the time Kelis and her husband, rapper Nas. One day after a bougie LA dinner I convinced them to come back to my hotel room where DOOM put on some beats and Nas began freestyling. This lasted nearly an hour. DOOM had his Special Herbs CD on him and it was a historical moment not captured on camera or recorded.
Eventually my job description grew as I became a part of his ‘entourage’ but DOOM was a villain and there was always more to be revealed. When I began writing he supported that too—demanding I write many of his cover stories including his FRANK 151 cover.
written by C. Boogie Brown
One day he instructed me to do an entire press day with what he called a ‘robot’ and later I found out it would be Benn Grimm. (He was full of surprises.) He told me not to let ANYONE in the room except the journalists for the interviews and the photographers to take photos. I was scared shitless. We were shooting a cover with a fake DOOM. I had on my best business ensemble and issued a lot of ‘no’s’ that day. We made it through that day until a woman who knew him and demanded to speak to him kept pressuring to enter the room.
Busted. We stayed up that night with him and Jas in Atlanta and me in New York writing the perfect editorial for Elemental Magazine who was pretty upset.
One of my first Editors gig.
He and I together composed the perfect words to explain his tactics. And Jas, always loving and fair, paid me handsomely for my work. They both respected my pen. We moved back to LA to work on MADVILLAIN 2 and that album is the greatest album no one has heard yet. Built off a lot of crazy experiences and real life situations he turned into songs, he put a lot of work into that record. Although he didn’t complete it, he felt masterpieces should not be rushed. One song we researched for weeks which came from a weird news story I told him about in New York. We laughed about it for nearly 2 hours before the intense research began. We called it the ‘monkey song’. He recorded a few songs with Ghostface during that time and he was one of the few rappers I could get to change lyrics which is why there are 2 versions of Angels.
“I asked him, “Why does GHOST say 3 white b****?”…
I could go on for eternity with stories, memories and lessons I learned from the supervillain. He was very strategic and placed things and people where he wanted them to be. He knew what he was doing. Many might wonder why I would reveal so much. DOOM often talked about not being here and of course I would shrug it off. He emphatically told me, “If I’m not here anymore, you better tell that story. I’d rather it be you then anybody. Villain!” Maybe one day, I will. Rest in Power DOOM.
This year marks 30 years since KMD‘s iconic album Black Bastards was born. The duo consisted of MF Doom — then called Zev Love X — and his brother DJ Subroc.
The Instagram of the late MF Doom, who died in 2020 at 49, confirmed this week that Black Bastards is getting a special reissue, teasing “Red Vinyl Gatefold Edition,” “Standard Black Vinyl,” and apparel.
The 30-year reissue will come via Doom’s Metalface Records (as noted by various outlets such as Consequence and HipHopDX) on March 31.
KMD released Black Bastards in 2000, but the official website listing the product contextualized the record’s true origin and lasting significance:
“Sadly, Subroc would face a sudden and untimely death in 1993, just as the duo were finishing the album. Grief-stricken, his brother Zev Love X – now the sole remaining member of the group – was determined to carry the legacy of KMD onward, but Elektra Records unceremoniously shelved the project in the eleventh hour, due to controversy surrounding the album’s provocative cover art. Following the fallout with Elektra, Zev tried for years to release the album on other labels, but he was continually met with dead ends. Struggling through the pain of losing his brother, coupled with the inability to release their final project together, a discouraged Zev Love X quietly withdrew from the scene and began quietly plotting his revenge on an industry that had broken him spiritually. Thus, in order to understand the true origin story of the super-villain, MF Doom, one must recognize and appreciate the evolution of his former group, KMD, and the backstory of their pivotal album, Black Bastards.”
News of MF Doom’s surprising death broke in December 2020. His wife, Jasmine, issued a statement confirming that Doom had “transitioned” on October 31, 2020.
In 2021, the City Council of Long Beach paid tribute to the late legend’s legacy by naming a street after him: MF Doom Way.
“His hip-hop lyricism represents some of the culture’s best linguistic metaphors, garnering intergenerational and interracial admiration,” Dr. Patrick Graham, a former schoolmate of MF Doom, said in a statement around the petition for MF Doom Way (as relayed by Stereogum at the time). “His life and art symbolize the resilience we need in our present context.”
Today, Metalface Records and Rhymesayers Entertainment present KMD’s sophomore album, Black Bastards, reintroduced on red vinyl LP with expanded gatefold packaging in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the album’s initial recording. The album will be available in stores March 31.
Following KMD’s debut, the early 90’s Hip-Hop group consisted of two partners – Subroc and his brother Zev Love X (better known today as MF DOOM). Recorded in 1993, their sophomore album Black Bastards was initially shelved before its release due to controversy around the album’s cover art, and the group was subsequently dropped from their label, Elektra Records. In the fallout, Zev Love X would disappear before re-emerging years later as the masked supervillain MF DOOM. Although he would eventually secure an official release for Black Bastards in 2000, Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists (1999) had already named it the most notable rap album of all time that was never commercially released. The album featured production from both members and included guest appearances from MF Grimm, Kurious, Lord Sear and more. With a sales history of over 75K+ units and over 40M+ streams, Black Bastards is a prominent and venerated project from DOOM’s discography.
Along with the red vinyl gatefold, Metalface Records and Rhymesayers are also redistributing Black Bastards on standard black vinyl, as well as MF DOOM’s debut, Operation: Doomsday, also hitting stores March 31. Both titles are indisputable classics that put Daniel Dumile on the path to becoming one of the greatest MC/producers of all time.
Additionally, the DOOM estate is offering exclusive KMD apparel to commemorate the anniversary. A limited release of beanies, hats, tee-shirts, long sleeve shirts, and hooded sweatshirts are available for pre-order at gasdrawls.com.
Purchase KMD’s Black Bastards & MF DOOM’s Operation: DoomsdayHERE.
On this date in 1971, rapper Daniel Dumile also known as MF DOOM (Metal Face Doom), was born in London, England to his Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father. His family relocated to New York when Dumile was a teenager, which was where he developed a love for the Hip-Hop culture.
In 1988, Dumile, under the moniker Zev Love X, created the rap collective KMD (Kausing Much Damage) along with his brother and DJ of the group, the late Subroc. From here DOOM gained fame from the timeless “Peachfuzz” single, which catapulted Dumile to the status of being able to deliver an anticipated solo album.
With over 30 album releases under his belt and an international cult following unmatched by virtually any other solo emcee or group, MF DOOM will continue to leave his graffiti-style mark in the game, even though in another four years, we’ll be calling him Curtis Jackson.
Supreme salute to the GOD MF DOOM, wishing him a safe and enjoyable born day today and many more hereafter.
