MF DOOM

An Expansive MF DOOM Biography Is Coming In 2024

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Despite being an underground staple for the majority of his career, MF DOOM’s recent passing shed light on just how widespread his influence really was. As such an impactful figure in hip-hop, he also has one of the most intriguing — and occasionally even mysterious — stories in the culture, thanks to his reluctance to enter the spotlight and his tendency to disappear for years at a time. Also, he wore a freaking Gladiator mask for public appearances, allowing him to be in multiple places at once via body doubles and shirk off things like interviews.

All these elements make for a fascinating biography, which is what we’ll get in 2024 with The Chronicles Of Doom: Unraveling Rap’s Masked Iconoclast by veteran journalist S.H. Fernando Jr. via Astra House. Fernando Jr. has also written extensively about hip-hop, including in the 1994 book The New Beats: Exploring The Music, Culture And Attitudes Of Hip Hop, and the 2021 Wu-Tang Clan biography, From The Streets Of Shaolin: The Wu-Tang Saga.

After MF DOOM’s death was announced on New Year’s Eve (in typical DOOM fashion, this was two months after he actually died on Halloween), a street in Long Beach, New York, his hometown, was named after him. Meanwhile, rappers from Yasiin Bey to Playboi Carti shared their memories of his outsized impact.

Jay-Z’s Latest Tidal Playlist Highlights Mach-Hommy, MF DOOM, And Vince Staples

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Jay-Z’s playlists on Tidal have become a tradition of sorts, not just allowing him to stay in touch with fans — something he obviously cares very much about, judging from his recent drop-in on Twitter Spaces — but also to show off his musical knowledge, which he also seems to care about a lot.

His latest list has arrived to commemorate the renaming of financial services tech company Square to Block, as soon-to-be-former Twitter CEO and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday this week (after roasting Facebook’s re-brand, no less). Square also recently purchased Tidal, which helped Jay-Z secure a seat on Square’s board of directors. Therefore, the new playlist, “Block Vibes,” is a celebration of the change, of sorts, as well as an interesting marketing ploy, introducing the new name and demonstrating synergy across the new brand, which also encircles Cash App.

The list once again showcases Jay’s expansive tastes, including up-and-coming rappers like Mach-Hommy and Vince Staples, backpack rap stalwarts Madlib and MF DOOM, eclectic bands Haitus Kaiyote and Khruangbin, and rising Afrobeats stars Tems and Wizkid.

In addition to being folded into Block’s overall corporate structure, Tidal also recently revamped its artist payment system and added a free tier to allow for ads and better payouts to the artists that make the business all its money.

Listen to Jay-Z’s new “Block Vibes” playlist below.

MF DOOM Featured On New Song With Atmosphere

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MF Doom

Hip-hop duo Atmosphere has dropped their single “Barcade” featuring the late MF DOOM and rapper Aesop Rock. An animated, psychedelic video was also released with the single. MF DOOM’s appears on Atmosphere’s new album “Word?” Atmosphere Drops Video For MF Doom Feature, Pays Homage After the announcement of MF Doom’s death late last year, Aesop […]

Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, And MF DOOM’s ‘Barcade’ Video Brings Video Game Vibes

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New MF DOOM music continues to pop up nearly a year after his death last Halloween at the age of 49. The latest comes on Atmosphere’s new single “Barcade” from the Minnesota underground rap duo’s new album Word? which dropped today. Joined by Aesop Rock, the song constitutes a spiritual successor to the Molemen’s 2001 song “Put Your Quarters Up,” which also features Aesop, DOOM, and Slug trading bars about video games. “Barcade” continues in that vein, along with its suitably spaced-out video, which features arcade game visuals inspired by games like Gradius, Metroid, and Space Ace.

In the year since DOOM’s death — which was actually announced two months later, on New Year’s Eve — DOOM’s streaming numbers increased nearly 1,000 percent, and the rapper himself has appeared on a string of songs, both new and unreleased. In May, the first posthumous release was a joint album with Czarface, Super What?, while DOOM also made appearances alongside Your Old Droog on “Dropout Boogie” and IDK on “Red” with Westside Gunn and Jay Electronica. The Avalanches and Thom Yorke both also shared remixes of popular tracks that featured the late rapper, “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life” and “Gazzillion Ear,” respectively.

Listen to Atmosphere’s “Barcade” featuring Aesop Rock and MF DOOM above.

A Thom Yorke Remix Of MF DOOM’s ‘Gazzillion Ear’ Was Unshelved After 10 Years

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Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has done extensive work with hip-hop artists over the years, including the late MF DOOM, whose 2009 Born Like This single “Gazzillion Ear” Yorke remixed for its original release. However, it turns out Yorke actually made two remixes at the time: The one that made its way onto the original single release was his “Monkey Hustle” version, and his “Man On Fire” version was shelved for the next 11 years. Today, though, as British independent label Lex Records celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the label has been putting out remixes from its catalog — which includes the “Man On Fire” version of “Gazzillion Ear.”

The remix is a spacey, glitchy, eerie-sounding affair, stripping away most of the percussion and letting DOOM’s intricate lyrics take center stage (the two remixes actually take their titles from a pair of linked bars in the second verse in which DOOM uses both phrases).

DOOM has received a slew of tributes from both fans and his musical peers over the last eight months after his family announced his October death on New Year’s Eve, 2020. A street in his New York hometown was renamed in his honor, while the verses he’d recorded for artists like IDK, Your Old Droog, and his group Czarface have slowly trickled out. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the remix tip, The Avalanches added a verse from the late masked rapper on a remix of their song “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life.”

A Street In MF Doom’s Hometown Of Long Beach, New York Has Been Renamed For The Legendary Rapper

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After MF Doom’s family revealed the sad news that the legendary rapper had died in 2020 at the untimely age of 49, an outpouring of grief at the loss and appreciation for his artistry erupted. Now, the community where he grew up has decided to commemorate the rapper’s legacy even further, renaming the street he grew up on in Long Beach, New York in honor of him. KMD – MF DOOM Way is named for the rapper and a group he and his younger brother Subroc created early in his career.

As Stereogum points out, Dr. Patrick Graham, a former schoolmate of MF Doom, spearheaded a petition to make the dedication. With close to 10,000 signatures at the time of publishing, the City Council of Long Beach approved the petition. For those familiar with the city, KMD — MF Doom Way is on East Houston Street, covering the block between Riverside Boulevard and Long Beach Road. The ceremony for renaming the road was Saturday.

Born Daniel Dumile, Graham said that Doom represents the best of the resilience that’s needed to carry into the future. “His hip-hop lyricism represents some of the culture’s best linguistic metaphors, garnering intergenerational and interracial admiration,” he said. “His life and art symbolize the resilience we need in our present context.”

The ceremony for renaming the road was today, check out some posts from the event below.

Fans And Friends Alike Salute MF DOOM On What Would Have Been His 50th Birthday

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When MF DOOM passed on Halloween in 2020, it was thought that he was just a few months shy of his 50th birthday until it turned out the whole world had his birthday wrong for decades. Today is his correct birthday, so in honor of the musical supervillain, both fans and friends alike are sharing their stories and hailing their shared hero.

Since the announcement of his passing, there has not only been a renewed interest in DOOM’s existing works but also a bunch of new releases that many of his collaborators had been sitting on or were otherwise prepared to release and delayed out of respect. His first posthumous appearance was on the joint album Super What? with his group Czarface, consisting of DOOM, Wu-Tang rapper Inspectah Deck, and Demigodz MC Esoteric, who tweeted a bit of behind-the-scenes info about also the album’s accompanying comic written by DOOM.

Meanwhile, a string of posthumous releases included appearances on The Avalanches’ “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life,” on Your Old Droog’s previously recorded “Dropout Boogie,” and on IDK’s newly released album USee4Yourself on the song “Red” with fellow DOOM adherents Jay Electronica and Westside Gunn.

In addition, the game-changing underground rapper will be honored with a street in Long Beach, New York, sometime soon, with discussions on what to call it in the works (I kind of like “Daniel Dumile Drive” but “KMD-MF DOOM WAY” has been floated, as well). Check out the birthday wishes for the legendary MC below.

IDK Stands Shoulder-To-Shoulder With MF DOOM, Westside Gunn, And Jay Electronica On ‘Red’

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A year and a half ago, IDK seemingly shot out of a cannon and landed on a new rap tier thanks to the release of his 2019 major-label debut, Is He Real?. The project was quickly met with acclaim and left both new and old fans excited for what the DMV native would next have in store for fans. Nineteen months later, IDK returns with his sophomore album, an effort that answers the question posed in the title of his debut album. USee4Yourself checks in at 17 songs including one that finds the rapper standing beside a trio of respected lyricists.

USee4Yourself sees IDK standing beside MF DOOM, Westside Gunn, and Jay Electronica on “Red.” It’s is a heavy banger supported by verses from IDK, Westside Gunn, and Jay Electronica while MF DOOM makes brief appearances throughout the song. The song could grow to be one of the favorites from the album alongside “Shoot My Shot” and “Pradadabang.”

As for the rest of the album, USee4Yourself presents features from Young Thug, Offset, Lucky Daye, Sir, T-Pain, Rico Nasty, Swae Lee, Slick Rick, and Sevyn Streeter.

Press play on the video above to hear “Red.”

USee4Yourself is out 7/9 via Clue No Clue/Warner Records. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

MF DOOM Will Receive His Very Own Street Sign In New York

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Late last year the hip-hop community was shocked by news of MF DOOM’s death. The rapper passed away on Halloween, but his family opted to keep the news from the public until they were comfortable. Now, seven months later, he’ll be honored with a new street sign in Long Beach, New York.

Earlier this year, one Dr. Patrick C. Graham, who went to high school with DOOM, started a petition for getting a street sign named after him. Though he initially wanted to call is KMD-MF DOOM Way” — the first part a reference to the hip-hop duo with which he first made his name — a new report from HipHopDX reveals it will likely be called something else.

“Right now, there’s discussion instead of just ‘KMD-MF DOOM WAY,’ there’s going to be some indication of his actual government name,” Graham told the publication. “That’s all I knew him as was Dumile [laughs]. They were trying to do it before his birthday, but I feel we shouldn’t rush.”

Graham also spoke about the steps he took towards making the street sign a reality. “I had several community members contact me to see if I could get engaged with it,” he said. “I used to run the Martin Luther King Center there, so I still have a close connection to the community. I was born and raised there, went to high school with Dumile. So I said give me a minute and I’ll craft a letter to the City Council based on how I see it and then converted that letter into a petition. The group said they loved it and we moved forward.”

The news comes after Your Old Droog’s “Dropout Boogie,” which features a verse from DOOM, was released.

The Late MF DOOM Advocates Self Education On Your Old Droog’s ‘Dropout Boogie’

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Brooklyn, New York rapper Your Old Droog is one of the many, many rappers influenced by the late, great MF DOOM, both in form and in his steadfast adherence to a philosophy of being anti-famous. Like DOOM, Droog emerged from the New York underground and rose to notoriety via the internet, maintaining an air of mystery early in his career that had many fans wondering just who he really was. Droog received the ultimate blessing for a DOOM fan, getting the chance to work with his idol on multiple songs before the elder rapper’s death on Halloween last year, and today, he shared the first they ever recorded together: “Dropout Boogie.”

A short, sample-heavy song extolling the virtues of self-education (well, as much as it decries the many shortcomings of the US education system), “Dropout Boogie” really highlights the impact of DOOM’s syllable-stacking style on the generation of rappers who grew up under him. The track will be available as a 7″ vinyl on Nature Sounds, which you can pre-order here. Droog also accompanied the release with a statement on DOOM’s impact on his life and career.

This man’s work renewed my interest in hip-hop and rhyming at a time when I got tired of hearing what was on the radio or what was considered popular rap, I deadass started listening to classical music, and then I heard DOOM.

For him to end up appreciating what I do 10 years later shows the power of never giving up on your passion, staying the course, believing in yourself and having vision.

Aside from him being featured on the track, the song already had a lot of personal meaning for me. School is not for everybody. You know, it has its extracurricular pluses but overall, it wasn’t for me. For some people, it’s good but not for me. I don’t work well fitting into boxes. I dropped out of high school, and community college, twice! This is certainly an anthem of sorts.

The GED was nice though, that gave me confidence. Stay confident and follow your own path. Not the one laid out to you by your parents or teachers. Peace.

Listen to “Dropout Boogie” above.