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.