MF DOOM: A Beginner's Guide

To celebrate MM..Food’s 20th anniversary, I’ve cooked up a tasty playlist for newcomers to rap’s original 'super villain'

Most artists are pretty easy to discover. There is a reasonable consensus on their career arc and an obvious starting point. No one needs a primer on Oasis, for example. You listen to the first two records — maybe The Masterplan too, if you’re particularly keen —and stay the hell away from everything else. It’s pretty easy.

MF DOOM is not easy. The legendary rapper, who tragically died in October 2020, released music as part of a group, used a string of aliases, and had an insatiable appetite for collaborations. It’s very hard for a newcomer to know where to begin with the DOOM catalogue.

The aim of this playlist is to address this very specific challenge. I have chosen ten tracks spanning DOOM’s career that demonstrate his talent, range, and unique brand of humour. Are these his defining works? Not necessarily — but they’re all great tunes that should get you hooked. Let’s dive in.

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KMD
“Peachfuzz”
(From Mr. Hood, 1991)

In the early nineties, DOOM — then known as Zev Love X — performed in a group called KMD alongside his brother, DJ Subroc. Buoyed by a show-stealing verse on 3rd Bass’s “The Gas Face”, KMD achieved success with their 1991 debut Mr. Hood. The young DOOM’s talent is already evident on the bright and breezy, Native Tongues-influenced “Peachfuzz”.

MF DOOM
“Doomsday” (featuring Pebbles the Invisible Girl)
(From Operation Doomsday, 1999)

Following the tragic death of Subroc, DOOM effectively became a solo artist, although it would be some time before he re-emerged as a radically different MC. Operation Doomsday is a glorious, expansive mission statement that remains one of his finest albums. It’s hard to narrow it down to just one pick, but the soulful Doomsday just about edges it for me.

KING GEEDORAH
“Anti-Matter” (featuring Mr Fantastik)
(From Take Me To Your Leader, 2003)

This is the first or two Mr Fantastik collaborations on my playlist — the chemistry and interplay between these two is just magical. Take Me To Your Leader was my introduction to DOOM back in 2003. No Ripcord contributor Chris Conti kept turning in glowing assessments of DOOM releases and also interviewed the great man for us in 2004. His enthusiasm led me to this record (the only one I could find in my local record shop) and I haven’t looked back since.

VIKTOR VAUGHN
“Saliva”
(From Vaudeville Villain, 2003)

Another record, another alias. The RJD2 beat is masterful and DOOM does it justice with some of his finest stanzas. Find me another rapper who could come up with rhymes like this: “Hold it like a drunk driver hold a CB on a sharp turn / Still clutching his chest from the heartburn / What’s your handle? I need a Zantac, ock / And thanks before I blank into anaphylactic shock”. Vaudeville Villain is slightly underrated in my opinion — it’s a great record.

MADVILLAIN
“All Caps”
(From Madvillainy, 2004)

DOOM’s collaboration with super-producer Madlib is arguably his magnum opus. It’s crammed with iconic verses and electric performances, but I’ll always recommend “All Caps” to newcomers. It simply doesn’t sound like anything else out there. The sampling is ingenious (I plan to write about this in the future so I won’t get into it here) and an inspired DOOM is on fire. I will never tire of “All Caps”. It’s probably the most instantly enjoyable song in the DOOM catalogue.

MF DOOM
“One Beer” and “Rapp Snitch Knishes”
(From MM..Food, 2004)

It’s twenty years since this masterpiece (my favourite DOOM album) came out so I’m opting for not one but two picks. Both of these MM..Food standouts have been integral to DOOM’s posthumous boom in popularity. Wherever you look — Spotify, YouTube, TikTok — they are generally the top two DOOM tracks, and with good reason.

DANGERDOOM
“Old School Rules” (featuring Talib Kweli)
(From The Mouse & The Mask, 2005)

One thing I love about DOOM is his generosity as a collaborator. Talib Kweli’s brilliant opening verse steals the show on this Danger Mouse-produced track (sometimes shortened to “Old School”), and DOOM seems totally fine with that. Naturally, his verse is pretty decent, too. The track’s immediately familiar sample (Keith Mansfield’s “Funky Fanfare”) and the upbeat, celebratory nature make it an easy route into the world of MF DOOM and consequently a no-brainer pick for this playlist.

GORILLAZ
“November Has Come”
(From Demon Days, 2005)

A cartoon-obsessed rapper meets a cartoon band — DOOM + Gorillaz was a match made in heaven. “November Has Come” introduced DOOM’s skills to a new audience and is a wonderfully moody track in its own right. Probably as close to ‘pop’ as DOOM got. And if you think it’s weird hearing him this close to Damon Albarn, wait until you check out his work with Sparklehorse.

MF DOOM
“THAT’S THAT”
(From BORN LIKE THIS, 2009)

The last solo MF DOOM record contains some high level collaborations, which foreshadow the final decade of DOOM’s career, where stranded in the UK due to a VISA issue, he only did collaborative work. DOOM’s voice on BORN LIKE THIS is distinctly rough and gravelly in its tone, but his unmistakable flow and rhymes are as strong as ever.

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As MF DOOM croons “Did you miss these rhymes when I was gone?” in his rarely utilised and distinctly off-key style on “THAT’S THAT”, it’s hard not to feel a little deflated. The context of his death has changed the impact of those words. Now he is gone. And I do miss those rhymes.

One of the greatest rappers ever to grace the microphone, DOOM left an incredible body of work for listeners to dig into and I can only hope this playlist introduces a few newcomers to this true legend of hip hop.

If you like what you hear, I’ll be posting more about DOOM’s MM..Food record and exploring the legendary “All Caps” in due course.

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