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Apr 25, 2023 Web Exclusive By Kyle Kersey

In 1999, one daring MC stood apart from the dirge of mainstream bling rappers and asked, “Why can’t I sample Scooby-Doo?”

After the tragic passing of his younger brother, DJ Subroc, and the dissolution of KMD following being dropped by Elektra in 1994, Daniel Dumile, known at the time as Zev Love X, disappeared. Before reemerging as the now iconic metal-faced villain MF DOOM and dropping his delightfully DIY debut solo record in 1999, Dumile spent years living impoverished in New York. During that time away, he honed his craft, both as a producer and a lyricist.

Nobody rhymed like MF DOOM. His bars were complex yet approachable, littered with pop culture references and witty one-liners. “More rhymes in use than Dr. Seuss” he declares on “Gas Drawls.” On the rapid-fire funk of “Rhymes Like Dimes,” he says, “I sell rhymes like dimes/The one who mostly keep cash but brag about the broker times/Joking rhymes, like the ‘Is you just happy to see me?’ trick/Classical slapstick rappers need Chapstick.”

There’s a pervading sense of playfulness that permeates the record, which was entirely self-produced. Skits routinely sample dialogue from old Fantastic Four cartoons, detailing DOOM and his dastardly deeds. “Hey!” samples not just Scooby-Doo, but the gang themselves. On “Tick, Tick…,” DOOM and MF Grimm rap over a beat with a constantly changing tempo, as though it’s drunkenly stumbling down an alley. The aforementioned “Rhymes Like Dimes” ends with an extended section of Cucumber Slice trolling both the listener for thinking the track was over and DOOM for his receding hairline.

Elsewhere, the album feels like an homage to golden age hip-hop, often pulling from ‘80s R&B and employing minimal structural progression. The most well-known cut here, “Doomsday,” rides a smooth Sade sample underlined with record scratches. So goes the iconic chorus: “On Doomsday, ever since the womb/‘Til I’m back where my brother went, that’s what my tomb will say/Right above my government, Dumile/Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who’s to say?”

If you were in the market for a DOOM record around the time of his unfortunate passing in 2020, you’ll remember the relative scarcity that allowed vinyl flippers to sell them on the used market for obscene amounts of money. However, with this new repress from Metal Face, those scalpers can eat shit. Featuring the original cover art and pressed on dual black vinyl, this is a really nice pressing. It’s a bit utilitarian so you won’t be getting a gatefold or really anything in the way of extra goodies, but if all you want is to own some essential DOOM on wax, this pressing is a really good option. (www.gasdrawls.com)

Author rating: 8.5/10