In true DOOM nature his death was first announced exactly two months later on the very last day of 2020
When it comes to being a pioneer in music, MF DOOM was ahead of his time. The legendary rapper, Daniel Dumile’s death came as a sudden shock and surprise as his “transitioning” dated back on Oct. 31, 2020. According to an article by Complex, it was confirmed in a statement by his wife, Jasmine. His family went public with this information via Instagram: “Thank you for all the things you have shown, taught and given to me, our children and our family,” the post stated. It was definitely a heart-felt message with positivity and gratefulness as his wife touched basis on Dumile being a loving husband, father, partner, and friend.
DOOM was a New York based rapper who originally hailed from London, England. His first rap association was a trio group called KMD (Kausing Much Damage), which included DOOM’s own younger brother, DJ Subroc. During this time, DOOM performed under his very first alias, Zev Love X, to which he later became the legendary MF DOOM.
One of the most distinct and unique creative techniques DOOM possessed was his ability to create multiple personas for his music. Whether Dumile took such names like Viktor Vaughn, Metal Fingers, or King Geedorah, his music took on various methods and style of delivery. DOOM also had reputation for sending in body-double imposters in place for his performances. The most recent occurrence was at the Adult Swim Festival. During his set, Flying Lotus thought he was bringing out MF DOOM as his special guest only to reveal comedian, Hannibal Buress. In a true villainous manner, DOOM has taken on similar traits to the Marvel supervillain, Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom has been known to use his “Doombots,” which are exact mechanical replicas of himself. Doc. Doom uses these robots when he’s unwilling to make a personal appearance (sounds familiar). DOOM also had a wide variety of music production and creativity, very similar to Doctor Doom’s genius mind and magical skillset–making him one of the deadliest foes in the Marvel Universe.
When it came to his music, DOOM had handfuls of collaborations, production, and features. Whether it was fellow hip-hop artists like MF Grimm or music group Gorillaz, DOOM was a well-known presence when it came to his craft. It’s no wonder why so many DOOM fans felt the loss of this rap-sorcerer.
“DOOM’s music was like being immersed in a show or something, like being in his version of reality in his mind, which was sometimes a comic, sometimes a cartoon, sometimes a movie,” said Nicholas Fiumetto, 28. “I honestly enjoyed just the way he said things, like pronounced stuff in a way to fit the vision, to fit the rhyme,” Fiumetto said. Fiumetto’s favorite album is The Mouse and the Mask, a collaboration with producer Danger Mouse. “It’s because of just how much I listened to it and it being pretty light and funny.” Fiumetto’s second favorite is Vaudeville Villain. “The roach is never dead, just showed me how much you could pack into a rhyme structure and twist it into what you want to tell,” says Fiumetto.
“Just his creativity and his ability to come up with words that made no sense but the most sense at the same time,” said Davina Garcia, 32. Garcia points this out with an example. “In his song Hoe Cakes he says: ‘I got this girl and she wants me to duke her I told her I’d come scoop her around 8, she said SUPER,’ see what I mean?” Garcia’s favorite album is Madvillainy, which is a collaboration consisting of DOOM and Madlib (also known as Madvillain). Garcia’s ex-boyfriend was the one who actually introduced her to DOOM’s music. Her all-time favorite track is Fancy Clown. “ROBE loved MF DOOM. The hip-hop community def took a big L the day he passed,” says Garcia.
“Definitely loved his lyrics and voice over his unique beats,” said Destiny Castro, 26. When asked what Castro’s favorite DOOM album she said, “Fuck that’s a hard question but I would have to say it’s between DOOMSDAY and his Viktor Vaughn album, Vaudeville Villain.” Although Castro cannot recall the first time listening to DOOM, she thanks her father for his music influence. “I honestly don’t remember exactly when I first heard his music since my dad is the one who would play him around me growing up as a kid,” Castro said. “It wasn’t until I got older, maybe middle school or early high school when I started getting into his music on my own,” she said. Since DOOM was a part of her childhood, Castro was very familiar with his music. “Then I asked my dad about it and he’s like, ‘Dude you’ve been listening to DOOM!’ I then became more appreciative of his music and how he had a big part of my childhood, and hip-hop culture,” says Castro.
“I was fortunate enough to have been around him when I was touring with Atmosphere,” said Lucky (also known as Luckyiam of the Living Legends crew). Lucky’s first time bumping DOOM’s music was from his affliation as Zev Love X from KMD, enjoying tracks like Gas Face and Peach Fuzz, while Dead Bent is his favorite DOOM track. “Rhymesayers Entertainment had a DOOM project and I met him at South by Southwest when I was backing up Slug before we toured Europe,” Lucky said. “Next time I seen DOOM was the infamous Rock the Bells tour in 2007,” he said. Lucky shared a #throwbackthursday post via Instagram, where he reminisced on getting finessed by DOOM’s “supa-villain” antics. He confirmed this story, replying: “Yuuuuup…DOOM4LIFE!!”
Real DOOM diehards definitely had to reread the public statement a few times, I know I did. Not sure if DOOM was up to usual antics, only to realize the horrible realization that another true hip-hop innovator has left the Earth realm. His legacy will forever remain a true iconic symbol of what real hip-hop culture and music really resembles. Resting in beats, Daniel Dumile’s legend will live on forever, as he hangs looking over us on his cloud wearing his signature metal mask, and newly added halo.
