A Tribute to DOOM, Rap’s Villain
Daniel Dumile, more commonly known as MF DOOM, was one of hip-hop’s most highly valued artists. Renowned for his intricate rhyme schemes, uncommon words, and crudely humorous punchlines, he was admired throughout the music community, by self-identified “experts” on Twitter and acclaimed critics alike. Although MF DOOM is the moniker he is most referred to by, he has also released music under a variety of other names, some of which include Madvillan*, Viktor Vaughn, and King Geedorah. As seen in most of his work, DOOM is hugely influenced by comics and cartoons, which have a prominent effect on his lyrics and monikers. He references them readily in his songs, as well as sampling them into his instrumentals in the most obscure and unexpected ways. However, DOOM’s most iconic and definitive aspect is the gladiator mask he donned while performing, while public appearances, and, well… while doing anything else. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find a picture of Rap’s Villain without his silver veil, which adds all the more mystery and enigma to the mask. These unique features single out DOOM among the many other artists in modern music.
Nicknames are an ever-increasingly dominant part of music in today’s day and age. From simple names to the most complicated and intricately-thought names, all monikers become part of an artist’s music and identity, sometimes even blurring lines between them on and off the stage. DOOM, as mentioned, is very particular about names, even the styling aspect of them, as mentioned in 2004’s “ALL CAPS”; “… Just remember all caps when you spell the man name.” Many rappers had utilized nicknames in their music and marketing before him, but he elevated the concept with the fascinating context and story behind each of them. MF DOOM’s most famous name comes from his real name, Dumile (pronounced DOOM-i-lay), as well as Dr. DOOM, a villain from the Marvel comics (in the comics, the character was stylized in all capitals as well). The theme of Dr. DOOM also continues with the name Viktor Vaughn, which is the villain’s real name in the comic books. “MF” stands for either “Metal Fingers’ or “Metal Face,” depending on whether he’s producing or rapping, respectively. He describes this “MF DOOM” character as “… the typical villain you have in any story where a lot of people misunderstand him. He’s always looked at as a bad guy but he’s really got a heart of gold, he’s for the children, he’s a Robin Hood type of character.” Another name that takes inspiration from comics is King Geedorah (spelled King Ghidorah in the books), a fictional three headed reptile who battles Godzilla in the movies and comics. This character is featured in 2003’s Take Me To Your Leader, landing on Earth on the track “Monster Zero,” and demanding to see the planet’s leader on “Fazers”: “King Geedorah, take me to your leader / Quick to claim that he not no snake like, ‘Me neither.’”
Aside from names, Dumile has also mastered the inclusion of comics and cartoons in the production itself, unexpectedly sampling cuts into the beginnings and ends of songs to set the theme and story. This especially rings true on 2004’s MM.. Food. His variety is also unmatched, as he has sampled the likes of “Spider-Man” from 1982, “Sesame Street” from 1972, and “Fantastic Four” from 1967. He’s also sampled iconic artists’ work, such as Bobby McFerrin, Otis Redding, and The Beatles. Metal Fingers proved his prowess in producing on projects like MM.. Food, Operation: Doomsday, and BORN LIKE THIS. Although those have some of DOOM’s producing work, the projects he flaunts his producing ability is on his series of instrumental only mixtapes, dubbed Special Herbs, which contains nine tapes.
While Dumile’s names and production are important when outlining his career, most of the underground villain’s mystery revolves around the iconic gladiator mask he wears. He first got the idea of a mask when he started “switching” personalities, from one name to another. “I thought it’d be an easy way for people to see and differentiate between characters, sort of like when an actor gains weight for a role.” As for why he chose a gladiator mask, DOOM explained that around the time the movie “Gladiator” released, his friend was helping him find a perfect mask, and the producers of the movie were selling replicas of the one seen in the movie. “So he went and bought the mask, which was this collector’s item thing that came on a wooden stand and all that… Since then, I chromed it out, added a ruby to it too. That’s how the mask came about.” In an interview with Red Bull Music Academy, he explained the message behind the mask. “It’s a time in hip-hop where things, well, in my point of view, start going more to what things look like, as opposed to what things sound like… Once it started getting more publicized… and hip-hop becoming more of a ‘money-making’ thing, then you get these corporate ideas where you wanna put what it looks like to sell what it sounds like. What I did was, alright, I’m gonna come with an angle of ‘it don’t matter what I look like… It’s more of what I sound like.’”
DOOM emerged from the underground rap world as one of the best rhymers of his time, solidifying a legacy that is sure to last decades. He is a fan-favorite, but critics have taken a liking to him as well, bestowing him a 93 score on metacritic.com for Madvillany. “Check them stats so you know where I’m at / and that’s that.”
*- Nickname “Madvillain” refers to the duo of MF DOOM and producer Madlib.
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