VOICES
Under the Mask of MF Doom By Elliot Yuen | Illustration by Sherry Liu | Layout by Sonia Shum
The album also has the appearance of King Geedorah, another alter-ego of Dumile, a character based on the three-headed dragon, King Ghidorah, from Toho Studios. 4 Years after Operation Doomsday, DOOM released another project called ‘Take Me to Your Leader’ under the name King Geedorah. On the standout track, AntiMatter, the album would feature the mysterious, silky-smooth Mr Fantastik, whose identity is still heavily disputed amongst DOOM fans to this day. Following ‘Take Me to Your Leader’, DOOM would release another project, ‘Vaudeville Villain’, under the moniker Viktor Vaughn, a young, powerhungry henchman who looks up to MF DOOM. The name Viktor Vaughn was influenced by the real name of Marvel character Doctor Doom, Victor von Doom. After DOOM’s projects that centred on his other characters, he would then return to his main alter-ego, collaborating with legendary producer Madlib to create his magnum opus: ‘Madvillainy’. ‘Madvillainy’ was a critical success, famously receiving a rare 10/10 score from internet critic Anthony Fantano. Beyond Madlib’s outstanding usage of samples from incredibly obscure records and DOOM’s buttery smooth rhymes, the project also contained some of MF DOOM’s most iconic songs. On the internet, it would be rather common to find a rabid DOOM fan type the phrase ‘all caps when you spell the man name’ in response to someone referring to DOOM as mf doom or MF Doom. This phrase originated from the 20th track of the album: ‘All Caps’, a song that is also famous for being one of the rare DOOM songs to have a music video. Afterwards, MF DOOM would continue with his work, releasing ‘MM..FOOD’, a concept album based on the theme of food, a testament to the eccentric nature of his music. Following this, he would collaborate with Wu-Tang rapper Ghostface Killer before dropping his final solo album: Born Like This. However, after he completed a tour in Europe, he was denied re-entry into the United States, forcing him to stay in England. He would continue to release collaborative projects with other rappers and producers, until December 31, 2020, when his wife announced his death the previous month on Halloween. 30 XH26.indd 30
ISSUE 26
Although MF DOOM’s passing solidified him as a legend, his death has only magnified the mysterious air that has always surrounded him. Unlike his mainstream contemporaries, DOOM would rarely make public appearances, and even so, would only appear wearing his signature Gladiator mask in the MF DOOM persona. Furthermore, his mysteriousness extended beyond public appearances. Not only did he utilise multiple personas beyond MF DOOM, but he would also refer to himself in the third person. On top of that, he would rarely use social media, famously tweeting ‘MF DOOM IS NOT ON TWITTER’ on his twitter account. But DOOM’s secrecy wasn’t merely because he didn’t want the public to know about his personal life, rather, it was a major part of his persona. To the disappointment of his fans, he would even send ‘DOOMbots’ to perform in his shows, imposter rappers disguising themselves as the masked MC, performing in his stead. MF DOOM was never a very public man, even longtime collaborators knew next to nothing about his personal life. The producer Madlib, whom he collaborated with for his album: Madvillainy, even revealed that they would only ever meet once or twice every year, and even when they met, the conversation never drifted to his personal life. MF DOOM is a man surrounded by myth and mystery, but with reason. Beyond it being because of his villain persona, DOOM’s lack of transparency is likely a result of his distrust of authority. All throughout his life, DOOM has always been a victim of authority. These instances include when Elektra Records dropped him from their label following his brother’s death and when the US government barred him from returning to the US. Combined with the premature death of his brother, whom DOOM was very close to, DOOM would consequently harbour a cynical, lone-wolf mentality throughout his life, with lyrics proclaiming that you are ‘born alone’ and you ‘die alone, no matter who your man is’. Thus, at the core of DOOM’s story, although filled with myth and legend, is the story of a man who has channelled his frustration from the injustices he’s faced and turned it into art.
XIAO HUA 27/5/2022 7:23 AM
