As of late, I've really been embracing what it means to be a Black nerd. Personally, it means continiung a rather proud tradition within a major subset of my mom's side of the family, as I've discussed with my older male cousins on more than one occasion. Avant garde, yet somehow still stuck in the past when it comes to pop culture, my inner Black nerd can escape through outlets such as playing video games, watching sports and especially my tastes in music.
Which brings me to the news that DOOM, the mysterious, metal-clad MC who used to be known as MF DOOM, dropped his latest album, Born Like This, on Tuesday. As I've mentioned here before, I'm a big fan of the self-proclaimed supervillain of hip-hop, whose flow is almost as schizophrenic as it as skillful.
A trip through DOOM's lyrics takes you on a nonsensical journey of hilarious references, so masterfully put-together that you may not catch up until multiple bars have already passed. I can't think of any other rappers that have mentioned Ernest Goes To Camp, Worf from Star Trek and the Hadron Collider in the same song. In essence, DOOM is the hip hop manifestation of the Black nerd.
Shaping his persona from Marvel Comics' Dr. Doom., his songs often feature various audio clips from science fiction movies, radio and TV commercials and Saturday morning cartoons. In 2003, he released an album entitled Take Me To Your Leader under the guise of King Geedorah, a monster from outer space in the Godzilla films. Weird, yes. But DOOM is so dope, he's actually able to pull this off.
Born Like This plays like a copy of the National Enquirer or Weekly World News, set to beats from Jake One, Madlib and the legendary J Dilla. The intro and outro are both loops of a harmonious gospel song, sandwiching the weird grooves and off-kilter lyrics DOOM is known for. The second track, "Gazillion Ear" is as schizo as DOOM's rap style; two-thirds of the song uses Dilla's "Phantom of the Synths" beat, with an in-song interlude which features DOOM spitting over "Dimethyltryptamine," another Dilla beat first used by Jay Electronica.
Gazzillion Ear - Doom
"Microwave Mayo" could have been produced on a 1980's Casio keyboard, but its beautifully-complex synthesized harmonies sound like old NES music gone horribly right. What sounds like jibberish at first makes more sense with each passing rhyme, which is the modus operandi of DOOM's evil genius.
Microwave Mayo - Doom
The album's namesake comes from a poem by Charles Bukowski which paints a grisly, apocalyptic picture of society and fits perfectly into DOOM's schtick. The track "Cellz" features an excerpt of Bukowski reading the poem in a haunting tone before giving way to DOOM's calculated mumbo-jumbo.
Cellz - Doom
Granted, these are only a few samples of what Born Like This has to offer, but this album is solid from top to bottom. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon make well-timed cameos and Posdnous of De La Soul provides vocals for his own evil alter-ego.
If you already didn't find me weird enough, here's hoping that some of you will continue speaking to me in public after knowing that I listen to this. No matter, nothing being said behind my back could be half as bad as things being said about me on the interwebs as of late. Perhaps it is I, DCJONESY, that's been a villain since an itsy bitsy zygote and not DOOM? If it's anywhere near as fun as he makes it out to be, then toss that metal mask in my direction, please.
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The album is nuts, I got a chance to listen to it briefly last night. Great review, I'm looking forward to having the weekend to really check it out.
ReplyDeleteit's totally cashews, man. this is the least disappointed i've been by a new album in quite some time.
ReplyDeleteyeah dope album - and you aren't the only one who likes him....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBIvIDnnv8
i may be an outlier on this but i think i like Cellz the best of the 3 songs you posted. might just be cuz that poem makes me think of Fallout 3. i need to download this whole album...i mean purchase it through my favorite music retailer.
ReplyDeletehaha "Superfools". never gets old.
ReplyDelete"While this might turn highways in many southern states into dangerous warzones, Obama has rightfully noted that the results will be “fucking sweet."
ReplyDeleteMan, I still need to hear the entire album. Well played review DCJonesy.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know if there were any interesting album art/sleeve art in the official album?
RIP J Dilla....
Cover-up Jonesy. Remember, when you post naked people can see the cum running down your leg.
ReplyDeleteNICE!!
ReplyDeleteWHERE DID YOU FIND THOSE TRACKS FOR MF DOOM???????????????/
EVERY GOOGLE SEARCH I DO LEADS ME NO WHERE!!!!!!!!!
THOSE TRACKS ARE PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That probably should read:
ReplyDeleteCover-up Jonesy. Remember, when you post naked, people can see the cum running down your leg.
Gotta keep up my literary prowess up for 6.24.
Way too exciting here.
ReplyDeleteGotta keep up my literary prowess for 6.24.
Where the fuck's L"L Cool"South when I need him?
www.imeem.com has the whole album available to stream and pretty much anything he's released. it's free to register, peep "Sniper Elite" once you get on there, it's a gem.
ReplyDeleterb - I haven't heard about any album art in particular but with DOOM it's more than likely that it exists & is dope.
Suril - that video of Mos made my life complete
nimsofa - "Cellz" is the most mind-twisting, most cerebral track on the album & i think it has DOOM best verse on the album, too
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