Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Doom: Born Like This


MF Doom returns this week after a bizarre stint on the Hip Hop sidelines without the ‘MF’ but toting his signature dark, grimey beats and lyrics with his first release in nearly four years, Born Like This.

Harkening back to his MMM…Food and beyond days, the government named Daniel Dumile reaches far into his metal faced alter ego to take BLT into uncharted territory, even for Doom fans.

The eerily dreary “Cellz” perhaps sets the tone for the entire offering, as a nearly two minute diatribe is read spoken word style by poet Charles Bukowski on the Earth and humanity’s destruction before Doom has a chance to spit: "...dried Paraffin, candy corn crap rappers pale by comparison.”

Beats are concocted on the album by the late J-Dilla (check the track “Lightworks” with its nearly cosmic beat), Madlib, and Doom himself. However, after Doom’s work on Jake One’s White Van Music, fans were left hoping for more of the seemingly perfect pairing. The Seattle producer laces the early leaked “Ballskin” and “Rap Ambush” among others with his signature hard hitting beats, the latter has Doom threatening with “rhyme propelled grenades.”

Old friends pop up too, as M.I.C. partner Kurious makes an appearance on “Supervillianz” which pokes fun at the 2009 rap game with an autotuned chorus of “what rhymes with villian?” The track also features Slug of Atmosphere, who along with his verse on C-Rayz Walz "In Your Soul" has had a stellar start to 09.

The albums’ top song is undoubtedly “Yessir”, a track featuring a rejuvenated Raekwon rapping over the classic ESG song “UFO” on which Doom doesn’t even appear on. On the other end is Ghostface Killah on the awkwardly out-of-place “Angelz.”

The only complaint of this joint might be the length, a scant 40 minutes plus, but it is vintage Doom: dark, mysterious, clever lyrics that are among his best in years, all without the stereotypical "nerd rap" feel.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Bukowski poem is called Dinosauria, We. For Doom to mix that into a song is genius. This cd is the best Ive heard of any genre this year and last. If you dont have it yet, get it.

8:06 AM  

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