Written by Julia Jacobs
Daniel Dumile, the masked rapper who played as MF Doom and built an underground fan base with his offbeat wordplay and comic book personality, died on Oct. 31, a statement from his family said Thursday. He was 49.
The statement was signed by rapper Rhymesayers, signed by Dumile ‘s wife, Jasmine. The label did not provide information on the cause of death or why the information was shared two months later.
Over six solo albums released between 1999 and 2009 and five collaborative LPs (starring Madlib and Danger Mouse, among others) between 2004 and 2018, Dumile honored a complex style and imaginative, calling for both esoteric and lowbrow references as well as cartoonish imagery. in lyrics that can be emotionally poignant.
Born in London and raised on the Long Island, Dumile grew up full of early hip-hop influences. He retired in 1989 on the 3rd bass track “The Gas Face” with a standout cameo that helped him secure a contract for his own group, KMD, in which he starred as Zev Love X. the act includes his brother, Dingilizwe, played under the name DJ Subroc, and his debut album, “Mr. Hood, ”he arrived in 1991 on the flagship label Elektra. When KMD’s second album, “Black Bastards,” was recorded, Subroc was killed in a car crash, and then the label refused to release the album. Dumile went underground, leaving the entertainment industry, but continued to work on music privately while raising his son.
Like MF DOOM and several other aliases, Daniel Dumile built a permanent underground fan base with a complex style that was, at the same time, esoteric and poignant, low and cartoonish. (Keith Bedford / The New York Times)
He resurfaced in 1997 with the single “Dead Bent,” his first song called Metal Face Doom. (The character was a nod to Doctor Doom, a Marvel villain.) Around the time the album “Operation: Doomsday” was released in 1999, in which an insulting character was covered, he began to hide his face. public, first with a stocking mask, and later with the metal one that became a signature.
In a 2009 interview in the New Yorker, Dumile said the mask was needed because he made the jump from the studio to the stage. “I wanted to go on stage and orate, without people thinking about the normal things that people think,” he said. “Vision always comes first. But if the first idea is going to be there I might use it to control the story. So why not do something like throw a mask on it? ”
Once an underground cult figure, Dumile’s records in the middle of an egg launched him to greater fame. “Madvillainy,” which came in 2004 with producer Madlib, was a disappointment. “It delivers long, free-spirited verses full of side jumps and unexpected friends,” pop composer Kelefa Sanneh wrote in the New York Times, reviewing the 2004 concert. “You’re thinking that you know where it is going and what each sentence will mean when it ends. Then it bends. ”
On “Raid,” a track from “Madvillainy,” he reports:
Trippin ‘, so far the Metal Man has been rippin’ streaming
Since New York blankets were yellow ghetto
With broken blue writing, this is too interesting
Folks leave out the feelin ‘very clear display
Released in the same year, his album “MM .. FOOD” (anagram of the stage name) included tracks such as “Gumbo,” “Kon Queso” and “Kon Karne”. “In rapping the issue of what looks like bad food with goofiness and wit, Dumile told Spin in 2004 that it” shows respect for people’s lives. “
“I’m more like a dude writer than a freelancer,” Dumile told the Chicago Tribune the same year. “I love designing my work, and consider myself an author. ”
Dumile was imprisoned under various personalities, after which he became famous for putting impostors out on stage to perform for fans; in his trademark metal mask, it was hard to tell the difference. The body often doubles as fans but inspired viral moments online, like when MF Doom appeared at a concert as comedian Hannibal Buress.
Although he never reached mainstream superstition, Dumile was much admired by fellow rappers and producers, as well as loyal fans. He was “my favorite MC MC,” Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest wrote on Twitter. In an Instagram post, El-P wrote, “thanks for always keeping it weird and raw. you inspired us all and always will. ”
In 2017, Dumile announced on social media that his son, King Malachi Ezekiel Dumile, had died at 14. No information about survivors was immediately available.
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