# MF DOOM MF DOOM, born Daniel Dumile, was the metal-masked rapper whose supervillain persona turned him into one of underground hip-hop's most cited figures. After his group KMD collapsed in 1993, he returned in 1999 with Operation: Doomsday, and by 2004's Madvillainy he'd earned the tag 'your favorite rapper's favorite rapper.' ## Origin Dumile was born in London on July 13, 1971 and raised on Long Island, first surfacing on record as Zev Love X in the trio KMD, short for 'Kausing Much Damage'[1]. Their 1993 second album Black Bastards was shelved over its cover art and lyrics, and the group was dropped by Elektra the same year[1]. Weeks later Dumile's younger brother Dingilizwe, DJ Subroc in the group, was killed by a car, and Dumile disappeared from the scene entirely[8]. He resurfaced in 1999 with Operation: Doomsday, a self-produced record built on soul loops and Fantastic Four cartoon samples that the underground press treated as an instant classic[2]. - **Platform:** Studio release (Operation: Doomsday) - **Creator:** Daniel Dumile - **Date:** 1999 ## Overview The MF DOOM character is built around a metal helmet modeled on a prop from Ridley Scott's Gladiator, which Dumile wore in every public appearance to hide his face[3]. He rapped through the mask in dense internal rhyme schemes about a cartoon super villain, pulling costume and posture directly from the Marvel Comics figure Doctor Doom[2]. The mask itself became the visual shorthand fans still tattoo, cross-stitch and paste onto every corner of the internet[4]. Beyond the DOOM name, Dumile cycled through alter egos including King Geedorah on Take Me to Your Leader and Viktor Vaughn on the Vaudeville Villain records, each written with its own voice and mythology[4]. Collaborative projects like DANGERDOOM with Danger Mouse and DOOMSTARKS with Ghostface Killah stacked more masks on top of the character, and he was known to send costumed impostors on stage in his place at booked shows[6]. ## How It Spread Through the early 2000s DOOM released records under new aliases at a pace few peers matched, including King Geedorah's Take Me to Your Leader in 2003 and Viktor Vaughn's Vaudeville Villain the same year[4]. The 2004 collaboration with producer Madlib, Madvillainy, pushed him into wider critical view, with reviewers including Anthony Fantano calling it one of the most celebrated abstract rap records ever made[4]. The impostor DOOM shows became their own running controversy: promoters said the substitutions were 'intentional' as part of the villain gimmick, but paying crowds in Chicago and London booed the stand-ins through the late 2000s[6]. His son Malachi Ezekiel Dumile died on December 18, 2017 at age 14, and Dumile largely stayed offline afterward[5]. On December 31, 2020 his wife Jasmine confirmed on the official Instagram account that Dumile had died on October 31, 2020 at age 49, with no cause of death given[7]. Tributes from Tyler, the Creator, Thom Yorke and Flying Lotus filled feeds through the new year, and the /r/MFDOOM subreddit swelled with fan posts pointing new listeners to the Operation: Doomsday music video[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is MF DOOM? MF DOOM was the metal-masked rap alter ego of Daniel Dumile, a British-born, Long Island-raised MC known for a supervillain character modeled on Marvel's Doctor Doom[2]. ### Where did MF DOOM come from? Dumile started as Zev Love X in the trio KMD in the early 1990s and reintroduced himself as MF DOOM in 1999 on the album Operation: Doomsday[1]. ### What does MF DOOM mean? The name pairs 'Metal Face' with 'DOOM,' a nod to the Doctor Doom comic villain whose mask and posture Dumile borrowed for the character[3]. ### How do you use MF DOOM? Fans cite him through lyric quotes, mask iconography and shout-outs to aliases like King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn, especially in underground rap communities online[4]. ### Is MF DOOM still popular? Dumile died on October 31, 2020, and the tribute wave around the December 31 announcement pushed Operation: Doomsday and Madvillainy back onto fan playlists and subreddits[7]. ## References 1. [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kmd-mn0000185421]() 2. [https://www.discogs.com/release/mf-doom-operation-doomsday]() 3. [https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.22617/title.graffiti-writer-keo-discusses-origin-and-creation-of-mf-dooms-mask]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/mf-doom]() 5. [https://gasdrawls.com/]() 6. [https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.16993/title.promoter-says-doom-impostors-are-intentional]() 7. [https://www.instagram.com/mfdoom/]() 8. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mf%20Doom]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/mf-doom Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library