SACH all capitals, no trick spelling.
Daniel Dumile albums aren’t supposed to be comforting; they’re supposed to be disturbing, awkward, and a mindfuck to all but the most dedicated, blunt-smoking, mind-warped, boom-bap rap fans. Maybe it was the corny Adult Swim tie in (we forgive you DOOM), maybe it was the undeniably classic Madlib collabo, maybe it was familiarity, but at some point in the past few years the man formerly known as Metal Face became more teddy bear than grizzly, less super villain than super emcee.
The turn towards critical darling didn’t suit DOOM; a man who considers himself a writer first and foremost and whose various albums explore human pathos with a literary depth requiring shadows and seclusion rather than acclaim and expectations. Thankfully, after a 3-year fan-confounding sabbatical and yet another name change, the villain is back with his most uncompromising album yet, a record offering ample rewards for dedicated fans and more than a few face-scrunching moments for those expecting well worn “underground rap”.
DOOM’s lyrics have always split the difference between autobiography, philosophy, mythmaking and oddball humor, and Born like this doesn’t disappoint. Though not as stylistically unified as previous DOOM releases, the rhymes on Born like This are some of DOOM’s best, pushing the man’s style to nearly pure abstraction. Highlights include “Gazzilion Ear” and “Lightworks” produced by the late J Dilla: free-association torrents of consciousness as urgent as they are off-kilter barely making sense at first before revealing a remarkable internal logic after a few spins. Elsewhere however, DOOM deviates from the expected MO of rhyming for rhyming’s sake with his most socially minded material since his KMD days, all while keeping the same breathless style. Exploring political corruption, the Iraqi insurgency, soft serve post-Kanye rap and the generally decaying state of the world, DOOM turns his pen outwards and the results aren’t always easy to take.
Far from eye-roll inducing easy-bake conscious rap, DOOM manages to be cynical, judgmental, hilarious, poignant and downright villainous all at once, leaving it to the listener to figure it all out. Is “Rap ambush” political commentary disguised as battle rap or battle rap disguised as political commentary? How about both? Is “Batty-Boys” a juvenile in-character superhero diss, a painfully ignorant, critic baiting homophobic screed or an on-point assessment of Charles Hamilton’s choice of clothing? All of the above? And how the hell did he manage to clear the Charles Bukowski sample on album centerpiece “Cellz”? To quote DOOM: that’s for him to know and you to guess.
Structurally, Born like This is as challenging as Take me to Your Leader and Mm…Food, other Doom solo projects lacking the focus and clarity of an outside influence. Though there’s no epic instrumental skit/suites about indigestion, the album is still formatted like an A&R’s worst nightmare. Tracks suddenly end without choruses, guest rappers Raekwon and Emperess Stahhr drop incredible verses on DOOM-free tracks, Prince Paul and Posdnous have more fun recording skits than they have since De La Soul is Dead and the project has a jittery, nervous energy that never quite settles, which can be either disappointing or thrilling depending on your mood. The production is also occasionally problematic, as G-Unit/Rhymesayers producer Jake One overstays his welcome handling nearly half the album. While none of his contributions are bad per say, a few more DOOM beats would have been welcome after a 3-year absence, though perhaps his lighter tracks wouldn’t have fit the mood.
In a recent youtube clip Mos Def claimed he’d bet a million dollars on DOOM in a battle against Lil Wayne. The idea is interesting: both strive towards intoxicated brilliance but their results couldn’t be less similar. Whereas Wayne’s cockiness has propelled his alien shtick into the mainstream, DOOM continues to be haunted by anger and loathing, seemingly feeding off his role of demon-king of the underground. Reveling in his independence and growing weirder by the day, DOOM definitely draws a line in the sand on Born like This, proving that he’s got more to say than ever and challenging his fan base to keep up. Dropping the MF might have seemed pointless at first but a few listens into the album and it all makes sense: all that’s left here is pure DOOM. Give this one some time, it took 3 years to make and it just might take that long to decipher.
Download:
MP3: MF Doom-“That’s That”
MP3: MF Doom-“Lightworks”
