So why not do something like throw a mask on?"Īnd the ranks of anonymous internet-age artists are part of this legacy, from trap-country singer RMR to Brooklyn's Leikeli47, and London’s AutoTune trap king M Huncho.īeyond the industry, DOOM's mask was an emblem for legions of kids on the peripheries. But if there's going to be a first impression I might as well use it to control the story. "A visual always brings a first impression. Like girls being like, 'Oh, he's sexy,' or 'I don't want him, he's ugly,' and then other dudes sizing you up," Dumile said. "I wanted to get onstage and orate, without people thinking about the normal things people think about. By eschewing the hype of celebrity while dominating the game, DOOM proved that being a rapper isn't about chains or clout but the pursuance of true artistry. In a 2009 New Yorker article, he told writer Ta-Nehisi Coates that the mask "came out of necessity." In many ways, the masked rapper was ahead of his time. He summed it up perfectly on the following line from “Figaro”: "The best MC with no chain ya ever heard." Donning the hulking piece, metal-faced-DOOM fully embraced the image of the comic book villain as opposed to rap’s stereotypical gangster.
#New mf doom 2020 movie#
However, hip hop history was made when famed graffiti artist Lord Scotch designed a mask by deconstructing a helmet used in the movie Gladiator. DOOM’s identity was originally created based on Doctor Doom, the fictional supervillain. DOOM emerged into the hip hop scene by performing at open mic events in New York wearing stockings and bandanas to cover his face. From KMD to King Geedorah, Madvillainy, Viktor Vaughan, and Zev Love X – DOOM also made beats under his alias Metal Fingers. Each of the aliases had a different personality and story.
To understand MF DOOM, you have to understand the mask and the story behind it.ĭumile went through several aliases before becoming MF DOOM as we know him now.