Words By David D.

Man, what in the blue Hell is up with MF DOOM?

See that throne that Blu is sitting comfortably on atop the rest of the acclaimed underground MCs? About three years ago, that was DOOM’s spot. The underground scene belonged to Dumile and his seemingly non-sequitor, stream of conscious off-beat flow. The MC/Producer injected his albums with obscure samples from random TV shows, cartoons and infomercials to add layers of enjoyment to each listen. And dude has some great albums and a bona-fide masterpiece in the Madvillainy album alongside Madlib. His “Doomsday,” “Mmm…Food,” and “Vaudeville Villain” albums were also solid, earning their fair share of critical acclaim.

When DOOM made a whole album dedicated to adult swim, it made him the darling of hip stoners everywhere. He was on national TV and getting mentions in Entertainment Weekly‘s “Top Ten” without compromising his unique style.

Then, it just fell apart. It’s been about three years since we’ve seen a DOOM album, with hardly a single verse to hold us over in the meantime. The Madvillainy II album has seemingly disappeared along with the dream team album with Ghostface with no news on either being released anytime soon. There were rumors that he was sick, even one rumor that DOOM somehow died. I don’t know what the case is, but this is just weird. Apparently, DOOM has been sending out imposters in the tin mask to perform his sets. There has been word of this happening for a while now, with no real proof behind it. But this video from the Rock the Bells show proves it. For some reason, DOOM is sending someone else to perform his shows. This fool didn’t even know the words and was subsequently booted off the stage.

What the hell? I understand if things aren’t going well or something. But why stick it to the fans? When he sent an imposter to do a XXL photo shoot, it was a clever way to get over on the mainstream. When Gottyâ„¢ mentioned the switcheroo about a year ago, it received some slightly frustrated responses mixed in with some chuckles at this stunt. But enough is enough. This is the friggin’ Rock the Bells tour and this is downright disrespectful. DOOM has been an example of what grassroots support for quality work can lead to. Now, he’s turning his back on all of them. Just listen to how hyped the fans are to see him and how quickly that turns to anger when someone they adore pulls some shit like that. I sincerely hope there is a good reason for this. I also hope that MF DOOM is okay. But antics like this are leading me to believe he’s going the Lauryn Hill route of wackiness.

So Mr. DOOM, from your fans, please tell us what’s going on. We don’t deserve this.

Previously Posted – The Man…Or The Mask?