By Michael Tempone
The proclaimed supervillain of the hip-hop community, rapper MF Doom released his latest album “Born Like This,” under Lex Recordson Tuesday. The masked emcee’s eighth studio effort was released under the shortened alias Doom-a reference to the comic book supervillain “Dr. Doom” of the Fantastic Four, whose name and characterizing mask the rapper borrows. The album has been hyped as Doom’s most defining project to date, a production that Lex Records says is “Doom’s definitive album, encapsulating but surpassing all of his previous work.”
The album takes its title from Charles Bukowski’s poem “Dinosauria, We,” an apocalyptic rhyme that is reflected throughout the record both in the aggressive flow of the tracks as well as in Doom’s unmistakably gritty voice and lyrics. Coupled with this theme is the constant reminder of Doom’s supervillain ego. The album opens with “Supervillain Intro,” a track that introduces the listener to Doom’s comic-book-influenced world. The comic book theme that Doom embraces is also heard in the song “Angelz,” a track in which rapper Ghostface Killah appears under the pseudonym Tony Starks-the real name of another comic book hero, Iron Man.
Joining the list of contributing emcees is Raekwon, who appears on the track “Yessir.” Both Ghostface and Raekwon are members of the groundbreaking rap supergroup Wu-Tang Clan, and their presence on the album ensures Doom’s place as one of hip-hop’s hottest yet unconventional artists.
As Lex Records proclaimed, the album in its entirety is a wonderful reflection of the unique qualities of most Doom albums with the ever-widening range of influences, unconventional beats, short tracks, large amounts of sampling and the constant use of the Doom alias.
While these characteristics have come to define Doom’s unique style, “Born Like This” is a conventional Doom album in that it does not introduce anything new to his sound. A majority of the tracks are well under three minutes in length and simply feature Doom’s raw and biting lyrics against an inventive beat.
Not one track on the album features a chorus, a formula that nearly no other artist uses, which is a hallmark of Doom’s unique sound. The rapid pace of tracks and constant introduction of new beats, such as in “Rap Ambush” and “Lighthouse,” keeps the album moving quickly and forces the listener to wonder what strange sounds could possibly come next.
Doom uses sampling extensively throughout the album, most noticeably on the track “Cellz,” in which a sample is used of Bukowski reading his poem “Dinosauria, We” from the film “Bukowski: Born Into This.” Overall, this track highlights Doom’s sound at its core-the sample, hardcore lyrics and a unique beat that all meld together into an aggressive, forceful and menacing sound that has come to identify Doom.
For the majority of Doom fans, “Born Like This” is a new album that offers many of the familiar sounds of previous albums. It is a wonderful collection of Doom’s most defining songs, yet it does not differ from the sound we have come to expect from the unconventional emcee. Fans that are looking for more of the same from Doom will be pleased while those expecting something different from previous albums will be disappointed.
Fortunately for Doom this should not be a problem, as his unique sound has driven his success and will continue to do so with this album. His loyal fan base and unmatchable style ensures that Doom is a force to be reckoned with in the hip-hop world.