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KMD_egotrip_98.html
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<figure class="kmd-98-f">
<img src="/LiterOCULAR/img/egotrip1.jpg" class="img-fluid cover-img cover-kmd-98" alt="image of MF Doom drinking a shot" title="MF Doom lays back">
<figcaption>Photos courtesy of <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">DOOM</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<div class="header-and-sub">
<h1 class="kmd-98-t">International God Of Mystery.</h1>
<p class="subheader kmd-98-s">An M.F.'N Look Back With <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span></p>
</div>
<p class="byline kmd-98-b"><span id="#" class="mention-person" about="NoahCallahan-Bever">Noah Callahan-Bever</span> | <span class="date-emoji">1998</span> | <span id="#" class="mention-organization pub-emoji" about="EgoTripMagazine">Ego Trip Magazine</span></p>
<p class="dropcap-two"><span class="deco-drop">“Many</span> Flows. Metal Face. Mic Friendly, Magnetic Field, Money Flow. as well as My Friend and oh yeah—Mutha Fucka.” says <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> in explanation of the M.F. prefix on his name. “The <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> shit is just mad old. Niggas been callin’ me that since I was a shorty, <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span>’s just a totally <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Identity">new character of myself</span>. <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="ZevLoveX">It's still me</span> but it's just a different side.”</p>
<p class="no-dropcap">In the last three years the life of <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> (the former <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="ZevLoveX">Zev Love X</span>, frontman of <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="KMD">KMD</span>) has endured a lot of change: from his crew's days as teenaged <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Religion">Islamic</span> <span id="#" class="mention-genre" about="rap">rap</span> scientists to his recent exploits on one of the past year's best independent <span id="#" class="mention-genre" about="hip-hop">hip-hop</span> 12"s—<span id="#" class="mention-track" about="DeadBent">"Dead Bent"</span> /<span id="#" class="mention-track" about="DeadBent">“Gas Drawls”</span>/<span id="#" class="mention-track" about="Hey">"Hey.”</span> But there's been one constant throughout his entire recording career—his <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="LongIsland">Long Island</span> residence.</p>
<img src="/LiterOCULAR/img/egotrip2.jpg" class="rounded img-fluid kmd-98-artwork" alt="image of MF Doom and his crew" title="MF Doom has a crew">
<p>It's only appropriate then, that <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> recaps his experiences on his hometown’s boardwalk in <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="LongBeach">Long Beach</span>, a stones throw from the Atlantic Ocean. Joining him are <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Onyx">Duce</span> (the ex-<span id="#" class="mention-group" about="KMD">KMD</span> member formerly known as <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Onyx">Onyx</span>) and his long-time friend <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Quest">Quest</span> (a/k/a J. Quest The Boogieman). It’s a clear night in the suburban town and from where we sit both sky and water seem to go on forever in every direction.</p>
<p>“<span id="#" class="mention-location" about="LongBeach">Long Beach</span> isn't as wide as <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="Brooklyn">Brooklyn</span>, as long as <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="Manhattan">Manhattan</span>, or as dense as the <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="Bronx">Bronx</span>,” <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> concedes, “But there's the beach three blocks away and that's a fuckin’ escape. That's the lovely shit.”</p>
<img src="/LiterOCULAR/img/egotrip3.jpg" class="rounded img-fluid kmd-98-artwork-2" alt="image of MF Doom's hand" title="MF Doom has hands!">
<p>But don't get it twisted, <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> ain't some shook kid from the other side of the suburbs. Growing up, he did bids in <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="Manhattan">Manhattan</span> and like many inner-city youths became immersed in <span id="#" class="mention-genre" about="hip-hop">hip-hop</span> culture. Graffiti bombin’ and listening to <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="NewYorkCity">New York</span> <span id="#" class="mention-genre" about="rap">rap</span> radio shows were the activities of his teenage years, and along with his younger brother, DJ <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Subroc">Subroc</span>, and <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Onyx">Onyx</span>, they formed the group <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="KMD">KMD</span>.</p>
<img src="/LiterOCULAR/img/egotrip4.jpg" class="rounded img-fluid kmd-98-artwork-3" alt="image of MF Doom'son" title="MF Doom's son gives him hope">
<p>Recorded on a friend's 4-track, their demo attracted the attention of <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="3rdBass">3rd Bass</span> MC <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Serch">Serch</span> and <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="PeteNice">Pete Nice</span>, and the trio was invited to record with the <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Identity">white</span> wonders. Fresh off <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="GasFace">“The Gas Face,”</span> the fellas signed to <span id="#" class="mention-label" about="Elektra">Elektra</span> and released their 1991 debut, <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="MrHood">Mr. Hood</span>. An amalgamation of <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Religion"><span id="#" class="mention-organization" about="FivePercentNation">Five-Percenter</span> knowledge</span> over uptempo <span id="#" class="mention-genre" about="Soul">soul</span>-influenced tracks overflowing with cleverness, the LP's linchpin was the ingenious framework which held the songs together: a series of hilarious conversations between the <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="KMD">band members</span> and the stiff voice of the anonymous <span id="#" class="mention-character" about="MrHood">Mr. Hood</span>. Despite critical acclaim and the moderate success of the singles <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="Peachfuzz">“Peachfuzz”</span> and <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="WhoMe">“Who Me?,”</span> <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="MrHood">Mr. Hood</span> met with disappointing sales, sending the trio back to their lab to regroup.</p>
<img src="/LiterOCULAR/img/egotrip5.jpg" class="rounded img-fluid kmd-98-artwork-4" alt="image of DJ Subroc" title="Subroc lives on in Doom">
<p>Officially pared down to the duo of <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="ZevLoveX">Zev Love X</span> and <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Subroc">Subroc</span>, <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="KMD">KMD</span> struck back at the world with a most astounding aesthetic realignment. Returning conspicuously more jaded for their sophomore effort (much like their tour-mates and <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="TheGodSquad">"God Squad"</span> compatriots, <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="BrandNubian">Brand Nubian</span>), the darker opus <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="BlackBastards">Black Bastards</span> still managed to retain its wit. Beautifully constructed from deep bass grooves around a skeleton of vocal samples from original <span id="#" class="mention-group" about="LastPoets">Last Poet</span> <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="GylanKain">Gylan Kain</span>’s <span id="#" class="mention-sample" about="BlueGuerilla">Blue Guerilla</span> LP and filmmaker <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MelvinVanPeebles">Melvin Van Peebles</span> epochal <span id="#" class="mention-genre" about="Blaxploitation">blaxploitation</span> cinematic masterpiece, <span id="#" class="mention-sample" about="SweetSweetbacksBaadasssssSong">Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song</span>, <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="BlackBastards">Black Bastards</span> inventive edge was typified by its intro, <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="GarbageDay3">"Garbage Day 3."</span> An aural montage of snippets pertaining to the group's changing focus over an erratic bass line, the track’s brilliance was sustained through cuts like, <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="WhatANiggyKnow">“What A Nigga Know,”</span> <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="SweetPremium">“Sweet Premium,”</span> and <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="BlackBastardsAndBitches">“Black Bastards and Bitches.”</span></p>
<p>“With the second joint we really flipped the script,” says <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span>. “Like, ‘Okay, this is a real jewel night here.”</p>
<p>“There was always enlightenment,” <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Onyx">Duce</span> adds, “but the second album was a warning.”</p>
<p>But shortly after completing this masterpiece, tragedy befell the group when <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="Subroc">Subroc</span> was <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Death">fatally struck by a car</span> on the <span id="#" class="mention-location" about="LongIsland">Island</span>. Compounding the calamity was a <span id="#" class="mention-track" about="CopKiller">“Cop Killer”</span>-era controversy over <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="BlackBastards">Black Bastards</span>’ <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="ZevLoveX">Zev</span> illustrated <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="BlackBastardsArtwork">cover artwork</span> that depicted their <span id="#" class="mention-character" about="Sambo">Sambo</span> character symbol in a noose swinging from a tree: an incident that wound up getting the group dropped from <span id="#" class="mention-label" about="Elektra">their label</span>. Yet despite the bleakness of that period, today <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> is able to maintain his perspective on the big picture: “<span id="#" class="mention-label" about="Elektra">Elektra</span> spent loot to make <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="BlackBastards">the album</span>, they gave us loot to step off the label and now we got the rights to the shit anyway. More than anything, time got lost.”</p>
<p>Having now adopted <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Identity">the identity of a “Super M.F. Villain”</span> <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> is now ready to move on and has a full plate of upcoming releases including his third album, <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="TheSuperMFVillains">The Super M.F. Villains</span>, and a collaborative release with <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFGrimm">M.F. Grimm</span> and others called the <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="MonsterIslandProject">Monster Island Project</span>, which uses the themes of movie monsters like Godzilla, Jet Jaguar and Megalon.</p>
<p>“Tt’s all just evolution,” <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">the illusionist</span> says of his forthcoming works. “I’m-a just lay it down on some real <span id="#" class="mention-genre" about="hip-hop">hip-hop</span> shit. Fuck the distractions.”</p>
<p>Focused on his art, <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span> is not wetting C.R.E.A.M. or fame, which is epitomized by his refusal to be photographed. “Super Villains get part of their power from muthafuckas not knowing who they are,” he reasons. “<span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Identity">It’s music that we're selling—not my face</span>.”</p>
<p>Besides his two LPs, probably the greatest gem that the Villain will finally bestow upon us is the proper release of <span id="#" class="mention-album" about="BlackBastards">Black Bastards</span>—on wax on <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="BobbitoGarcia">Bobbito Garcia</span>'s <span id="#" class="mention-label" about="FondleEm">Fondle ‘Em label</span>. It seems that finally the wrongs that have plagued <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span>’s career have been obliterated.</p>
<p>A perpetually <span id="#" class="mention-subject" about="Identity">elusive master of masquerade</span>, <span id="#" class="mention-person" about="MFDoom">M.F. Doom</span>, the artist has returned to us in full form. And all we can say is—welcome back, muthafucka. <span class="end-dot"></span></p>