Shadows of Tomorrow: 4:44 Singer-songwriter Free Pays Tribute to MF DOOM's Operation: Doomsday & MM..FOOD (@fourfortyfournj)
Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson.
"R.I.P. MF DOOM. I can't explain how much his music has meant to me over the years. Back in Freshman year of high school, I came across the song "Doomsday" on YouTube with this strange picture of a man with a mask on it. As soon as I started listening to that, I was transported to another dimension. The atmosphere in that song is so incredibly beautiful. I've spent a whole lot of time seeking to re-create the atmosphere of that song. The color/feeling of this song is almost always my first place to aim for when recording. The sample in it, also, lead me to the discovery of another one of my all-time favorite artists (Sade,) who encompasses a very similar atmosphere in her music."
"The whole lo-fi feel of the Operation: Doomsday album was, also, a game-changer for me. I didn't know that people listened to music that wasn't completely "polished." You could tell it was made by [DOOM] himself, which is just insane. I always reference his music when making recordings. From the massive ultra-cool Earthquake drums of "Red & Gold" and "The Finest" to the absolutely hilarious lyrics, like the Teletubbies references on "One Beer" and the opening lines of "Kookies." The method of "anything goes" is very apparent in his work and I don't know anyone who did it better than MF DOOM. He never touched a single cliché and tapped into something completely unique, while making the seemingly abstract subject matter of his songs feel personal."
"For me, the albums Operation: Doomsday & MM..FOOD, literally, never have grown old on me. I feel like when I go to listen to music, there's always two choices: there’s music and, then, there's MF DOOM. Those are, literally, my choices. He sits alone in a category unmatched by ANYONE. I don't care if you say he works with one vocal style or whatever. What he does with the music around that and how he phrased/weaved his villainous tales together are unparalleled. A true sonic mastermind, a comic, a genius, laying his heart out for all from behind a metal mask. The ultimate lover of his craft and a creativeness that only comes from an encyclopedic knowledge of music. R.I.P. to one of the greatest."