Shadows of Tomorrow: Serious Rap Sh*t Podcast Co-host Josh Leidy On A Villain's Impact (MF DOOM Tribute)
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.
Josh Leidy is a writer, producer, filmmaker, and co-host of the Serious Rap Sh*t Podcast and content creator for Culture Cypher Media. Follow Josh "Indi" Leidy (@indi_srs) on Twitter and Instagram to experience more of his work.
Daniel Dumile—even in his youth as Zev Love X—showed an ability to be an advanced lyricist, as he grew into his personality as [MF] DOOM, he became even freer with his creativity. As an early adapter of a much less structured style, songs would often lack hooks and even a strict bar composition; verses would be littered with more complex rhyme schemes and punchlines than the normally fluid patterns of traditional rap. He wasn't the first to do this. He was building on the foundation laid by artists, like Kool Keith, but DOOM would take this style and push it ever further forward.
"Your favorite rapper's favorite rapper" is a term thrown around in Hip-Hop a lot. It's been said by some of the best (and, frankly, some of the worst) and much like the idea of a "G.O.A.T." [Greatest of All Time,] it's taken on a very generous form. Made to fit whoever says it. In terms of DOOM, it fits like a glove. DOOM was a mythical-like figure even before his death. An emcee that inspired younger rappers, as well as his peers.
In complete honesty, I was never a huge MF DOOM fan. I dug him... I thought he had some dope songs and respected his impact on the culture. I did really always dig his production and how he constructed soundscapes that were so full. But since his passing, it's become more and more glaring how much his style truly made a giant impact. Plenty of [artists] have said how much they enjoyed his music, but what I really began to notice was how much his actual rhyme patterns and verse-building inspired so many.
One of my favorite emcees in the last 10 years or so is Jay Electronica. I always knew he was influenced in ways production-wise by DOOM that was clearly evident, but diving back into DOOM's catalogue since his death, I can't believe how glaring it is that Electronica was so heavily shaped by DOOM's approach to rap. Yes, lyrically, they differ, but the technique is crazy similar. Lupe Fiasco is another whose style has definitely been impacted by the greatness of DOOM.
Whether it's folks, like Joey Bada$$, Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, or even artists, like Drake, who many would least expect looked up to and were heavily influenced by an artist like MF DOOM. But peers closer in age, like Jay Electronica, Westside Gunn, and Del The Funky Homosapian, all say how much they appreciate what he was able to bring that was different. And in the end, respect and admiration of our peers and those we influence is one of the biggest compliments any of us can receive. Of course, DOOM's music will carry his legacy, but so will his influence and mastery that so many have embraced. This is how legends will always endure.