MF, YOU SILLY – A TRIBUTE TO MF DOOM
On New Years Eve 2020 we learned about the passing of hip hop legend, Daniel Dumile better known as MF Doom.
The B-Sides mix playing in my headphones, I was simultaneously on social media to post for said mix. No sooner had I posted the TUB picture then the feed refreshed and the first post was from Rhymesayers, a picture of Doom flexing in his mask and Ewing jersey with a vague quote that seemed to say he had passed ….. I stoped what I was doing and sent a group text and then scrambled the internet to sadly confirm this to be the case. I sat on the edge of my bed and welled up before switching my focus over to listening to his music.
The following day I spoke with TUB founder Jay Marvelous and the loss of words we both had really brought home the magnitude of Doom’s impact. While I couldn’t claim Doom was my favorite emcee, he certainly was one of my favorite producers and particularly his work on Doomsday and later MMM Food and Special Herbs had significant personal meaning. Since then, I spent the new year mostly revisiting his catalog of work with my wife, my daughter, even my younger children and friends and decided that I wanted to make a brief TUB mix as a humble tribute and show of appreciation.
Just over a month before this sad news hit, Coco, my teenage daughter well known for her contributions to TUB mixes, texted me a link to “Rap Snitch Knishes” and said “Why haven’t you shown me this earlier?”. Her text brought a Kool Aid smile to my often scowled face. In that moment she gave me so much inspiration and pride (and a little shame that I hadn’t showed her this earlier!). Continuing in this spirit, she has provided the art work for the featured image to this post which we are grateful to share.
Speaking of art, to me, Doom was a true artist. He didn’t just make music, write rhymes or produce beats. He created art. So making a mix that respects that art was a challenge but also a privilege.
It is hard to define a catalog such as Doom’s in one mix and say these are the best tracks. One inevitably will be missed and as we know my favorite tracks will not be yours. As such I think it is suffice to say these are some of my favorite tracks of his. And while I could quote line upon line or cite beat upon beat I will only reference one standout, which is “Doomsday”.
“Doomsday” will forever be a top 5 all time Hip Hop song for me. Like “you’re stranded on an island and can only have one tape” kind of songs. The production, the Sade sample, was only equally as mind blowing at the time of it’s release as the lyrics. “crowd around” is really all you need to quote from this song. It has so much emotion, wit, spirit, humor, humanity and soul — maybe my personal most important criteria in any musical piece. It has all the nostalgia for me of the late 90’s in NYC, I can almost smell the F Train and taste the Guinness from Swift’s and hear the light of the American Spirit.
I added a few clips of Doom himself from an interview and also there are a few interludes from the man formerly known as the mighty Mos Def. So, crowd around, and enjoy with gratitude the sounds of MF Doom, R.I.P.
“Ever since the womb ‘til I am back to the essence
Read it off the tomb
Either engraved or unmarked grave, who is to say?”
MF, YOU SILLY
- The Mask Intro (from The Redbull Music Academy Interview)
- All Caps
- Saliva
- More Rhymin’
- Peach Fuzz
- The Greatest Sh!%’s Ever Interlude – Mos
- Rap Snitch Knishes
- Figaro
- Sofa King Remix
- Great Day
- Coco Mango (Remix)
- Gazzillion Grand
- Accordion Remix
- Yikes
- Sorcerers
- Vats of Urine
- Rhymes Like Dimes
- Weird as I Feel Interlude – Mos
- Doomsday
- Doom Waves Outro (from The Redbull Music Academy Interview) over Arrowroot
For more on Doom and to support his work please visit the following sites:
https://shop.rhymesayers.com/collections/mf-doom
https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/doom-lecture
MUSIC
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pAWfrd7WFF3XhVt9GooDL?si=zJAOmiJbSBWqSMEwyZowKg
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mf-doom/3864756
https://tidal.com/browse/artist/3503597
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y8dX3XdGsp2akU-SKfreA
