CD Review: Doom

By Andrew Catalina

Posted on April 27, 2009, at 1:33 a.m.

At one time, Doom – with aliases such as MF Doom, Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah and the Supervillain – was the poster child for underground hip-hop. After withdrawing from the mainstream in the early ’90s following his brother’s death, Doom re-emerged in the mid-2000s with several high-profile collaborations and guest appearances, including the critically acclaimed “Madvillainy” and “The Mouse and the Mask” with Madlib and DJ Danger Mouse-supported production, respectively. Just when he was poised for a mainstream breakthrough – when it seemed like he was on more rappers’ tracks than the ever-prolific Snoop Dogg – Doom took a three-year hiatus.

“Born Like This” may represent Doom’s only new work since 2006, but stands testament to his dedication to the form and new direction. In particular, Doom seems to have contempt for his rediscovered fame and privileged, middle-class fan base. Following the suitably-esoteric intro track, Doom launches into “Gazillion Ear,” a sprawling state-of-the-industry-style address clocking in at an uncharacteristic 4:11. No stone is left un-thrown, with Doom insulting his relationship with his fans – “Once sold an inbred skinhead a n—a joke” – other rappers – “By remote, send in the meat wagon / Braggin’ MC’s packed in with they feets draggin’” – the industry – “My mistake, sign a track agreement / For more G’s than lines and cracks in the cement / In any event it’s fake like wrestlin’ / Get ‘em like Jake The Snake on mescaline” – and himself – “It’s the return of the tramp / Who do a duet jam with ‘Earnest Goes to Camp.’” More than any other track on the album, “Gazillion Ear” connotes Doom’s return with a vengeance – his re-dedication to rapping, if only to spite everyone else.

The majority of the tracks find Doom in familiar sub-three-minute territory, mixing rapid-fire, disjointed metaphor with obscure sampling and token Wu-Tang collaboration. Doom stays true to his form through most of the album, with the beats building to something less of a catharsis than those on “Madvillainy,” choosing the steady grate over poppy hooks. The album’s only misstep comes with “Batty Boyz,” set atop frantic horns and sampling, which will almost certainly be construed as serious homophobia. More likely the track serves as a critique of homophobia in rap, but when Doom rhymes, “It’s like a leotard fest / How it got started is any retard’s guess,” and “Posing Chester, legs open, couldn’t stand worse / All that was missing was a bandana and a man purse,” it’s hard to tell where Doom’s opinion truly lies.

Doom’s signature lazy delivery seems less silky-smooth and more raw, exhibiting the same thoughtful deliberation of his earlier work with more of the venom he only seemed to hint at and complexity in metaphor only surpassed in incomprehensibility by Aesop Rock. It may not be as instantly accessible as Doom’s prior offerings, but “Born Like This” rewards the patient with uncharacteristic depth and meaning.

Grade: A

Campus Currents: Hip-Hop