Even though he took up the same moniker, all-caps not withstanding, it's unlikely anyone is going to mistake the artist formerly toting metal fingers for the legendary crust band.
One decade after the landing of Operation Doomsday, Danielle Dumile re-emerges with a modified alter-ego, and perhaps a bruised original ego. The reinvention of MF Doom to DOOM comes after a curiously long hiatus for the normally prolific artist and a flurry of damning accusations alleging Dumile appointed an impostor to perform fraudulent concerts.
The hiatus isn't especially surprising. Lethargy and a lack of ambition are trademark symptoms of marijuana consumption, and this is a guy so high he made an entire album about food. The fraud accusations are surprising, however, mostly because there's no reason why Dumile would need an imposter to do his work. There's no doubt he's an extremely talented rapper. Born Like This, the first release from the DOOM moniker, does nothing but reinforce that fact, but it isn't among his best work.
What always made DOOM distinct to me was his frequent use of soulful, almost psychedelic beats, and the first song on Born Like This, "Gazzillion Ear," shows the villain hasn't abandoned this practice. With a production courtesy of the late J Dilla, DOOM trounces through a beat driven by a heavy bass line complemented by a high-pitched organ loop before a change-up into a trippy, vaguely Middle Eastern vibe draped over a fuzzy synth.
Like a lot of his tracks, it's difficult to see through the abstract rhymes and references littering his lyrics, but it's safe to say "Gazzillion Ear" is a tale of the villain's money-grabbing schemes, though it's mostly just a fun premise in which to show off a complex rhyme exhibition. The only thing that makes DOOM stand out more than his beats is the density of his lyrics; this song clocks in at nearly 800 words and there's no chorus. This guy spits line after line of original material like almost no one else can.
One difference with the new DOOM is a noticeably greater gruffness in his voice. Reasons for this would be entirely speculative; age, smoking, a conscious attempt to speak deeper, a little tweak in the production. Whatever the case, it's definitely there.
"That's That" might be the strongest track on Born Like This. There's no great message or subject matter for the track; this is purely a rhyme exercise, and it's killer.
Sickest ninja injury this century, enter plea / Lend sympathy to limper Simple Simon-rhymin emcees / Trees is free, please leave a key / These meager fleas, he's the breeze and she's the bees knees for sheez / G's of Gs / Seize property shopping sprees, chop the cheese.
One track that would probably disappoint a lot of our readers, myself included, is "Batty Boyz." Although homophobia in rap is nothing new and there isn't any violent or explicitly hateful language, it's annoying that this track is almost entirely driven by gay ridicule. Also, there's a Jeff Dunham sample in here. Fuck that. The shame is this track has an awesome beat, but the potential goes wasted.
Another annoying track is "Supervillainz," the last actual song on the album. DOOM lays down one of his sickest beats, but it's tainted by a couple lesser collaborating rappers and obnoxious auto-tune breaks. This is a rather weak ending to what otherwise is a totally good album.
All things considered, this is a solid album, certainly better than most rap you'd find out there. Born Like This lacks any homerun hits, but even its weakest points are quite tolerable -this album is a demonstration of consistency. Born Like This is a slight disappointment when compared to DOOM's previous work, but it's good enough to confirm that he's still one of the best.
