So, my last few posts have been about rappers that have been in the mainstream at one point or another in their careers. To change things up, I will be reviewing a rapper who is famous in the underground: MF DOOM. (This is gonna be a short one.)
MF DOOM is originally from the UK, but grew up in the United States. He originates from Long Island, and is very well known to the underground community. However, he never really gained popularity with the mainstream, due to the unique sound behind his music.
But before I analyze the lyrics to one of my personal favorites, "That's That", I want to say that MF DOOM has one of THE craziest rhyme schemes in his music. Here's an example from another song of his, "Gazzillion Ear":
Villain, man, never ran with krills in his hand and Won't stop rockin' til he clocked in a gazillion grand Tillin' the wasteland sands Raps on backs of treasure maps, stacks to the ceilin' fan He rest when he's ashes Ask 'em after ten miles in his ga-lashes, smashes stashes Chip on his shoulder with a slip on holster A clip, a folder and his grip on a boulder bolster They supposed ta know, it show when his aura glow Get from out the row, when he get dough it's horrible
These bars demonstrate his skill on the mic. As the YouTube channel Vox puts it, "he uses his skill the same way a supervillain would use his powers."
But back to the song I actually reviewed. "That's That" was on the same album as "Gazzillion Ear" (Born Like This). The album peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Independent Albums in 2009 (album dropped in 2009), and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Top R&B/ Hip-Hop Albums, as well as at number 52 on the Billboard 200.
And the rhyme scheme? It's jaw-dropping, to say the least.
Already woke, spared a joke, barely spoke, rarely smoke Stared at folks when properly provoked, mirror broke Here, share strawberry morning, gone an more important spawning Torn in, poor men sworn in Cornish hens switching positions, auditioning morticians Saw it in a vision, ignoring prison Ignoramuses enlist and sound dumb Found 'em drowned in cow's dung, crowns flung
The rhyme schemes are insane! This dude uses internal, external and multi-syllabic rhymes! And these are the first 8 bars of a 2-minute song! Does he keep this up? Yes! The quality doesn't change.
Sickest ninja injury this century, enter plea Lend sympathy to limper Simple Simon rhyming emcees Trees is free, please leave a key These meagre fleas, he's the breeze And she's the bees knees for sheez G's of G's Seize property, shopper sprees, chop the cheese Drop the grease to stop diseases, gee wiz pa! DOOM rock grandma like the kumbaya
MF DOOM does not slow up, and he rides the beat all the way through.
Overall, I give it a 4/5. My only complaint is when he sings off-key/off-beat during the last 15 seconds of the track. Like, I get if it was another type of song, but this song is about establishing dominance over other rappers, so to me, it doesn't work too well. A good song, nonetheless.
Well, that's all I gotta say. Leave a comment if you have any recommendations, and I'll check them out.
Until next time, this is RBPlayer, signing off!