MF DOOM APPRECIATION

"Gettin' paid like a biker with the best crank,
Spray like a high rank sniper in the West Bank."

Hip hop history is chock full of colorful characters, from the Biz to Ol Dirty, from Flav to Andre. But rarely do you find products like MF Doom. MF (Metal Face) Doom is a ferocious, marble-mouthed emcee who speaks with a lazy drawl and comes with some of the most unique flows you've ever heard. He's also unquestionably one of the tastiest producers in the game right now. And, on top of playing both parts, he's also super prolific--kicking out numerous mindblowing projects over the last three years and he shows no signs of slowing down. And, amazingly, the metal mask is not a gimmick. It's a part of him. He wears it in the studio, in the store, in the airport, on stage, in interviews, around his buddies. In fact, at SXSW last year, he was spotted on the street walking alone with his mask on and a Yankee hat. His explanation of the mask, although there are many theories, is hip hop is so obsessed with image and access and he's wanting to be the anti to that uber-ego imagery. There is no face to his music except that of two large eyes peering through a emotionless mask. He's worked with a slew of artists: Atmosphere's Slug, MC Paul Barman, Prince Paul, De La Soul, Non Phixion, Sage Francis, Gorillaz, Madlib, Vast Aire, Count Bass D, MF Grimm, so on and so forth.

Thanks to a recent conversation with a fella named Ryan regarding MF Doom, I found it fitting to throw up a tribute to Doom and, for those interested in maybe digging into some of Doom's work, a shopping list to take to your favorite local record store or one that rhymes with "tasty" and scoop up some of this goodness. Anyhow, here's the list of the definitive Doom records. Find them, listen to them, enjoy them. Listed in order:

1) MF Doom Operation Doomsday

2) Madvillain Madvillainy

3) MF Doom MM Food

4) King Gheedorah Take Me to Your Leader

5) KMD Mr. Hood

6) Viktor Vaughan Vaudeville Villain

7) Monsta Island Czars Escape from Monsta Island

8) KMD Black Bastards

9) Viktor Vaughan VV II

10) MF Doom Special Herbs and Spices Vol. 1 and 2