MF DOOM FOREVER

On the morning of New Year’s Day 2021 I woke up to the most devastating news! It was announced that MF DOOM had passed away on the 31st of October 2020. I thought to myself, this must be some kind of a sick joke. Additionally, the villain is always pulling stunts. However, it was announced that there’s nothing fake about his death.

I wanted to take a moment to breakdown what DOOM meant to me and what he did for my writing.

Let me start off by saying this. It was DOOM that helped me discover my rhyme style. Before I delved into MF DOOM’s music, my rhyme style was pretty simplistic. I would rhyme one to two syllables and I didn’t focus on rhymes patterns.

What Madvillainy did for me!

I remember the first time I listened to Madvillainy. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The album didn’t have any catchy hooks, or club bangers. Instead it was quirky and it had a unique, listening experience. I went back to revisit the album and one day it hit me. I sat there for a moment and thought to myself. Holy effin shit, how the eff do you rhyme so many friggin’ syllables and make it sound SO friggin’ easy? I instantly bought the CD and guess what? It came with a booklet that contained the lyrics!

Check this out, guys! I bought the CD twice. I kept one booklet by my bedside and the other booklet in my manbag. So I took DOOM with me everywhere I went. I studied that booklet and DOOMS rhyme patterns like it was the Goddamn Bible.

Read here about MF DOOM’s 5 best rhyme schemes from Madvillainy.

Thank God for MF DOOM!

After studying Madvillainy I learned all about multiple-syllable rhyming.

I changed the way I wrote rhymes. In my spare time I would write battle raps and I would rhyme my friggin’ ass off. I would do this everyday. It raised my vibration.

Here’s an example of what DOOM taught me.

Song: Lick The Cahunas – by Podopheleus

(Verse 1)

Pens flowing, let going, voices ech-oing

My eyes are red, glowing! Protect your neck showing

Get roped in, tech-loading, exploding, head soaked in

The dope bastard who puts emcees into closed caskets

Fetish for throat slashing, emcees blow their gaskets

No stepping to me, sent to me on a bent knee

I decapitate emcees, move on to the next deed

Your wearing so much Ice and you got cold feet

Before we reach the hook knock out two rows of teeth

I don’t have the time to waste on sentimental shit

Ah-huh, you can call me a semi-mental prick

I do wrong willingly each song is a killing spree

With malice! I’m intentionally the Goat

Hellishly so, selfishly dope! Reacting angrily, No

I strike like Sakura (whap) Skilful manoeuvres

Emcees suck like a damn hoover, lick the cahunas

(Verse 2)

Cock my crossbow aiming at, hunting the sleaziest

This is Podopheleus follow the genius

Monotoned, dope flow the nastiest, freakiest

I smile! Cos’ getting angry is a weakness

Oh, for crying out loud whatchu murmuring?

I’ll bring beef to your door like Ubereats Burger king

It Ain’t over till the fat lady.. eh, I heard her sing

(Bang) furthering pain, the mass murdering game

With a quick delivery like Amazon prime

Keep my pen ready at hand and I rap on time

Ok ‘k Some are falling ill, I was born sick

Your on my shortlist the one that causes Rigor Mortis

Beat emcees to death with a padlock in a sock

Y’all a pain in the ass like Goblet squats

Yup! You can suck my throbbing cock

If I’m your sparring partner, your arms too short to box with God

I wrote this song under the influence of DOOM. I had DOOMS voice in my head as I was packing in those rhymes. As you can see I am rhyming 3 – 5 syllables at a time.

Here is an example of how I used to write before I delved into DOOMS music.

(Kick)

A legend once said; You Ain’t got to lie to kick it

They jacked his peri peri fries! “Safe for the chips kid!

Yo little man, that sauce, has a proper kick to it”

He used to hit the park with his boys. Have a kickabout!

The older kids kicked his butt for making a sound

When it all kicks off, always gets his head kicked in

A kick in the teeth, changed his beliefs

Started to kick-it with the big boys. He told a yout

To run his kicks. He pulls out a gun and threatened to shoot

The yout told him to kick rocks. The whole block heard shots

Got a little kickback. His whole crew dipped

A bystander got hit. She said “It’s the first time I felt her kick”

He is only sixteen. He smiled, as he got nicked

It wasn’t what he expected. He is looking for an exit

He said to himself fuck it and he kicked the bucket

Make a mental note that I wrote this a long time ago. I liked the wordplay and the storytelling on this. However, there was no rhyme scheme and it had poor rhythm. A big difference, huh?

Let me point out that DOOM wasn’t the first rapper to hit us with complex multiple-syllable rhyme patterns. There were many rappers that came before DOOM and were just as complex with there rhyme patterns. E.g Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap. However, DOOM grabbed my attention because he was so friggin’ smooth. He will rhyme 5 – 6 syllable words in a effortlessly cool way.

What did MF DOOM mean to me?

MF DOOM changed my life!
MF DOOM pushed me to step up my pen game and my rhyme game.
I am a student of MF DOOM.
MF DOOM taught me about double and triple entendres.
I had MF DOOMS voice in my head when I wrote Triple-Formed.
I know DOOMS body of work like I know the back of my hand.
Madvillainy, taught me to take risks, to cross boundaries and that it’s ok to be different.

R.I.P to the legendary Hip-Hop emcee. MF DOOM! King Geedorah! Vicktor Vaughn! Zev Love X! Daniel Dumile!