11 ms·

MF DOOM Has Died

466 points by laurex 6y ago

jonas_kgomo 6y ago
RIP: I didn't know DOOM's fanbase crosses platforms in this way. I am thinking of creating a website just for dedicating a poolside.fm like website just for DOOM's music.
SOLAR_FIELDS 6y ago
Very sad news. Quite interesting that exactly two months after his death passed before it was revealed. Perhaps it was a wish of MF Doom?
- kettunen 6y ago
  Seems like very suitable for his character. Anyway, this is a big loss...
- IMAYousaf 6y ago
  I think back to the line "MF DOOM, he's like D.B. Cooper" off of Hoe Cakes on the album MM..FOOD. He always was an enigma, and I guess having your passing be a secret for that long, for someone that influential, in the age of social media, just goes to show that it wasn't just an act.
MFNazeem 6y ago
But does it run Skyrim?
- IMAYousaf 6y ago
  I can understand that this wasn't meant in malice, but still comes off quite distasteful.
  - Qw3r7 6y ago
    Oh, it was made in good humour.
  - MitPitt 6y ago
    Despite it being flagged, I can still reconstruct the joke based on just the username
- trianglem 6y ago
  What are you talking about you piece of shit.
  - dang 6y ago
    We've banned that troll account, but it's absolutely not ok for you to post like this. We've asked you several times to stop breaking the HN guidelines in comments here, and it looks like you've been continuing to do a ton of that. If you keep doing it we're going to ban you. Regardless of how shitty another comment is or how strongly you feel, it's not ok to make things worse like this. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - trianglem 6y ago
      I apologize
_jcrossley 6y ago
Heartbreaking. And here I thought the pain of 2020 was over already. RIP
- Mojave3 6y ago
  Reality is, years don't mark anything. People have been saying "x year is the worst" increasingly for the last 4 years, and 2020 is the only recent one that actually fits. Tomorrow isn't going to shift anything, it's just how we keep track of time. Expecting a year to contain itself is what leads to this yearly disappointment everyone seems to experience. What I find frustrating, is that all people can say about most deaths now a day is "this year is the worst". No sentiments, nothing about the person who's passed. Just self absorbed focus on how this year sucks (they all suck apparently if I were to listen to people yearly). I wish we'd celebrate the person by default instead. MF DOOM was one of the greats. One of the only reasons I could get into hip hop. Really heartbreaking.
  - ljm 6y ago
    I like to take the other perspective and take some time to appreciate what they gave to the world. It's not so much a loss as it is a chance to celebrate what still remains, and to not take it for granted or keep expecting more. For anyone reading this news, MF DOOM's work takes on a new life as people come to experience it for themselves, for the first time.
  - schoen 6y ago
    > Expecting a year to contain itself is what leads to this yearly disappointment everyone seems to experience. This thought reminds me of Utah Phillips in Ani DiFranco's song "Bridges": > Fifties, sixties, seventies, nineties, that whole idea of decade packages. Things don’t happen that way. The Vietnam War heated up in 1965 and ended in 1975. Well, what’s that got to do with decades? No, that packaging of time is a journalistic convenience that they use to trivialize and to dismiss important events and important ideas. I defy that. (And I say this having myself just told a family member that I'm sure people everywhere are happy for 2020 to be over.)
1B05H1N 6y ago
2020 is a terrible year, RIP Dumile.
jpdb 6y ago
Can we get the title updated to MF DOOM has died? > Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name https://youtu.be/noPlIn8TJSQ https://youtu.be/noPlIn8TJSQ
- asyncscrum 6y ago
  So much this. Man's the GOAT. And learning about his death months after is so DOOM. Condolences to the family. I like to think he was a legend at home like he was in the booth.
- anon9001 6y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewc1hixzYPY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewc1hixzYPY is the music video. Madvillainy is maybe the best hiphop album of all time. I go back and listen to it often and always find something new. +1 on changing the post title to all caps. This news also probably deserves a black bar. MF DOOM was the greatest lyricist in hiphop and influenced a generation or more of artists. RIP MF DOOM, Viktor Vaughn, and King Geedorah.
  - saeranv 6y ago
    Agreed. And Madlib was always promising there'd be a sequel, but from what I understand MF DOOM always flaked. So all we have is that one perfect album.
- joegahona 6y ago
  Why all caps? Is it an acronym?
  - Lammy 6y ago
    The traditional comic book style lettering is also ALL CAPS which may have influenced his preference https://i.imgur.com/Po3IJAa.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Po3IJAa.jpg
  - anon9001 6y ago
    I think it's part of the aesthetic of being a comic book villain, because comic books are typically in all caps.
pcdoodle 6y ago
:( MF DOOM...
frob 6y ago
This is a knife in the gut right now. I had listened to him on and off since 05 or so. Just recently, I rediscovered "The Mouse and the Mask" and have been humming the bars to Sofa King for the last week or two. RIP DOOM.
- fourseventy 6y ago
  Now repeat after me... I am... sofa king...
  - theelous3 6y ago
    Not so fast, loses meaning :)
- stereoabuse 6y ago
  This was my most listened to record of 2009 and it always brings me immediately back to that time. I still love it. Real sad.
- GOONIMMUNE 6y ago
  I think it's one of his most underrated albums- at least I never hear about people talk about it. I had it burned to a CD because my college car was too old to have anything else. I would only go through the effort of burning CDs I loved front to back and this was one of the most-played. The Space Ghost song near the end used to make me feel nostalgic. Now I feel nostalgic for that nostalgia... meta-nostalgia?
errantspark 6y ago
On the bright side, at least 2021 is guaranteed to be better in that the GOAT can't die. F His music helped me find a big part of who I am.
s5300 6y ago
Deeply hurts knowing I'd specifically checked twice to see if there's info on anything new in the works while he's been dead. MF DOOM created great music that I'm sure a decent bit of HN users who haven't heard of him would enjoy.
oli5679 6y ago
When I was a student, I remember listing to his collaboration with Madlib, 'Madvilliany' and loving it. Here it is if anyone is interested. https://youtu.be/zQ0yXh_ADlQ https://youtu.be/zQ0yXh_ADlQ
- anm89 6y ago
  Greatest rap album of all time IMO
stenberg 6y ago
Fuck, this hit me hard at 00:49 2021 :(
raaxe 6y ago
> On Doomsday!, ever since the womb ‘til I'm back where my brother went, > that's what my tomb will say > Right above my government; Dumile > Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who's to say?
- nickdrozd 6y ago
  > To the gone and lost forever like "Oh My Darling Clementine" > He hold his heart when he telling rhyme > When it's his time, I hope his soul go to Heaven > He nasty like the old time Old No. 7
- Lammy 6y ago
  It hits even harder when he repeats and switches it up :( > Doomsday > Ever since the womb ‘til I'm back to the essence > Read it off the tomb > Either engraved or unmarked grave, who's to say? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs
turndown 6y ago
An amazing arist. I will have One Beer for him. RIP
symlinkk 6y ago
Wow, what happened?
xwdv 6y ago
God damn, cancer the likely culprit?
- s5300 6y ago
  While speculation is mostly bad, I'm just seriously hoping it wasn't suicide. Given the fact he had his wife and another child I'd presume it's highly likely that it wasn't though. I remember finding out about his kid dying a bit after it happened. Mainly because every few months I'd check in to see if there's any word on anything new coming out - things had come to a bit of a lull. Then around a year after his kids death, once again checking back in for anything new - I'd seen somebody say something along the lines of "His teen son fucking died man. For all we know, he could seriously want nothing to do with rapping anymore after such a big and shitty life event" For whatever reason, that logic definitely struck a chord with me. Pretty much cut my expectations for new material and left me with being thankful for everything he'd made. While I'd enjoy knowing the cause of death, I respect the privacy of his family more and understand it may never come out.
stolenmerch 6y ago
Saw his "Doomposter" show in Chicago back in 2010 when a little person lip synced his songs in costume. Kind of irritating at the time but it's one of my most memorable shows and I remember Mos Def trying to calm down the crowd. RIP. Love all the Doom stuff, Madvillainy, Metal Fingers Special Herbs, and more.
supersrdjan 6y ago
MF DOOM used language in such a unique way. Whenever your thoughts seem to settle into well-worn ruts, you can listen to some MF DOOM and all those weird bars and rhymes will stir things up in your noggin. There's nothing quite like it :) Glad to see the man appreciated here on HN. RIP!
- oli5679 6y ago
  I've been relistening today. Some lyrics like 'Living off borrowed, the clock ticks faster' from Accordian stand out more or take on a different meaning to me now.
- dirtylowprofile 6y ago
  Yeah I can’t remember any rapper who trended on HN. Made me glad as well.
- theelous3 6y ago
  "Your favourite rappers favourite rapper" is the best description I ever heard of him. I love that video where mos def is just reciting DOOM lyrics like a kid in a candy store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBIvIDnnv8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBIvIDnnv8
courtf 6y ago
word to el muerto cucaracha exoskeleton
anm89 6y ago
An underrated DOOM favorite of mine. https://youtu.be/xmPmtYRB1TE https://youtu.be/xmPmtYRB1TE
- theelous3 6y ago
  That whole album. I can listen to it on repeat and never bore. I don't think I've ever managed to sit through a whole album by anybody but DOOM, and here he is, looping to no end.
  - anm89 6y ago
    You should really give more whole albums a try. A lot of great artists put a lot of time into making there whole albums cohesive experiences.
smcleod 6y ago
One of the true greats, very deeply saddened to hear this. Growing up he meant a lot to me. It was just the other day I was trying to find out if he was going to drop a new album.
swampthinker 6y ago
I can't believe he's been dead for months, the Instagram post that announced it says he passed away on Oct. 31st.
- ggrelet 6y ago
  That is so MF DOOM, though
doc_gunthrop 6y ago
MF DOOM was a master of his craft. Sad to hear he's passed.
dirtylowprofile 6y ago
There won't be another artist like him, his rhymes are legendary.
sara420 6y ago
RIP
ionwake 6y ago
F https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs&feature=emb_title https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs&feature=emb_titl...
Lammy 6y ago
It's kinda appropriate (not in a bad way) to wait until 2021 to announce this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tElMTHRV2f0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tElMTHRV2f0 I don't want to speculate on causation but his son died a couple years ago too :( https://www.xxlmag.com/mf-doom-son-passes-away/ https://www.xxlmag.com/mf-doom-son-passes-away/
abdelhai 6y ago
RIP, Doom. You will be missed.
enw 6y ago
I don't think there's any genre of music that gets even close to the potential expressivity and depth of hip-hop. It's words on sick beats. And there are some amazing wordsmiths out there. RIP MF DOOM
- draw_down 6y ago
  Yes, I feel the same way (about rap music and about DOOM). It almost subsumes all other genres because any of them could be used as a beat.
dynamite-ready 6y ago
Trippy to have read this news here first, and not elsewhere.
- ripsixthousand 6y ago
  for real...
tmjwid 6y ago
This really is hard man, its hit me harder than I'd like to admit. MF DOOM really was one of the greats and it's humbling to see so much love on hn for him.
dynamite-ready 6y ago
Wait... He died in OCTOBER? Hiding that fact in itself, is a big story.
- birdyrooster 6y ago
  There was a rumor on Twitter that he died on Halloween and I don't think anyone thought anything of it.
freddie_mercury 6y ago
For those unfamiliar with MF DOOM, this video is a pretty good introduction to why he was considered to be technically brilliant. https://youtu.be/QWveXdj6oZU?t=571 https://youtu.be/QWveXdj6oZU?t=571 (Skip to 9:31 if the link doesn't take you there automatically)
LeoPanthera 6y ago
He is responsible for one of Wikipedia's more persistent edit wars. He preferred his name to be styled in all caps, but Wikipedia's style guide requires names to be capitalized more conventionally. His Wikipedia page therefore suffered fairly persistent revert-wars until it was recently made semi-protected.
- soneil 6y ago
  Sounds like it's straight out of a "falsehoods programmers believe about names" article. I was going to pose my opinion on the topic, then realised WP being WP, that horse has already been flogged by committee.
samiralajmovic 6y ago
:( u could never guess his lyrics when listening to his songs. S uch a great artist.
philipkiely 6y ago
MF DOOM did a song called "Iron Rose" with Cannibal Ox that, per Spotify, I listened to more times in 2020 than any other song, and I listen to songs I like on repeat a lot. R.I.P.
- rodw 6y ago
  Mine was Hoe Cakes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNB5eIiIsUc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNB5eIiIsUc) at #4. I was a little surprised how much DOOM I listened to on Spotify in 2020. I two tracks from MM...FOOD in my top 20 (the other was Guinnesses (feat. Angelika & 4ize) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MW4d-Cp19E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MW4d-Cp19E), and some collaborations (J Dilla, Avalanches/Danny Brown) farther down the list. This is sad. I didn't even know his real name (Daniel Dumile), nor that he was actually British (mostly raised in NY). Weird to mourn the passing of someone you've never met and barely knew anything about, but he was only 49. Like a friend of mine once said in response to another artist's death: "something that brought me joy has disappeared from this world." He will be missed.
  - roflchoppa 6y ago
    Supa!
jpxw 6y ago
RIP to one of the most genuinely innovative (both musically and personally) musicians for decades. Crazy to think MF had passed away when I wrote this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25026544 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25026544
igotsideas 6y ago
This one hit me today. One of the most original dudes. Doomsday was my favorite album of his but they are all amazing.
isabelc 6y ago
My favorite rapper's favorite rapper.
sebmellen 6y ago
His SADEVILLIAN album is great. See: https://youtube.com/watch?v=RZSY9lO0S-I https://youtube.com/watch?v=RZSY9lO0S-I
slmjkdbtl 6y ago
MF DOOM is the name I would give when asked my favorite artist, across medium. His beat tape Special Herb is the name I would give when asked my desert island album. You brought immense joy to me and my friends, thank you.
greg7gkb 6y ago
A lot of folks mentioning Madvillain here but he went by a couple of other monikers too, also producing incredible albums: King Geedorah - Take me to your leader [2003] https://open.spotify.com/album/1mrhahrlJu5JfzgeV6Cy8t?si=KqY1NeryRBa3ffb9PMWQKA https://open.spotify.com/album/1mrhahrlJu5JfzgeV6Cy8t?si=KqY... Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain [also 2003] https://open.spotify.com/album/7HPjcPD2cr8E5oHvVAmBp7?si=sJMa4SF0SKqfKl650dJYCQ https://open.spotify.com/album/7HPjcPD2cr8E5oHvVAmBp7?si=sJM... If you haven't heard these yet I highly recommend checking them out. His music was a huge part of my early adult years and this news was a surprising and sad way to end the year :(
- 1_over_n 6y ago
  Vaudeville Villain is possibly my favourite work by him and i didn't like it on release. It was very much an album ahead of it's time and has grown on me massively with time.
  - Lammy 6y ago
    It also has the only unmasked music video DOOM appearance I'm aware of (and on a total banger) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiB-lkQBFY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiB-lkQBFY The extremely distinctive MARTA train sample in 'Lickupon' actually makes me cri evrytiem as a native Georgian who misses Atlanta a lot https://youtu.be/gupcleKD5dw?t=144 https://youtu.be/gupcleKD5dw?t=144
    - mattmar96 6y ago
      Huh, I always thought that sample was from the BART in the Bay Area. The two sound really familiar. Thanks for sharing, that’s my favorite track of his.
      - Lammy 6y ago
        DOOM lived in Atlanta from the time of Operation Doomsday until he got deported to UK in 2010. Cheers :)
- 6y ago
maheart 6y ago
Wow, very sad. I remember listening to Accordion[1] for the first time and thinking it sounded like no hiphop I'd heard before (no chorus, really unconventional song structure, dense lyrics, an accordion providing the hook). That was the gateway to the rest of DOOM's discography for me. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpaonSDPw7Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpaonSDPw7Y
tonyteate 6y ago
RIP. Definitely one of my favorite artists.
trident1000 6y ago
Why is this even here? Are we reddit now?
somerandomboi 6y ago
Heard about him through some music searching. He's "my favorite rapper's favorite rapper".
throwaway743 6y ago
Mm Food and Doomsday, all time greatest hip hop albums. He's the most brilliant rappers to exist. Not even an exaggeration. From concept, to title, to lyrics, to album as a whole cohesive piece of work... you'll have a hard time finding anything that comes close (maybe Quas or Jay Electronica... maybe)
1_over_n 6y ago
Long time MF DOOM fan. Saw him live 3 times. One time was almost certainly an impersonator which people got angry about. I personally felt it was an innovative and funny move which played into the whole persona. He brought a lot of innovation to the genre.
maxov 6y ago
MF DOOM brought me and so many others joy over a long and mind-blowing career. He had a varied set of collaborators, and just so many artistic achievements. So much of his work is now seminal in underground hip-hop (Madvillainy, Operation Doomsday, King Geedorah are just the first to come my to mind). It’s hard to overstate the impact he had with his meticulously constructed rhyme schemes and lyrics, and his unique tone and artistry in production. I also greatly appreciated the humor and liveliness he brought to his work. I have to admit that this was really hard for me to process at first, and it will probably be that way for a while. I think this is the first time an artist I love so much has passed away. His music buoyed me through hard times and gave color to happy times. Best wishes to his family, and those who knew him and worked with him closely. Undoubtedly he has left a beautiful and inscrutable mark on this world, and the world is better for it.
s5300 6y ago
According to a seemingly verifiable cousin he died of an embolism. Man, is that shit. https://old.reddit.com/user/Avinson1275/comments/ https://old.reddit.com/user/Avinson1275/comments/
kepler471 6y ago
There's probably a worse way this year could have ended, but for me, right now, I don't see that universe
rolivercoffee 6y ago
Really sad news. For me Four Tet's remixs of Great day and Money folder were as close to perfect as I've heard. https://youtu.be/xD4g2Mg4AJc https://youtu.be/xD4g2Mg4AJc https://youtu.be/dFis_o-QpD8 https://youtu.be/dFis_o-QpD8
redsubdave 6y ago
https://youtu.be/wNGnCLod-qg https://youtu.be/wNGnCLod-qg
brianzelip 6y ago
Not unmarked. Never the gas face. Something to remember like the Alamo. Soul gone to heaven. Only played the games that he won at. Class ical slapstick rappers need chapstick Only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck and still keep your attitude on self destruct. A villain in your land, in his land, a ruler. Off to get our wigs twisted back, within reason.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

466 points by laurex 6y ago

RIP: I didn't know DOOM's fanbase crosses platforms in this way. I am thinking of creating a website just for dedicating a poolside.fm like website just for DOOM's music.

SOLAR_FIELDS 6y ago

Very sad news. Quite interesting that exactly two months after his death passed before it was revealed. Perhaps it was a wish of MF Doom?

kettunen 6y ago
Seems like very suitable for his character. Anyway, this is a big loss...
IMAYousaf 6y ago
I think back to the line "MF DOOM, he's like D.B. Cooper" off of Hoe Cakes on the album MM..FOOD. He always was an enigma, and I guess having your passing be a secret for that long, for someone that influential, in the age of social media, just goes to show that it wasn't just an act.

MFNazeem 6y ago

But does it run Skyrim?

IMAYousaf 6y ago
I can understand that this wasn't meant in malice, but still comes off quite distasteful.
- Qw3r7 6y ago
  Oh, it was made in good humour.
- MitPitt 6y ago
  Despite it being flagged, I can still reconstruct the joke based on just the username
trianglem 6y ago
What are you talking about you piece of shit.
- dang 6y ago
  We've banned that troll account, but it's absolutely not ok for you to post like this. We've asked you several times to stop breaking the HN guidelines in comments here, and it looks like you've been continuing to do a ton of that. If you keep doing it we're going to ban you. Regardless of how shitty another comment is or how strongly you feel, it's not ok to make things worse like this. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - trianglem 6y ago
    I apologize

_jcrossley 6y ago

Heartbreaking. And here I thought the pain of 2020 was over already. RIP

Mojave3 6y ago
Reality is, years don't mark anything. People have been saying "x year is the worst" increasingly for the last 4 years, and 2020 is the only recent one that actually fits. Tomorrow isn't going to shift anything, it's just how we keep track of time. Expecting a year to contain itself is what leads to this yearly disappointment everyone seems to experience. What I find frustrating, is that all people can say about most deaths now a day is "this year is the worst". No sentiments, nothing about the person who's passed. Just self absorbed focus on how this year sucks (they all suck apparently if I were to listen to people yearly). I wish we'd celebrate the person by default instead. MF DOOM was one of the greats. One of the only reasons I could get into hip hop. Really heartbreaking.
- ljm 6y ago
  I like to take the other perspective and take some time to appreciate what they gave to the world. It's not so much a loss as it is a chance to celebrate what still remains, and to not take it for granted or keep expecting more. For anyone reading this news, MF DOOM's work takes on a new life as people come to experience it for themselves, for the first time.
- schoen 6y ago
  > Expecting a year to contain itself is what leads to this yearly disappointment everyone seems to experience. This thought reminds me of Utah Phillips in Ani DiFranco's song "Bridges": > Fifties, sixties, seventies, nineties, that whole idea of decade packages. Things don’t happen that way. The Vietnam War heated up in 1965 and ended in 1975. Well, what’s that got to do with decades? No, that packaging of time is a journalistic convenience that they use to trivialize and to dismiss important events and important ideas. I defy that. (And I say this having myself just told a family member that I'm sure people everywhere are happy for 2020 to be over.)

1B05H1N 6y ago

2020 is a terrible year, RIP Dumile.

jpdb 6y ago

Can we get the title updated to MF DOOM has died? > Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name https://youtu.be/noPlIn8TJSQ https://youtu.be/noPlIn8TJSQ

asyncscrum 6y ago
So much this. Man's the GOAT. And learning about his death months after is so DOOM. Condolences to the family. I like to think he was a legend at home like he was in the booth.
anon9001 6y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewc1hixzYPY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewc1hixzYPY is the music video. Madvillainy is maybe the best hiphop album of all time. I go back and listen to it often and always find something new. +1 on changing the post title to all caps. This news also probably deserves a black bar. MF DOOM was the greatest lyricist in hiphop and influenced a generation or more of artists. RIP MF DOOM, Viktor Vaughn, and King Geedorah.
- saeranv 6y ago
  Agreed. And Madlib was always promising there'd be a sequel, but from what I understand MF DOOM always flaked. So all we have is that one perfect album.
joegahona 6y ago
Why all caps? Is it an acronym?
- Lammy 6y ago
  The traditional comic book style lettering is also ALL CAPS which may have influenced his preference https://i.imgur.com/Po3IJAa.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Po3IJAa.jpg
- anon9001 6y ago
  I think it's part of the aesthetic of being a comic book villain, because comic books are typically in all caps.

pcdoodle 6y ago

:( MF DOOM...

frob 6y ago

This is a knife in the gut right now. I had listened to him on and off since 05 or so. Just recently, I rediscovered "The Mouse and the Mask" and have been humming the bars to Sofa King for the last week or two. RIP DOOM.

fourseventy 6y ago
Now repeat after me... I am... sofa king...
- theelous3 6y ago
  Not so fast, loses meaning :)
stereoabuse 6y ago
This was my most listened to record of 2009 and it always brings me immediately back to that time. I still love it. Real sad.
GOONIMMUNE 6y ago
I think it's one of his most underrated albums- at least I never hear about people talk about it. I had it burned to a CD because my college car was too old to have anything else. I would only go through the effort of burning CDs I loved front to back and this was one of the most-played. The Space Ghost song near the end used to make me feel nostalgic. Now I feel nostalgic for that nostalgia... meta-nostalgia?

errantspark 6y ago

On the bright side, at least 2021 is guaranteed to be better in that the GOAT can't die. F His music helped me find a big part of who I am.

s5300 6y ago

Deeply hurts knowing I'd specifically checked twice to see if there's info on anything new in the works while he's been dead. MF DOOM created great music that I'm sure a decent bit of HN users who haven't heard of him would enjoy.

oli5679 6y ago

When I was a student, I remember listing to his collaboration with Madlib, 'Madvilliany' and loving it. Here it is if anyone is interested. https://youtu.be/zQ0yXh_ADlQ https://youtu.be/zQ0yXh_ADlQ

anm89 6y ago
Greatest rap album of all time IMO

stenberg 6y ago

Fuck, this hit me hard at 00:49 2021 :(

raaxe 6y ago

> On Doomsday!, ever since the womb ‘til I'm back where my brother went, > that's what my tomb will say > Right above my government; Dumile > Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who's to say?

nickdrozd 6y ago
> To the gone and lost forever like "Oh My Darling Clementine" > He hold his heart when he telling rhyme > When it's his time, I hope his soul go to Heaven > He nasty like the old time Old No. 7
Lammy 6y ago
It hits even harder when he repeats and switches it up :( > Doomsday > Ever since the womb ‘til I'm back to the essence > Read it off the tomb > Either engraved or unmarked grave, who's to say? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs

turndown 6y ago

An amazing arist. I will have One Beer for him. RIP

symlinkk 6y ago

Wow, what happened?

xwdv 6y ago

God damn, cancer the likely culprit?

s5300 6y ago
While speculation is mostly bad, I'm just seriously hoping it wasn't suicide. Given the fact he had his wife and another child I'd presume it's highly likely that it wasn't though. I remember finding out about his kid dying a bit after it happened. Mainly because every few months I'd check in to see if there's any word on anything new coming out - things had come to a bit of a lull. Then around a year after his kids death, once again checking back in for anything new - I'd seen somebody say something along the lines of "His teen son fucking died man. For all we know, he could seriously want nothing to do with rapping anymore after such a big and shitty life event" For whatever reason, that logic definitely struck a chord with me. Pretty much cut my expectations for new material and left me with being thankful for everything he'd made. While I'd enjoy knowing the cause of death, I respect the privacy of his family more and understand it may never come out.

stolenmerch 6y ago

Saw his "Doomposter" show in Chicago back in 2010 when a little person lip synced his songs in costume. Kind of irritating at the time but it's one of my most memorable shows and I remember Mos Def trying to calm down the crowd. RIP. Love all the Doom stuff, Madvillainy, Metal Fingers Special Herbs, and more.

supersrdjan 6y ago

MF DOOM used language in such a unique way. Whenever your thoughts seem to settle into well-worn ruts, you can listen to some MF DOOM and all those weird bars and rhymes will stir things up in your noggin. There's nothing quite like it :) Glad to see the man appreciated here on HN. RIP!

oli5679 6y ago
I've been relistening today. Some lyrics like 'Living off borrowed, the clock ticks faster' from Accordian stand out more or take on a different meaning to me now.
dirtylowprofile 6y ago
Yeah I can’t remember any rapper who trended on HN. Made me glad as well.
theelous3 6y ago
"Your favourite rappers favourite rapper" is the best description I ever heard of him. I love that video where mos def is just reciting DOOM lyrics like a kid in a candy store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBIvIDnnv8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBIvIDnnv8

courtf 6y ago

word to el muerto cucaracha exoskeleton

anm89 6y ago

An underrated DOOM favorite of mine. https://youtu.be/xmPmtYRB1TE https://youtu.be/xmPmtYRB1TE

theelous3 6y ago
That whole album. I can listen to it on repeat and never bore. I don't think I've ever managed to sit through a whole album by anybody but DOOM, and here he is, looping to no end.
- anm89 6y ago
  You should really give more whole albums a try. A lot of great artists put a lot of time into making there whole albums cohesive experiences.

smcleod 6y ago

One of the true greats, very deeply saddened to hear this. Growing up he meant a lot to me. It was just the other day I was trying to find out if he was going to drop a new album.

swampthinker 6y ago

I can't believe he's been dead for months, the Instagram post that announced it says he passed away on Oct. 31st.

ggrelet 6y ago
That is so MF DOOM, though

doc_gunthrop 6y ago

MF DOOM was a master of his craft. Sad to hear he's passed.

dirtylowprofile 6y ago

There won't be another artist like him, his rhymes are legendary.

sara420 6y ago

RIP

ionwake 6y ago

F https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs&feature=emb_title https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayfv0SOjvRs&feature=emb_titl...

Lammy 6y ago

It's kinda appropriate (not in a bad way) to wait until 2021 to announce this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tElMTHRV2f0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tElMTHRV2f0 I don't want to speculate on causation but his son died a couple years ago too :( https://www.xxlmag.com/mf-doom-son-passes-away/ https://www.xxlmag.com/mf-doom-son-passes-away/

abdelhai 6y ago

RIP, Doom. You will be missed.

enw 6y ago

I don't think there's any genre of music that gets even close to the potential expressivity and depth of hip-hop. It's words on sick beats. And there are some amazing wordsmiths out there. RIP MF DOOM

draw_down 6y ago
Yes, I feel the same way (about rap music and about DOOM). It almost subsumes all other genres because any of them could be used as a beat.

dynamite-ready 6y ago

Trippy to have read this news here first, and not elsewhere.

ripsixthousand 6y ago
for real...

tmjwid 6y ago

This really is hard man, its hit me harder than I'd like to admit. MF DOOM really was one of the greats and it's humbling to see so much love on hn for him.

dynamite-ready 6y ago

Wait... He died in OCTOBER? Hiding that fact in itself, is a big story.

birdyrooster 6y ago
There was a rumor on Twitter that he died on Halloween and I don't think anyone thought anything of it.

freddie_mercury 6y ago

For those unfamiliar with MF DOOM, this video is a pretty good introduction to why he was considered to be technically brilliant. https://youtu.be/QWveXdj6oZU?t=571 https://youtu.be/QWveXdj6oZU?t=571 (Skip to 9:31 if the link doesn't take you there automatically)

LeoPanthera 6y ago

He is responsible for one of Wikipedia's more persistent edit wars. He preferred his name to be styled in all caps, but Wikipedia's style guide requires names to be capitalized more conventionally. His Wikipedia page therefore suffered fairly persistent revert-wars until it was recently made semi-protected.

soneil 6y ago
Sounds like it's straight out of a "falsehoods programmers believe about names" article. I was going to pose my opinion on the topic, then realised WP being WP, that horse has already been flogged by committee.

samiralajmovic 6y ago

:( u could never guess his lyrics when listening to his songs. S uch a great artist.

philipkiely 6y ago

MF DOOM did a song called "Iron Rose" with Cannibal Ox that, per Spotify, I listened to more times in 2020 than any other song, and I listen to songs I like on repeat a lot. R.I.P.

rodw 6y ago
Mine was Hoe Cakes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNB5eIiIsUc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNB5eIiIsUc) at #4. I was a little surprised how much DOOM I listened to on Spotify in 2020. I two tracks from MM...FOOD in my top 20 (the other was Guinnesses (feat. Angelika & 4ize) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MW4d-Cp19E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MW4d-Cp19E), and some collaborations (J Dilla, Avalanches/Danny Brown) farther down the list. This is sad. I didn't even know his real name (Daniel Dumile), nor that he was actually British (mostly raised in NY). Weird to mourn the passing of someone you've never met and barely knew anything about, but he was only 49. Like a friend of mine once said in response to another artist's death: "something that brought me joy has disappeared from this world." He will be missed.
- roflchoppa 6y ago
  Supa!

jpxw 6y ago

RIP to one of the most genuinely innovative (both musically and personally) musicians for decades. Crazy to think MF had passed away when I wrote this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25026544 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25026544

igotsideas 6y ago

This one hit me today. One of the most original dudes. Doomsday was my favorite album of his but they are all amazing.

isabelc 6y ago

My favorite rapper's favorite rapper.

sebmellen 6y ago

His SADEVILLIAN album is great. See: https://youtube.com/watch?v=RZSY9lO0S-I https://youtube.com/watch?v=RZSY9lO0S-I

slmjkdbtl 6y ago

MF DOOM is the name I would give when asked my favorite artist, across medium. His beat tape Special Herb is the name I would give when asked my desert island album. You brought immense joy to me and my friends, thank you.

greg7gkb 6y ago

A lot of folks mentioning Madvillain here but he went by a couple of other monikers too, also producing incredible albums: King Geedorah - Take me to your leader [2003] https://open.spotify.com/album/1mrhahrlJu5JfzgeV6Cy8t?si=KqY1NeryRBa3ffb9PMWQKA https://open.spotify.com/album/1mrhahrlJu5JfzgeV6Cy8t?si=KqY... Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain [also 2003] https://open.spotify.com/album/7HPjcPD2cr8E5oHvVAmBp7?si=sJMa4SF0SKqfKl650dJYCQ https://open.spotify.com/album/7HPjcPD2cr8E5oHvVAmBp7?si=sJM... If you haven't heard these yet I highly recommend checking them out. His music was a huge part of my early adult years and this news was a surprising and sad way to end the year :(

1_over_n 6y ago
Vaudeville Villain is possibly my favourite work by him and i didn't like it on release. It was very much an album ahead of it's time and has grown on me massively with time.
- Lammy 6y ago
  It also has the only unmasked music video DOOM appearance I'm aware of (and on a total banger) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiB-lkQBFY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiB-lkQBFY The extremely distinctive MARTA train sample in 'Lickupon' actually makes me cri evrytiem as a native Georgian who misses Atlanta a lot https://youtu.be/gupcleKD5dw?t=144 https://youtu.be/gupcleKD5dw?t=144
  - mattmar96 6y ago
    Huh, I always thought that sample was from the BART in the Bay Area. The two sound really familiar. Thanks for sharing, that’s my favorite track of his.
    - Lammy 6y ago
      DOOM lived in Atlanta from the time of Operation Doomsday until he got deported to UK in 2010. Cheers :)
6y ago

maheart 6y ago

Wow, very sad. I remember listening to Accordion[1] for the first time and thinking it sounded like no hiphop I'd heard before (no chorus, really unconventional song structure, dense lyrics, an accordion providing the hook). That was the gateway to the rest of DOOM's discography for me. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpaonSDPw7Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpaonSDPw7Y

tonyteate 6y ago

RIP. Definitely one of my favorite artists.

trident1000 6y ago

Why is this even here? Are we reddit now?

somerandomboi 6y ago

Heard about him through some music searching. He's "my favorite rapper's favorite rapper".

throwaway743 6y ago

Mm Food and Doomsday, all time greatest hip hop albums. He's the most brilliant rappers to exist. Not even an exaggeration. From concept, to title, to lyrics, to album as a whole cohesive piece of work... you'll have a hard time finding anything that comes close (maybe Quas or Jay Electronica... maybe)

1_over_n 6y ago

Long time MF DOOM fan. Saw him live 3 times. One time was almost certainly an impersonator which people got angry about. I personally felt it was an innovative and funny move which played into the whole persona. He brought a lot of innovation to the genre.

maxov 6y ago

MF DOOM brought me and so many others joy over a long and mind-blowing career. He had a varied set of collaborators, and just so many artistic achievements. So much of his work is now seminal in underground hip-hop (Madvillainy, Operation Doomsday, King Geedorah are just the first to come my to mind). It’s hard to overstate the impact he had with his meticulously constructed rhyme schemes and lyrics, and his unique tone and artistry in production. I also greatly appreciated the humor and liveliness he brought to his work. I have to admit that this was really hard for me to process at first, and it will probably be that way for a while. I think this is the first time an artist I love so much has passed away. His music buoyed me through hard times and gave color to happy times. Best wishes to his family, and those who knew him and worked with him closely. Undoubtedly he has left a beautiful and inscrutable mark on this world, and the world is better for it.

s5300 6y ago

According to a seemingly verifiable cousin he died of an embolism. Man, is that shit. https://old.reddit.com/user/Avinson1275/comments/ https://old.reddit.com/user/Avinson1275/comments/

kepler471 6y ago

There's probably a worse way this year could have ended, but for me, right now, I don't see that universe

rolivercoffee 6y ago

Really sad news. For me Four Tet's remixs of Great day and Money folder were as close to perfect as I've heard. https://youtu.be/xD4g2Mg4AJc https://youtu.be/xD4g2Mg4AJc https://youtu.be/dFis_o-QpD8 https://youtu.be/dFis_o-QpD8

redsubdave 6y ago

https://youtu.be/wNGnCLod-qg https://youtu.be/wNGnCLod-qg

brianzelip 6y ago

Not unmarked. Never the gas face. Something to remember like the Alamo. Soul gone to heaven. Only played the games that he won at. Class ical slapstick rappers need chapstick Only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck and still keep your attitude on self destruct. A villain in your land, in his land, a ruler. Off to get our wigs twisted back, within reason.

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