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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Down To Earth

Weekend Listening: Madvillain

This seems appropriate for Halloween.

I find the haunting story of Daniel Dumile to be so compelling, one that could only happen in America. Born in England to a Trinidian mother and Zimbabwean father, he moved to Brooklyn, New York and found his calling with hip-hop. Rapping under the alias Zev Love X, he formed a group called KMD in 1988 with his younger brother, Subroc. It was cheesy and fun - they even found success with a single called "Peachfuzz" that received play on YO! MTV Raps. Tragedy struck when Subroc was killed by a car while crossing the Long Island expressway before the release of their second album, Black Bastards. The group was dropped by a major label the same week for its controversial content and cover art. Dumile retreated from hip-hop, depressed and homeless, sleeping on park benches in the city. He escaped from New York to Atlanta but vowed revenge on an industry that had "deformed" him, as he put it, while recovering from his wounds. When he returned to New York, he put on a Dr. Doom mask - after the Marvel Comics super villain who transformed into an evil genius after a family tragedy - and rocked open mic events, reborn as MF DOOM, creating an underground buzz. No photographic evidence exists of Dumile's face since he put on the mask, true to the Dr. Doom persona. He became the most prolific rapper in a growing non-commerical hip-hop scene and signed to Stones Throw records - the same label that houses Spokane's funkmaster James Pants- for his masterpiece, 2004's Madvillainy, a dream team with brilliant producer Madlib. They recorded it under the alias Madvillain.  The tracks are short, not radio friendly, the production is beautiful and quirky, and the lyrics read like Barlett's quotations if you listen carefully. Hip-hop is a true original American art form - but this album completely subverts the genre. There's not a weak track in the mix, so it was tough to pick one. I went with "All Caps." Video after the jump.




Down To Earth

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