Personnel includes: M.F. Doom, Kurious, Megalon, Rodan, Tommy Gunn, Cucumber Slice, E. Mason, MF Grimm, King Ghidra, X-Ray, K.D., Kong.
Daniel Dumile aka MF Doom unleashed his debut LP in early 1999. Doom's flow is warm, rough-hewn, and definitely charming--standing in stark contrast to the alienating, intimidating man in the mask--while the production sounds like a smoother, jazzier take on the early-'90s sampling era. This starting point has enough substance to warrant repeated listens while foreshadowing MF Doom's strengths on future releases.
Professional Reviews
Spin (p.76) - "[A] thoroughly original debut...[with] witty rhymes over tracks collaged from R&B and cartoon samples."
Spin (p.51) - Ranked #8 in Spin's 'The Top 10 Reissues Of 2011' -- "[H]ere, he's all dense flow and revelatory mischief."
Spin (8/00, pp.152-4) - 8 out of 10 - "...A rambling exercise in musical therapy....the production is all mid-'80s quiet storm balladry....Doom effectively rhyming over the original musical backdrops....fulfilling KMD's mythology..."
Alternative Press (5/01, pp.86-7) - 3 out of 5 - "...Places an insightful spin on Doom's history on the rap game....the mish-mashed musical styles that MF incorporates lend a bit of variety, and the generally lo-fi production values give the album character..."
CMJ (4/30/01, p.20) - "...Never has there been a more satisfying demo-quality recording....refreshingly amatuerish and experimental....masterful..."
NME (Magazine) (6/30/01, p.41) - 6 out of 10 - "...Relaxed bass strolls and a voice that doen;t hide its sadness occupy the mix....Watch out for the spacey mix and cryptic vocal samples as well..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his outside attack launched the bomb, and made MF Doom the leftfield hero that he remains today."
