MF Doom

Daniel Dumile (/ˈduːməleɪ/ DOO-mə-lay; born Dumile Daniel Thompson; July 13, 1971 – October 31, 2020), also known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both mostly stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and "supervillain" stage persona, he became a major figure of underground hip hop and alternative hip hop in the 2000s.

Dumile was born in London and raised in Long Beach, New York. He began his career in 1988 as a member of the trio KMD, performing as Zev Love X. The group disbanded in 1993 after the death of DJ Subroc, Dumile's brother. After a hiatus, Dumile reemerged in the late 1990s. He began performing at open mic events while wearing a metal mask resembling that of the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, who is depicted on the cover of his 1999 debut solo album Operation: Doomsday. He adopted the MF Doom persona and rarely made unmasked public appearances thereafter.

During Dumile's most prolific period, the early to mid-2000s, he released the acclaimed Mm..Food (2004) as MF Doom, as well as albums released under the pseudonyms King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn. Madvillainy (2004), recorded with the producer Madlib under the name Madvillain, is often cited as Dumile's magnum opus and is regarded as a landmark album in hip hop. Madvillainy was followed by another acclaimed collaboration, The Mouse and the Mask (2005), with the producer Danger Mouse, released under the name Danger Doom.

Though he lived most of his life in the United States, Dumile never gained American citizenship; in 2010, he was denied reentry after returning from an international tour for his sixth and final solo album, Born Like This (2009). He moved to London before settling in Leeds and worked mostly in collaboration with other artists during his final years, releasing albums with Jneiro Jarel (as JJ Doom), Bishop Nehru (NehruvianDoom), and Czarface (Czarface Meets Metal Face, and the posthumous Super What?). On Halloween 2020, he died in a Leeds hospital from angioedema following a reaction to a blood pressure medication. After his death, Variety described him as one of hip hop's "most celebrated, unpredictable and enigmatic figures".

Daniel Dumile was born Dumile Daniel Thompson in Hounslow, London, on July 13, 1971, the son of a Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father. He said he was conceived in the United States, where his parents lived, and was born in London when his mother was visiting family. He had four younger siblings, including the rapper DJ Subroc (1973–1993), with whom he formed the rap group KMD until Subroc was struck and killed by a car at the age of 19.

As a child, Dumile moved with his family to Long Beach, New York, where he grew up in a black nationalist Muslim household as part of the Five-Percent Nation. He said he had no memory of his London childhood and defined himself as a "New York nigga", but remained a British citizen his entire life and never gained American citizenship. He began DJing during after third grade. As a child, he was a fan and collector of comic books and earned the nickname "Doom" (a phonetic play on the name Dumile) among friends and family.

Under the name Zev Love X, Dumile formed the hip hop group KMD in 1988 with his younger brother DJ Subroc and Rodan, who was later replaced by Onyx the Birthstone Kid. A&R representative Dante Ross learned of KMD through the hip hop group 3rd Bass and signed them to Elektra Records. Their recording debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" on The Cactus Album, followed in 1991 by their debut album Mr. Hood. Dumile performed the last verse on "The Gas Face"; according to Pete Nice's verse on the track, Dumile created the phrase.

On April 23, 1993, just before the release of the second KMD album, Black Bastards, Subroc was struck by a car and killed while crossing the Long Island Expressway. Dumile completed the album alone over the course of several months, and it was announced with a release date of May 3, 1994. KMD was dropped by Elektra and the album went unreleased due to its controversial cover art, which featured a cartoon of a stereotypical pickaninny or sambo character being hanged.