Eyeballin': DOOM - RBMA Lecture 2011

As you might expect of an underground hip hop legend, [MF] DOOM's career is full of definitive moments. From his very first vocal dalliances with his brother as part of KMD, to his landmark solo outing Operation Doomsday, his critically acclaimed work with Madlib as Madvillian and beyond, he’s shone out as a singular and arresting talent. It’s not really that difficult to put your finger on why either. His distinct and unrivaled flow often feels as much about way he’s tackling the language as what he’s actually saying and when you pair it with his unique production outlook, one that mines classic cartoons as hard as it does overlooked jazz records, it only ever really sounds like him doing it. In terms of a projected style, I don't there's really a rapper that comes close to his vision. But, to me, this video made at Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid in 2011, is probably just as an important milestone in terms of his career. Forever something of a shadowy entity (he wears a mask at every public appearance ffs) outside of a few carefully chosen print interviews, it was probably a lot of people’s first insight into his life, visual or otherwise. Throughout the 90 minute plus interview he acts exactly like you hope he’d act if you met him in real life, talking frankly and eloquently about his recording process and the message behind his trademark facewear. Ahead of his appearance here alongside Jneiro Jarel as JJ DOOM on Thursday 13th June, we thought we'd let DOOM introduce himself a little better and, honestly, there’s no better document of his career to date that we’ve found - and we’ve spent a long portion of our post-adolescence listening time looking... Catch MF DOOM performing live with Jneiro Jarel as JJ DOOM on Thursday 13th June. Info/tickets here.