DOOM – Born Like This
There is no shortage of cynicism during an era as bleak as this one, and no one spills it quite like rapper/producer MF DOOM. The famously masked artist has changed his name again; it’s just DOOM now, and like the metal mask he performs under, the pseudonym is a nod to Marvel Comics baddie Dr. Doom. DOOM has always grunted nonsensical rhymes over shadowy beats, and this shtick has propelled him to the forefront of indie rap. He’s quickly become a poster child for Cartoon Network’s [adult swim], and his production has been recruited by big names like Ghostface Killah.
Unfortunately, the limelight can cripple growth. Born Like This, the artist’s first record in four years, is substandard. “Hefner please, lost the food and stew beef, new referees,” DOOM sputters on “Lightworks,” still sacrificing coherence for rhyme. “Supervillainz” finds the artist grunting over a whining organ, his flow weaker than ever. But even more troubling is the intensely homophobic “Batty Boyz,” in which DOOM derides a lifestyle “even the rats know is tacky.”
Nearly half of these songs clock in at less than two minutes, so while there are glimpses of the talent that put DOOM on the map, (the sober “Absolutely” and the J Dilla-produced “Gazzillion Ear”) Born Like This is mostly an undercooked dystopian skit. He’s got the political atheism of the Roots, but none of that group’s veiled sense of hope. Perhaps it’s fitting that “Cellz” samples Charles Bukowski, a poet equally entrenched in despair. But who needs another cynic?
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