"What's so GREAT about MF DOOM, anyways?" or DOOM @ the Red Bull Music Academy

MF DOOM is one of my favorite emcees. I was not immediately struck by him when I first heard his music, nor do I have some AHA moment to point to when I finally "got it"... The art of what DOOM stands for has just grown on me over time. The light bulb did not come on all at once like a switch being thrown. For me, the light of DOOM is on a dimmer switch, getting brighter with time. Anyways, here's an awesome interview/ lecture the villain did at the Red Bull Music Academy in 2011 (I think). I've been watching snippets here and there, but I finally watched the whole thing...

This Red Bull Academy interviewer is freaking brilliant. He reminds me of the dude on The Actor's Studio. He's calm and well-informed. He's dope because he treats every subject with respect. He drives his questions at the subject of his curiosity without being pushy, and he knows when to accept a non-answer.  This is a great venue and interviewer to dig into what makes DOOM tick. As a cat who got turned on to hip hop during the cassette tape era- before music videos became expertly directed multimillion dollar commercials, when you just stared at the record cover art (unless you were just rocking a mixtape) while you listened to cats spit- I have come to cherish DOOM's beats-and-rhymes first mentality. 

The iron mask is almost taking back from videos the place they usurped from our beloved cover art. Even though DOOM has done a few nice videos, I frankly see the ominous black and white cover to Madvillainy in my mind every time his gruff baritone chops into my ears.  These days, the Madvillainy cover has a run for its money in the form of this drawing I did of the villain, inadvertently launching my Rap Avatars series of illustrations, but that's a whole 'nother thing. Needless to say, I hope you enjoy the interview, and feel free to kick off a spirited discussion about the villain in the comments or the social app of your choosing. Just remember, ALL CAPS when you spell the man's name...
holla!
-samax.  

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