How can a supervillain become one of the most lauded rappers in hip-hop history?
Born in England as Dumile Daniel Thompson, he moved to New York at a young age, where he grew up. Despite spending most of his life in the United States, he never officially naturalized as a U.S. citizen.
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For his first outing in rap music, he formed the group KMD in part with his younger brother. After around five years as a group, the group disbanded following his brother’s death.
Dumile took a break from the rap scene, but emerged in the late 90s with a new persona: MF DOOM. While initially covering his face with other means, he soon donned his iconic metal mask, something that became a staple of his character and something he was rarely seen without.
DOOM released Operation: Doomsday in 1999, his first official project under the moniker. Despite this, he quickly experimented with new names as he released multiple acclaimed projects in quick succession.
Between 2003 and 2004, DOOM released four of his most celebrated works: Take Me to Your Leader, under the name King Geedorah; Vaudeville Villain, under the name Viktor Vaughn; Madvillainy, a collaboration with producer Madlib; and MM..Food, under his MF DOOM name.
The four releases are seen as some of the most eclectic and forward-thinking rap albums ever made, many of which are featured by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Billboard.
DOOM continued to sporadically release music throughout his life until his passing in 2020, and he continues to be influential on new rappers to this very day.