Album of the day (#4475): Operation: Doomsday by MF DOOM - Announcements

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Today's album of the day

Operation: Doomsday by MF DOOM (View album | Buy this album)

Year: 1999.
Country:

Overall rank: 1,347
Average rating: 80/100 (from 237 votes).

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Tracks:
1. The Time We Faced Doom (Skit)
2. Doomsday (Feat. Pebbles The Invincible Girl)
3. Rhymes Like Dimes (Feat. DJ Cucumber Slice)
4. The Finest (Feat. Tommy Gunn)
5. Back In The Days (Skit)
6. Go With The Flow
7. Tick, Tick... (Feat. MF Grimm)
8. Red And Gold (Feat. King Ghidra)
9. The Hands Of Doom (Skit)
10. Who You Think I Am? (Feat. K.D., King Ghidra, Kong, Megalon)
11. Doom, Are You Awake? (Skit)
12. Hey!
13. Operation: Greenbacks (Feat. Megalon)
14. The Mic
15. The Mystery Of Doom (Skit)
16. Dead Bent
17. Gas Drawls
18. ? (Feat. Kurious)
19. Hero Vs. Villain (Epilogue)

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Skinny birdman_handrub.gif Profile

I consider this album similar to Roc Marciano’s Marcberg, in a lot of ways. Both rappers were essentially carving out entire new styles (both new for them, and new for the wider rap world), some years after brushing the mainstream in groups. Both handled the bulk of production. Both albums have spent time out of print due to sample clearance issues. In both cases, the music is raw, lo-fi, wordy, angular. Both rappers honed their styles and became better, funnier, more memorable writers on later records. But neither ever again managed to really hit upon the sense of freedom and exploration found on their debuts.

On some days, this is my favourite DOOM album - his most free LP, a man basking in the joy of becoming himself after years in the wilderness. It’s warm, tender, touched by a deep sadness but ultimately a joyful record. Are the rhymes here as technically adept or as frequently quotable as they would be on later albums? Absolutely not. Are the beats as inventive or as polished? Obvs no. Is DOOM even really DOOM yet? Arguably not. The voice is less commanding, the flow less staccato, the universe less fleshed out. There are multiple references to past tragedies - real ones that happened to Dumile, not DOOM. They would disappear from later albums. For everything that DOOM gained - as a writer a performer - he lost a little of himself. And for everything he gave to us an audience, he stopped giving us access to the person behind the mask.
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Skinny wrote:

I consider this album similar to Roc Marciano’s Marcberg, in a lot of ways. Both rappers were essentially carving out entire new styles (both new for them, and new for the wider rap world), some years after brushing the mainstream in groups. Both handled the bulk of production. Both albums have spent time out of print due to sample clearance issues. In both cases, the music is raw, lo-fi, wordy, angular. Both rappers honed their styles and became better, funnier, more memorable writers on later records. But neither ever again managed to really hit upon the sense of freedom and exploration found on their debuts.

On some days, this is my favourite DOOM album - his most free LP, a man basking in the joy of becoming himself after years in the wilderness. It’s warm, tender, touched by a deep sadness but ultimately a joyful record. Are the rhymes here as technically adept or as frequently quotable as they would be on later albums? Absolutely not. Are the beats as inventive or as polished? Obvs no. Is DOOM even really DOOM yet? Arguably not. The voice is less commanding, the flow less staccato, the universe less fleshed out. There are multiple references to past tragedies - real ones that happened to Dumile, not DOOM. They would disappear from later albums. For everything that DOOM gained - as a writer a performer - he lost a little of himself. And for everything he gave to us an audience, he stopped giving us access to the person behind the mask.

Really love this assessment as I was coming here to say while I like Doomsday, it’s not something I find myself returning to like others in DOOM’s catalog. I need to remedy that and this breakdown offers an encouraging new perspective.
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