MF Doom seems to be asking us: "what's real?"
...and infuriating his fanbase in the process. Why would he do this?
a) Is he lampooning the false realness touted by hip-hop's leading commercial lights?
b) Is he undercutting the obsession with authenticity that has turned most underground hip-hop into a reactionary backwater?
c) Is he actually playing with his identity as part of his mystique or art?
d) Is he just trying to rip off his fans?
e) Is he deliberately undercutting his own legendary status, hyped to the high heavens since the release of the impeccable Madvillainy and now looking to start at square one again?
Parenthetically, I saw Doom open for Talib Kweli at the 930 Club a few years ago not long after the release of Madvillainy and he was a curiously riveting stage presence -- this fat dude, clutching a stuffed likeness of Aqua Teen Hunger Force's Meatwad in one hand, mic in the other, metal mask fitting snugly, oblique flow over murky lo-fi beats. First and last steps like accordion.
Speaking of hip-hop, there's a show tonight that just got moved to Zinc @ 9:30 PM. Lineup is Endless Mic, QBlack + Illville Crew, and a bunch of others. These cats have been playing lots of shows over the last year or so and, as luck would have it, I still haven't been able to catch one. If anyone has caught these guys or their compadres, let me know how they were -- just as I missed last night's show, I'm going to have to skip tonight's mic gymnastics to finish up some work. Patience, patience.
