Source: C Brandon / Getty
MF DOOM is sadly no longer with us in physical form, but his presence in Hip-Hop music and culture is still as present as its been for the past two decades and more. This coming weekend, the late, great metal-faced “Supervillain” will forever be immortalized via a street naming ceremony in Long Island, N.Y. this coming weekend.
Dr. Patrick C. Graham, a former high school classmate of the rapper born Daniel Dumile, spearheaded a Change.org petition to lobby the Long Beach City Council to introduce the idea of implementing a street name change to honor MF DOOM, and all month long, it’s been debated how that would read in its final form. The council announced that KMD – MF DOOM Way will replace East Hudson Street, between Long Beach Boulevard and Riverside Boulevard. The neighborhood is where DOOM and his late brother, Dingilizwe “DJ Subroc” Dumile, spent their younger years.
From Dr. Graham:
The hip-hop community often refers to Mr. Dumile as “the rapper’s favorite rapper.” His influence on hip-hop was not fully realized until after facing tragic moments in his life. Mr. Dumile’s career began in Long Beach after forming the group, KMD, under his stage name, Zev Love X. Along with his brother, Dingilizwe “DJ SubRoc” Dumile, and other Long Beach youth, he experienced early success. After a tragic car accident took the life of DJ SubRoc and disagreement with his record label, Mr. Dumile disappeared into obscurity, battling homelessness due to his brother’s death (1993) and label dispute in 1994. However, during this period, he called on his youthful experience in Long Beach to reinvent himself as MF DOOM.
Mr. Dumile took his pain and experience as a youth to develop the persona, MF DOOM. His album, Operation Doomsday (1999), would become an instant classic. Other albums followed with even greater fanfare. Works such as Take Me to Your Leader, Mm…Food, Madvillainy, and several other individual albums and collaborations solidified Mr. Dumile as a hip-hop icon. He is credited with some of the most intricate uses of the English language on wax. People of various backgrounds and cultures worldwide recognize him as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, underground hip-hop artist of all time. Mr. Dumile’s ability to unite people across cultures started as a youth in Long Beach.
Earlier in the month, the council approved the petition after a July 6 presentation by Jason “J-Quest the Boogieman” Massey on behalf of the KMD – MF DOOM Way Committee. KMD and DOOM fans might remember hearing J-Quest’s name mentioned at the beginning of the classic “God Squad (K.M.D. and Brand Nubian)” linkup on the posse cut, “Nitty Gritty” from the K.M.D.’s 1991 Mr. Hood debut album.
According to a story from The Source, the street naming ceremony for KMD — MF DOOM Way will kick off on July 31 at 2 PM.
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Photo: Getty
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