JJ DOOM

Key to the Kuffs

Distributing masked clones around the globe to play his gigs like a dictator more hated than Nickelback, DOOM (Born Daniel Dumile in London) hit some fucked-up bad luck when the man himself actually went on tour around 2008. He met with some shite patter from the powers-that-be about his visa; he was stranded in, and eventually extradited to, the city of his birth. Making his new home in London away from family and friends, it seemed like plans of any type were on hold. Or so it seemed.

Hooking up with Jneiro Jarel (Dr. Who Dat?) who supplies the sonic scenery to complement his sharp and smart slams, this is one of DOOM's finest works to date. Though utterly accessible on the first listen, the album probably nods more towards fans of Brainfreeze, SKAM and WARP releases. We are treated to some of the finest lines of his career here; who else could drop patter like “Catch a throatful from the fire vocal/ Ash and molten glass like Eyjafjallajökull” so perfectly? Elsewhere, we are given gnarly, left handed electropsychic handjobs by the magnificence that is 'Banished', D's take on what’s separated him from his family for so long. 'Bite the thong' is a fine track too, although this one has Damon Albarn on it...bleurgh. Every cloud has a silver lining, and his voice is nothing more a synth-like sample. Beth Gibbons also appears, lending her typical scary aunty vocals to 'GMD' as well as Khjuo Goodie on 'Still Kaps'.

I'd say the main highlight on the album for me was 'Winter Blues', the majestic love poem to DOOM's wife in the states ("I need a handful of melanin/ Feelin' like the lamb's wool beard on your tender skin"). 'Viberian Sun 2' is the ideal pick-me-up, reminding me of that triumphant Screamadelica sound of the early 90s. Quite removed from DOOM's other work, for the most part the music feels and sounds like Dr Who Dat produced by Richard D James. This is in no way a slight. Final track 'Wash your hands' has to be the funniest fucking song I have ever heard: "You like the way she shake her back area/ It's like a sex machine that make bacteria" - something that everyone with a dobber should listen to!

Fingers crossed, by the time I get round to reviewing his next album, the 'villain' is allowed back on his own turf.

#Albums #Hip-Hop #JJ DOOM #Lex #Darkwülf