Light up your favourite Sativa and get your record player out because we are about to dive into three MF DOOM tracks that make for a bumping session.
3. “THAT’S THAT” from BORN LIKE THIS (2009)
The beat from this song is almost entirely taken from a piece by a Canadian musical theatre composer named Galt MacDermot. He uses the song “Princess Gika” as the basis for the beat in “THAT’S THAT,” but many other samples from DOOM’s Special Herbs beat collection contain snippets from Galt MacDermot’s music.
This song is more than its sample though. It elevates the already amazing sample into something much more than it was before – adding a lot of nuance and meaning. The harmony is above the average mid-2000s rap song, but it isn’t so complex and that you can’t get engrossed in the groove as so many stoners have the habit of doing.
2. “HEY!” from Operation: Doomsday (1999)
The beat for this song primarily relies on the intro to the 1970s Hanna Barbara Scooby-Doo TV show. It is mostly a collection of disparate parts from the intro, but it all comes together in a coherent whole.
Because of its samples, this song will produce a deep feeling of nostalgia for anyone that watched Hanna Barbara or similar cartoons growing up. And what makes nostalgia better than weed does?
1. MF Doom Track “All Caps” from Madvillainy (2004)
This song is a bit more Jazz hop than a lot of other MF DOOM material, mostly thanks to the oh-so-smooth production from DOOM’s co-artist Madlib. Madlib not only creates an amazing beat that pairs incredibly well with most strains of weed but keeps it in line with MF DOOM’s personal production style through heavy influence from 80s cartoons.
Speaking of smooth, DOOM can be found quoting the legendary hip-hop duo Nice and Smooth with the line “Sometimes I rhyme quick, sometimes I rhyme slow,” a direct reference to the Nice and Smooth song “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow.”
The song is fun because of more than just its smooth beat and some classics references. The intricacies of the lyrics, the way MF DOOM weaves his lines in with the beat, the funky, and the cartoonish yet complex style of the beat makes for an incredible listen, especially when under the effects of a good strain.