Bernell DorroughMF Doom-Viktor Vaughn
Vaudeville Villain
Sound Ink Records
For fans of: Ghost Face Killah, Nas, Aesop Rock
Grade: A
Final Word: Quality album from the only rapper who can slug it out on NPR.
Dr. Doom is by far one of the dopest Marvel comics villains ever for two reasons. First, his evil doings go far behind petty crime, as he actually is a Milosovic-esque dictator of a small eastern European country. Second, he actually has a PhD. MF Doom, who takes his name from said villain, could probably have told you both of those facts, as he riddles his lyrics with references to “Star Trek” and obscure 80’s sci-fi flicks like “Krull.” However, with a crew member currently locked up for cocaine trafficking and close ties to various Queensbridge thugs, Doom keeps it gully. One time he knocked out his hype man on stage. This bizarre dichotomy makes for some of the most enjoyable underground rap in an increasingly fragmented scene. On “Vaudeville Villain,” Doom effectively appeals to the growing contingent of indie rock fans picking up hip-hop albums. The blippy, noisy beats provided by Sound Ink records (Max Bill, Heat Sensor and King Honey) will appeal to fans of El-P and Prefuse 73. Doom’s rhymes are entertaining, as he makes absurd claims about “doing 80 on the Van Wyck on horseback” and calls himself “the Vikster, or the Vik-meister.”
Meanwhile, Doom proves he can still thug it out with the best. On “Modern Day Mugging,” he tells a tale of a stick-up gone wrong, while “Let Me Watch” tells a tale of pimpin gone wrong, as he loses his girl after calling her a ho. Needless to say, “Vaudeville Villain” won’t bang in the clubs. The hardest beat probably comes from RJD2 on the horn-driven “Saliva,” and the rest of the album sounds much better in a late night cipher in a college apartment than in anything sitting on dubs. However, hip-hop fans torn between Talib Kweli’s collabs with Busta Rhymes and Atmosphere’s flirtations with punk label Epitaph Records may find a happy medium. Plus, he gets tall props for scoring a review on NPR.