5 MF DOOM Verses That Will Melt Your Mind

“Crime pays, no dental, no medical, unless you catch your time in county, state, or federal” – Daniel Dumile a.k.a. MF Doom

When it comes to MF DOOM, you could spend hours, days, hell, a whole lifetime analyzing this man’s wordplay.

DOOM didn’t care about speed or getting big-name features — he was the purest rapper in the game. When it comes to his music he put three things on display: storytelling, flow, and delivering hard ass bars every time.

In the spirit of MF DOOM let’s not waste any time and jump into 5 incredible verses from the enigmatic rapper.

1. Beef Rapp (MM… Food)

“What up?
To all rappers: shut up with your shutting up
And keep your shirt on, at least a button-up
Yuck, is they rhymers or strippin’ males?
Out of work jerks since they shut down Chippendales
They chippin’ nails, DOOM, tippin’ scales
Let alone the pre-orders that’s counted off shippin’ sales
This one goes out to all my peoples skippin’ bail”
Dippin’ jail, whippin’ tail and sippin’ ale

It’s verses like these that make you question if MF DOOM was a human or not. No person should be able to pen verses like this; it’s inhuman.

One thing’s for certain — if you have a beef with MF DOOM, start digging your grave.

2. Rhinestone Cowboy (Madvillainy)

“Known as the grimy limey, slimy— try me
Blimey! Simply smashing in a fashion that’s timely
Madvillain dashing in a beat-rhyme crime spree
We rock the house like rock ‘n roll
Got more soul than a sock with a hole”

 

Name a better album finale than “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Go ahead, I’ll wait…

This is one of DOOM’s most ridiculous songs ever. DOOM’s in a flow state on this track streaming his entire consciousness in one set of bars after another. It’s like watching Michael Jordan in his prime.

When I first understood that the line, “Got more soul than a sock with a hole,” was a double entrende to mean “soul” and “sole; it rewired my brain chemistry.

3. Rhymes Like Dimes (Operation: Doomsday)

“Yo, yo, yo, y’all can’t stand right here
In his right hand was your man’s worst nightmare
Loud enough to burst his right eardrum, close-range
The game is not only dangerous, but it’s most strang
I sell rhymes like dimes
The one who mostly keep cash but brag about the broker times“

“Rhymes Like Dimes” is one of those songs you can never get sick of. DOOM had a knack for rhyming over smooth beats and delivering savage bars.

As soon as you hit play on you’re instantly reminded why you love MF DOOM so much.

The “Yo, yo, yo, y’all can’t stand right here,” mixed with the esoteric Quincy Jones’ sample makes for one of the best verses, and tracks in Doom’s discography.

4. November Has Come (Demon Days Feat. MF Doom – Gorillaz)

“The beats got family members askin’ him for closure
Aw, send ’em a gun and tell ’em clean it
Then go get the nun who said her son didn’t mean it
She wore a filled-in thong of Billabong
That said “Nah fo’real-a, the Villain on a Gorilla jawn?”

DOOM has so many features that you could make a list with those songs alone. But his feature with Damon Albarn’s experimental rock and pop band “Gorillaz” is one of MF DOOM’s greatest.

DOOM himself acknowledged how strange it was for him to turn up on a song with the band: “That said ‘na fo’real-a, the Villain on a Gorilla jawn?”

But with the band working with hip-hop legends is nothing new; they’ve worked with Del the Funky Homosapien, D12 (without Eminem), Neneh Cherry, and De La Soul, to name a few.

So DOOM collabing with the Gorillaz is a match made in heaven.

5. Meat Grinder (Madvillainy)

“Hackthoo’ing songs lit, in the booth, with the best host
Doing bong hits, on the roof, in the west coast
He’s at it again, mad at the pen
Glad that we win, a tad fat, in a bad hat for men
Grind the cinnamon, Manhattan warmongers
You can find the villain in satin, congas
The van screeches
The old man preaches about the gold sand beaches
The cold hand reaches for the old tan Ellesse’s
Jesus”

With so many unforgettable DOOM verses out there I’d love to share the wealth with other projects, but Meat Grinder is too ridiculous.

MF DOOM hit us with so many dense and captivating bars all while clocking in at little over 2 minutes. You could study this song for a lifetime and still not uncover all the genius in it.

And like many moments on “Madvillainy,” DOOM ends the verse puzzled at how he just spit something so dope.