Test Spin: DOOM

MF Doom has always worn a crown as abstract rap’s premier innovator, his seemingly nonsensical lines swiveling past common sense and boring into your third eye. Always one to change his moniker, 2009’s Born Like This is presented by DOOM rather Viktor Vaughn / Supervillain / Metalfingers / MF Doom.
DOOM’s timeless work with Danger Mouse and Madlib combined a fusion of two hip-hop geniuses simultaneously complementing and restraining each other. Without restraint, however, some of the tracks on Born Like This bounce off each other clumsily, as the signature offbeat scratch of DOOM’s beats tries to catch up to the 21st century’s super-produced sound.
Overall, however, DOOM’s lyrical ingenuity and the reappearance of past producers Madlip and J Dilla save the album and produce a solid effort. Ballskin, the CD’s leaked track, leads the way with Gazillion Ear and Angelz close behind. If you’ve liked this Vaudeville Villain’s earlier solo work, Born Like This should come as a pleasant continuity. The oddball interludes and sculpted abstract verse carry DOOM’s album into another one of his dimensions, this one more contemporary and as compelling as any other of DOOM’s alienating collection.