Daniel Dumile (July 13, 1971 – October 31, 2020), a.k.a. MF DOOM, (who also rapped under further alter egos Viktor Vaughn and King Geedorah and in the collaborative project Madvillain) was an English-born American hip-hop artist, best known for his “super villain” stage persona and unique lyricism. In 1988, he formed the group K.M.D.—which stands for “Kausing Much Damage”—with his brother, DJ Subroc. At the time, his stage name was Zev Love X. KMD was eventually signed to Elektra Records after some minor hype, and they released one album titled Mr. Hood. In 1993, before the release of their second album, Black Bastards, Subroc was struck and killed by a car. After his brother’s death, Dumile quit rapping and lived on benches for three years. He soon began rapping underground with his now iconic mask.
This disguise was based on a prop mask from the May 2000 film, Gladiator. In 1998, DOOM told Ego Trip, “it’s music we’re selling, not my face.” You can see how DOOM’s mask changed through the years here. Dumile then adopted the MF DOOM identity, based on Marvel supervillian Doctor Doom. Although, he told an interviewer that the name was actually a nickname from his
Yeah and for the record I didn’t get the idea from [Doctor Doom]… [laughs]. I been Doom ever since I was born, my momma call me Doom so…