MF Doom is one weird cat. But we know that already, and we also know that he’s weird in the best possible meaning of the word. He also watches a lot of Cartoon Network—Adult Swim, in particular. This conceptual project with Dangermouse is based on the channel’s cult late-night show and throughout the album and characters from the cartoon Aqua Teen Hungerforce are featured.
Most of the 13 songs are cartoon-heavy. There’s “Old School” featuring Talib Kweli rhyming about his appreciation for cartoons and then there’s “Space Hos” about the old Space Ghost Coast to Coast cartoon where Doom name checks a bunch of characters while dissing Space Ghost himself, and “A.T.H.F. (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)” named after the cartoon network program. Standouts tracks include “The Mask” with another former mask wearer, Ghostface, who rips it, “No Name (Black Debbie)” and “Crosshairs”. Cee-Lo is another guest, singing the hook on “Benzi Box”.
DangerMouse’s beats are good, though not always great and if you aren’t familiar with Adult Swim or Aqua Teen Hungerforce, you might not find the character interludes too amusing. All that aside, M&M is still a very entertaining album following in the same vein as other Doom records. The songs are short, to the point and are lyrically typical Doom off-the wall rhymes: “Used to ran a van for Peter Pan/the red and tan/and keep the human foot for his dead man’s hand/this was when the mask was brand-spankin’ new/before it got rusted from drankin’ all the brew”, spits the Supervillain on “Sofa King”, the first single.
I’m still sweating Madvillainy, which I think is better overall, but this one won’t disappoint die-hard Doom fans.
