MM..Food

What is absolutely impressive about MF Doom is his ability to craft unique, memorable characters with each consecutive album release while still imbuing a sense of unity and dynamic interplay.

Mm.. Food? is a weird, amorphous album that somehow feels simultaneously dashed-off and like the culmination of everything Doom has been working toward his entire career.

The creativity on display here is jaw-dropping.

[Doom] flips countless edible metaphors over hard-hitting, jazzy beats while never devolving into pointless parody. [3 Dec 2004, p.87]

Doom is what is amazing and great about hip hop.

As always, Doom steps up and kicks out clever lines with the ease of someone still not bored with their talents. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.93]

It's proof the evil genius remains a damned fine chef. [Feb 2005, p.94]

Another superb venture. [Jan 2005, p.121]

Lyrically, Mm.. Food is the best of the three albums released by Daniel Dumile this year. [#250, p.73]

Fans looking for his next big statement might be let down at first listen, but MM..Food? is as vital as anything he's done before and entirely untouched or stymied by the hype.

He traverses the well-trodden avenues of gun and drug rap, reinterpreting redundant rhetoric into remarkable displays of comic genius, all while sticking firmly to a food motif.

If Mm..Food? feels merely good or somewhat inconsequential, it's because it is that way by design.

In the end, most of the songs on MM..Food? are of typical Doom quality (for the uninitiated, that means â??excellentâ?), but the album is severely bogged down both by a few duds and by a trio of interludes in the middle of the album.

To understand why the album is disappointing, you must consider the different perspectives. The fresh listener sees an EP's worth of quality songs and a six-minute skit roadblock. Someone who heard the leak is confused as to why more wasn't done to circumvent the lack of newness inherent in early disclosure. Diehard MFers will retain respect in spite of reused beats, but won't be able to avoid comparing it to the solid-but-sparse King Geedorah record.

When MF Doom takes the time to plot and scheme it, no idea is too outlandish, no beat too unorthodox, and much of MMâ?¦Food? is the work of a master chef cooking up some marvelous shit. However, masters get held to a higher standard.

A collection of culinary-themed tracks... that Doom handles in his surrealistic, unflappable flow. [18 Dec 2004, p.51]

Doom satiates as both a producer and a lyricist. [Jan 2005, p.84]

The result is unkempt and challenging, but it works. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.109]

Hilarious, stoned hip hop drooling with ideas. [Feb 2005, p.100]

While that culinary theme and a running subplot consisting entirely of B-movie sound clips threaten to take over the record, Doom's gravelly, off-kilter flow holds the power to bring the gritty, underground hip-hop back into focus.