Description
On December 31st, 2020, the world was shocked to learn about the death of hip-hop legend MF DOOM. Born in London and raised in the suburban enclave of Long Beach, New York, Daniel Dumile Jr.'s love of cartoons and comic books would soon turn him into one of hip-hop's most enigmatic, prolific and influential figures.
Sweeping and definitive, The Chronicles of Doom: Unraveling Rap's Masked Iconoclast recounts the rise, fall, redemption and untimely demise of MF DOOM. Broken down into five sections: The Man, The Myth, The Mask, The Music and The Legend, journalist SH Fernando, or SKIZ, chronicles the life of Daniel Dumile Jr., beginning in the house he grew up in in Long Beach, into the hip-hop group KMD, onto the stage of his first masked show, through the countless collabs and across the many different cities Daniel called home. Centring the music, SKIZ deftly lays out the history of east-coast rap against DOOM's life story and dissects the personas, projects, tracks, and lyrics that led to his immortality.
Including exclusive interviews with those who worked closely with DOOM and providing an unknown, intimate, behind the scenes look into DOOM's life, The Chronicles of DOOM is the definitive biography of MF DOOM, a supervillain on stage and hero to those who paid attention.
About the Author
S. H. Fernando Jr., SKIZ, is a writer/journalist whose byline has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Source. He currently lives in Baltimore, MD.
Reviews
"Fernando provides a comprehensive look at DOOM's life and career, meticulously researched through interviews with the rapper's many collaborators and those closest to the man behind the mask. His track-by-track breakdowns of DOOM's albums will have sample spotters diving into their record collections. A perfect pairing with Dan Charnas's Dilla Time (2022), this is an essential exploration into the world of 'your favorite rapper's favorite rapper.'"
-Carlos Orellana, Booklist (starred review)
"The Chronicles of DOOM is superbly written, and incredibly well researched, but also full of heart and the pure love and appreciation of any true DOOM fan. Here you get everything you would want to know about the man, the myth, the mask. It is written as compellingly as the origin stories of the greatest superheroes and supervillains. If you love DOOM, I could not more highly recommend this book."
-Tommy Orange, New York Times-bestselling author of Wandering Stars and Pulitzer Prize finalist for There, There
"This authoritative guide to one of hip hop's most enigmatic figures peeks behind the mask to reveal Daniel Dumile's rebellious spirit and creative genius."
-Rob Kenner, author of The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle
Book Information
ISBN 9781662602177
Author S.H. Fernando
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Astra House
Publisher Astra Publishing House