Doom // Born Like This

Whilst listening to the radio the other day, I was stopped dead in my tracks by some happening Hip Hop DJ referring to Curtis 'Fifty Cent’ Jackson as Old Skool. Now come on, that’s ridiculous, I’m mean if this guy is right it would make me a Werther’s Originals eating, voluntarily pissing in a bag and sprouts smelling Granddad of Hip Hop, and I’m only 32. Even I wasn’t cool enough at the tender age of 10 to be in to the likes of RUN DMC, LL Cool J and Public Enemy, and not to forget their forefathers who came nearly a generation before them in the form of DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa. For me and my own personalised Old Skool, it was Wu-Tang and anything affiliated to them. So I had great aural pleasure upon hearing the opening track from this, the masked MC, formerly known as MF Doom. Not only do the beats bang down with that unique Wu-Tang sound and swagger but the listener also gets appearances from two of the Clan’s founding members in Raekwon & Ghostface. This is heavy stuff with a cartoon-esque soundscape backed with intensely charged social commentary entwined with political satire. Not a cliché in sight, which is a refreshing treat in comparison with the R'n'B backed tripe which seems to fill the airwaves of most radio stations at the moment. Thanks to the perils of modern technology the greatly missed J Dilla also makes an appearance which just reinforces the quality of the swirling psychedelic production of offer here, which is all helmed by Doom. Not for the faint hearted, but if you feel like you’re in need a reality check then this one will get you started.