Editing MF Doom (section)

==Career==
===1988–1997: KMD, brother's death, and hiatus===
[[File:KMD Elektra.jpg|thumb|right|Dumile as Zev Love X (left) with fellow [[KMD]] members [[DJ Subroc]] and Onyx the Birthstone Kid in 1991]]
Under the name Zev Love X,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sanneh |first=Kelefa|author-link=Kelefa Sanneh |date=April 7, 2004 |title=That Man in a Mask, With Labyrinthine Rhymes to Cast |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/07/arts/hip-hop-review-that-man-in-a-mask-with-labyrinthine-rhymes-to-cast.html|access-date=January 1, 2021 |issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051537/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/07/arts/hip-hop-review-that-man-in-a-mask-with-labyrinthine-rhymes-to-cast.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Dumile formed the hip hop group [[KMD]] in 1988 with his younger brother [[DJ Subroc]] and Rodan, who was later replaced by Onyx the Birthstone Kid.<ref name=ALLMUSIC>{{cite web |last1=LeRoy |first1=Dan |url={{AllMusic |class=artist |id=p300089/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Artist Biography|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=September 28, 2010}}</ref> [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] representative Dante Ross learned of KMD through the hip hop group [[3rd Bass]] and signed them to [[Elektra Records]].<ref name="wax poetics">{{cite journal |title=Turn Up the Phonograph: Dante Ross |journal=[[Wax Poetics]] |volume=9 |date=2004 |isbn=9780307494429 |issn=1537-8241 |oclc=48433218 |last1=Coleman |first1=Brian}}</ref> Their recording debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" on ''[[The Cactus Album]]'',<ref name="ALLMUSIC"/> followed in 1991 by their debut album ''[[Mr. Hood]]''. Dumile performed the last verse on "The Gas Face"; according to [[Pete Nice]]'s verse on the track, Dumile created the phrase.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chick |first=Stevie |date=January 1, 2021 |title=MF Doom: a hip-hop genius who built his own universe of poetry |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/01/mf-doom-a-hip-hop-genius-who-built-his-own-universe-of-poetry|access-date=January 3, 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en|archive-date=January 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103041103/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/01/mf-doom-a-hip-hop-genius-who-built-his-own-universe-of-poetry|url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 23, 1993, just before the release of the second KMD album, ''[[Black Bastards]]'',<ref name="ALLMUSIC"/> Subroc was struck by a car and killed while crossing the [[Long Island Expressway]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turner-Williams |first=Jaelani |date=November 15, 2019 |title=Impending DOOM: 'MM...FOOD' Warned You 15 Years Ago |url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2019/11/mf-doom-mm-food-anniversary|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021 |website=[[Complex Networks|Complex]] |language=en|archive-date=November 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118163300/https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2019/11/mf-doom-mm-food-anniversary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fortune |first=Drew |date=January 28, 2021 |title=The Unknowable MF DOOM |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/mf-doom-wake.html|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021 |website=[[New York (magazine)#Digital|Vulture]] |language=en-us|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225015537/https://www.vulture.com/article/mf-doom-wake.html}}</ref> Dumile completed the album alone over the course of several months, and it was announced with a release date of May 3, 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coleman |first=Brian |date=April 10, 2016 |title=Check The Technique: The Birth of MF Doom |url=https://medium.com/cuepoint/check-the-technique-kmds-black-bastards-and-the-birth-of-mf-doom-1849f4c0a6f4|access-date=February 5, 2021 |website=Medium |language=en|archive-date=November 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115100709/https://medium.com/cuepoint/check-the-technique-kmds-black-bastards-and-the-birth-of-mf-doom-1849f4c0a6f4|url-status=live}}</ref> KMD was dropped by Elektra and the album went unreleased due to its controversial cover art,<ref name="wax poetics"/> which featured a cartoon of a stereotypical [[pickaninny]] or [[Sambo (racial term)|sambo]] character being hanged.<ref name=ducker2014>{{Cite news |last=Ducker |first=Eric |date=November 6, 2014 |title=A Rational Conversation: The 20-Year-Old Album That's MF DOOM's Missing Link |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2014/11/06/361216399/a-rational-conversation-the-20-year-old-album-thats-mf-dooms-missing-link|access-date=January 1, 2021 |work=[[NPR]]|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051538/https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2014/11/06/361216399/a-rational-conversation-the-20-year-old-album-thats-mf-dooms-missing-link|url-status=live}}</ref>

After his brother's death, Dumile retreated from the hip hop scene from 1994 to 1997, living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of [[Manhattan]], sleeping on benches".{{sfn|Hsu|2005|p=48}} In the late 1990s, he settled in [[Atlanta]]; he had moved to Georgia in the mid-90s.<ref name="yoo2021" /> According to Dumile, he was "recovering from his wounds" and vowing revenge "against the industry that so badly deformed him".<ref name="ALLMUSIC" /> ''Black Bastards'' had been [[Bootleg recording|bootlegged]] by that time,<ref name=ducker2014/> but was not officially released until 2000.{{Sfn|Bradley|DuBois|2010|p=606}}

===1997–2001: ''Operation: Doomsday'' and production work===
In 1997 or 1998,{{efn|Sources differ on when precisely Dumile first performed with his face obscured.}} Dumile began freestyling incognito at [[Open mic|open-mic]] events at the [[Nuyorican Poets Café]] in Manhattan, obscuring his face by putting tights over his head.<ref name="bbc20201231"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemtusak |first=Brian |date=August 12, 2004 |title=MF Doom |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mf-doom/Content?oid=916369|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051505/https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mf-doom/Content?oid=916369|archive-date=January 1, 2021|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Chicago Reader]]}}</ref> He turned this into a new identity, MF Doom, with a mask similar to that of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[Doctor Doom]].{{sfn|Young|2014|p=59}} He later adopted a mask based on the one worn by Maximus, the protagonist of the 2000 film ''[[Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/mf-doom-2009-interview-born-like-this.html |title=MF DOOM Discusses Origins Of His Mask, Changing His Name To DOOM And More In Resurfaced Interview |work=okayplayer.com |last=Watson |first=Elijah C. |date=January 10, 2019 |access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref>

[[Bobbito Garcia]]'s [[Fondle 'Em Records]] released ''[[Operation: Doomsday]]'', Dumile's first full-length [[LP record|LP]] as MF Doom, in 1999.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=allah2020>{{Cite web |last=Allah |first=Sha Be |date=April 20, 2020 |title=MF DOOM's Debut Album 'Operation Doomsday' Dropped 21 Years Ago |url=https://thesource.com/2020/04/20/today-in-hip-hop-history-mf-dooms-debut-album-operation-doomsday-dropped-21-years-ago/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231231935/https://thesource.com/2020/04/20/today-in-hip-hop-history-mf-dooms-debut-album-operation-doomsday-dropped-21-years-ago/|archive-date=December 31, 2020|access-date=January 30, 2021 |website=[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Dumile's collaborators on ''Operation: Doomsday'' included fellow members of the [[Monsta Island Czars]] collective, for which each artist took on the persona of a monster from the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'']] films. Dumile went by the alias "King Geedorah",{{efn|Also spelled "Ghidora"<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Greenbacks / Go With the Flow |others=MF DOOM |year=1997 |type=liner notes |publisher=[[Fondle 'Em Records]] |id=FE-0082 |location=New York, New York}}</ref> or "Ghidra".<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Operation: Doomsday |others=MF DOOM |year=1999 |type=liner notes |publisher=[[Fondle 'Em Records]] |id=FE-86 |location=New York, New York}}</ref>}} a three-headed golden dragon space monster modeled after [[King Ghidorah]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Jacob |date=January 30, 2012 |title=Rediscover: King Geedorah: Take Me to Your Leader |url=https://spectrumculture.com/2012/01/30/rediscover/|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=Spectrum Culture|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051529/https://spectrumculture.com/2012/01/30/rediscover/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album's productions sampled cartoons including [[Fantastic Four (1967 TV series)|''Fantastic Four'']], something that became a staple of his music later on.<ref name=allah2020/> [[Jon Caramanica]], in a review of ''Operation: Doomsday'' for ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', emphasized the contrast between Dumile's [[Rapping#Flow|flow]] as Zev Love X in KMD and his revised approach as a solo artist: "Doom's flow is muddy, nowhere near the sprightly rhymes of KMD's early days, and his thought process is haphazard."<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Caramanica |first=Jon|author-link=Jon Caramanica |title=Operation: Doomsday |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |date=August 2000 |language=en |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=50Phz-C_VzIC&pg=PA152 152]}}</ref> Caramanica revisited ''Operation: Doomsday'' in ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 2021, calling it "one of the most idiosyncratic hip-hop albums of the 1990s, and one of the defining documents of the independent hip-hop explosion of that decade".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Caramanica |first=Jon|author-link=Jon Caramanica |date=January 14, 2021 |title=MF Doom, Magician of Memory |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/arts/music/mf-doom-operation-doomsday.html|access-date=January 15, 2021 |issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115183140/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/arts/music/mf-doom-operation-doomsday.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Cyril Cordor, in a review for ''[[AllMusic]]'', described ''Operation: Doomsday'' as Dumile's "rawest" lyrical effort.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cordor |first=Cyril |title=Operation: Doomsday – MF Doom |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/operation-doomsday-mw0000068448 |website=[[AllMusic]] |language=en|access-date=January 30, 2021|archive-date=January 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104101624/https://www.allmusic.com/album/operation-doomsday-mw0000068448|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2001, Dumile began releasing his ''[[Special Herbs]]'' instrumentals series under the pseudonym Metal Fingers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Josiah |date=January 14, 2011 |title=DOOM Compiles Special Herbs on LP Box Set |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/doom_compiles_special_herbs_on_lp_box_set|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[Exclaim!]] |language=en-ca|archive-date=January 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131163304/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/doom_compiles_special_herbs_on_lp_box_set|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Harvell |first=Jess |date=February 25, 2011 |title=Metal Fingers / DOOM: Special Herbs: The Box Set Vol. 0–9 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15114-special-herbs-the-box-set-vol-0-9/|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en|archive-date=August 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808053802/https://pitchfork.com/cne-player/player.html?autoplay=false&video=5a09fc8c148bb036f9000017|url-status=live}}</ref> In a review of a 2011 box set containing ten volumes of the ''Special Herbs'' series, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' observed that the instrumentals stand on their own without vocal tracks: "most of these tracks sound plenty 'finished' even in rhyme-less form".<ref name=":5" />

===2002–2004: King Geedorah, Viktor Vaughn, and ''Madvillainy''===
[[File:Madlib in 2003.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of a man with a short goatee and mustache wearing a durag|[[Madlib]] in late 2003, around the time he was working on ''[[Madvillainy]]'' with Dumile]]In 2003, Dumile released the album ''[[Take Me to Your Leader (King Geedorah album)|Take Me to Your Leader]]'' under his King Geedorah moniker.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martelli |first=Mark |date=July 7, 2003 |title=King Geedorah: Take Me to Your Leader |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4443-take-me-to-your-leader/|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051505/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4443-take-me-to-your-leader/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2013 |title=MF DOOM's classic King Geedorah album Take Me To Your Leader re-pressed for 2013 |url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/04/29/mf-dooms-classic-king-geedorah-album-take-me-to-your-leader-re-pressed-for-2013/|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051505/https://www.factmag.com/2013/04/29/mf-dooms-classic-king-geedorah-album-take-me-to-your-leader-re-pressed-for-2013/|url-status=live}}</ref> In ''Pitchfork'', Mark Martelli described ''Take Me to Your Leader'' as close to a [[concept album]], noting how it lays out the "mythos" of the eponymous King Geedorah.<ref name="martellitmtyl">{{Cite web |last=Martelli |first=Mark |date=July 1, 2003 |title=King Geedorah: Take Me to Your Leader |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4443-take-me-to-your-leader/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051505/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4443-take-me-to-your-leader/|archive-date=January 1, 2021|access-date=January 29, 2021 |website=Pitchfork |language=en}}</ref> Martelli praised the album, particularly tracks such as "One Smart Nigger" which, in his view, were superior to other artists' attempts at [[political hip hop]].<ref name="martellitmtyl" /> ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'', in a brief notice for a 2013 [[reissue]] of ''Take Me to Your Leader'', called it "arguably the most cinematic" of Dumile's albums from the turn of the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2013 |title=MF DOOM's classic King Geedorah album Take Me To Your Leader re-pressed for 2013 |url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/04/29/mf-dooms-classic-king-geedorah-album-take-me-to-your-leader-re-pressed-for-2013/|access-date=January 29, 2021 |website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]] |language=en-US|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051505/https://www.factmag.com/2013/04/29/mf-dooms-classic-king-geedorah-album-take-me-to-your-leader-re-pressed-for-2013/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Later in 2003, Dumile released the LP ''[[Vaudeville Villain]]'' under the moniker Viktor Vaughn (another play on Doctor Doom, who is also known as Victor von Doom). ''[[NME]]'' described the Viktor Vaughn persona as "a time travelling street hustler".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saleh |first=Oumar |date=January 11, 2021 |title=Why 'Vaudeville Villain' is MF DOOM's undersung masterpiece |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/vaudeville-villain-viktor-vaughn-mf-dooms-undersung-masterpiece-2854152|access-date=January 28, 2021 |website=[[NME]] |language=en|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125111811/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/vaudeville-villain-viktor-vaughn-mf-dooms-undersung-masterpiece-2854152|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Pitchfork'' named ''Vaudeville Villain'' the week's best new album and highlighted its lyricism, writing that Dumile was one of the best writers in rap.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pemberton |first=Rollie |date=September 15, 2003 |title=Viktor Vaughn: Vaudeville Villain |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8514-vaudeville-villain/|access-date=January 28, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en|archive-date=August 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808053752/https://pitchfork.com/cne-player/player.html?autoplay=false&video=5a09fc8c148bb036f9000017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sylvester |first=Nick |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5255-mmfood/ |title=MF DOOM: Mm..Food? Album Review |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=November 15, 2004 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912101627/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5255-mmfood/ |archive-date=September 12, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Dumile's breakthrough came in 2004 with the album ''[[Madvillainy]]'', created with producer [[Madlib]] under the group name [[Madvillain]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2015 |title=MF DOOM and Madlib Drop 'Madvillainy' Album 15 Years Ago Today |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/today-hip-hop-mf-doom-madlib-dropped-madvillainy/|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]] |language=en|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126121341/https://www.xxlmag.com/today-hip-hop-mf-doom-madlib-dropped-madvillainy/|url-status=live}}</ref> They recorded the album in a series of sessions over two years before a commercial release on March 23, 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thurm |first=Eric |date=March 11, 2014 |title=A decade on, Madvillainy is still a masterpiece from hip-hop's illest duo |url=https://www.avclub.com/a-decade-on-madvillainy-is-still-a-masterpiece-from-hi-1798267017|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-us|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126164711/https://music.avclub.com/a-decade-on-madvillainy-is-still-a-masterpiece-from-hi-1798267017|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Madvillainy'' was a critical and commercial success,<ref name=":0" /> and has since become known as Dumile's masterpiece.<ref name=guardianobit/>

Also in 2004, Dumile released ''[[VV:2]]'', a follow-up LP under the Viktor Vaughn moniker. [[Nathan Rabin]] noted in ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' that ''VV:2'', coming as it did after the commercial and critical success of ''Madvillainy'', represented an unusual career choice for Dumile whereby he went "deeper underground" instead of embracing wider fame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan|author-link=Nathan Rabin |date=July 26, 2004 |title=Viktor Vaughn: VV:2 Venomous Villain |url=https://www.avclub.com/viktor-vaughn-vv-2-venomous-villain-1798199792|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191124013843/https://music.avclub.com/viktor-vaughn-vv-2-venomous-villain-1798199792|archive-date=November 24, 2019|access-date=January 31, 2021 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-us}}</ref>

Later in 2004, the second MF Doom album ''[[Mm..Food]]'' was released by [[Rhymesayers Entertainment]].<ref name="guardianobit">{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=December 31, 2020 |title=MF Doom, iconic masked hip-hop MC, dies aged 49 |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/dec/31/mf-doom-iconic-masked-hip-hop-mc-dies-aged-49|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101172359/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/dec/31/mf-doom-iconic-masked-hip-hop-mc-dies-aged-49|archive-date=January 1, 2021|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> ''Pitchfork'' gave the album a positive review.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sylvester |first=Nick |date=November 15, 2004 |title=MF DOOM: Mm..Food? |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5255-mmfood/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912101627/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5255-mmfood/|archive-date=September 12, 2016|access-date=January 31, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en}}</ref> Nathan Rabin described it as a "crazy pastiche" but argued that it grew more coherent on repeated listening.

Around this time, he also appeared in a voice role in the [[Adult Swim]] animated series ''[[Perfect Hair Forever]]'' as Sherman the [[giraffe]].

===2005–2009: Danger Doom, ''Born Like This'', and Ghostface collaboration===
Although still an independent artist, Dumile took a bigger step towards the mainstream in 2005 with ''[[The Mouse and the Mask]]'', a collaboration with the producer [[DJ Danger Mouse]] under the group name [[Danger Doom]]. The album, released on October 11, 2005, by [[Epitaph Records|Epitaph]] and [[Lex Records|Lex]], was developed in collaboration with [[Cartoon Network]]'s [[Adult Swim]] and featured voice actors and characters from its programs (mostly ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]''). ''The Mouse and the Mask'' reached #41 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Danger Doom Hopes To Make Second CD |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/61003/danger-doom-hopes-to-make-second-cd |date=October 19, 2005|access-date=January 2, 2021 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |language=en|archive-date=December 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231223633/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/61003/danger-doom-hopes-to-make-second-cd|url-status=live}}</ref> Critic Chris Vognar, discussing the role of comedy in hip hop, argued that "Doom and Danger exemplify an absurdist strain in recent independent hip-hop, a willingness to embrace the nerdy without a heavy cloak of irony".{{sfn|Vognar|2011|p=120}} <ref>{{Cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan|author-link=Nathan Rabin |date=November 29, 2004 |title=MF Doom: Mm.. Food? |url=https://www.avclub.com/mf-doom-mm-food-1798200165|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231230759/https://music.avclub.com/mf-doom-mm-food-1798200165|archive-date=December 31, 2020|access-date=January 31, 2021 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-us}}</ref> In the same year, Dumile appeared on the second [[Gorillaz]] album, ''[[Demon Days]].''<ref name="bbc20201231" />

Dumile produced tracks for both of [[Ghostface Killah]]'s 2006 albums ''[[Fishscale]]''<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Partridge |first=Kenneth |date=March 29, 2016 |title=Ghostface Killah's 'Fishscale' at 10: Classic Track-by-Track Album Flashback |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7311563/ghostface-killah-fishscale-classic-track-by-track-album-flashback-10th-anniversary|access-date=January 1, 2021 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051555/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7311563/ghostface-killah-fishscale-classic-track-by-track-album-flashback-10th-anniversary|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[More Fish]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=December 14, 2006 |title=Ghostface Killah: More Fish |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9721-more-fish/|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051533/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9721-more-fish/|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2013, Ghostface Killah said that he and Dumile were in the process of choosing tracks for a collaborative album.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harling |first=Danielle |date=February 14, 2013 |title=Ghostface Killah Offers An Update On His Project With MF DOOM, Tells Fans To "Prepare" Themselves |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.22924/title.ghostface-killah-offers-an-update-on-his-project-with-mf-doom-tells-fans-to-prepare-themselves|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051536/https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.22924/title.ghostface-killah-offers-an-update-on-his-project-with-mf-doom-tells-fans-to-prepare-themselves|archive-date=January 1, 2021|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[HipHopDX]]}}</ref> In 2015, Ghostface Killah announced that the album, ''Swift & Changeable'', would be released in 2016, and later posted promotional artwork for the collaboration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Max |date=February 11, 2016 |title=Ghostface Killah Teases 'DOOMSTARKS' Album With DOOM |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/ghostface-doomstarks/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101172345/https://www.xxlmag.com/ghostface-doomstarks/|archive-date=January 1, 2021|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Goddard |first=Kevin |date=December 28, 2015 |title=Ghostface Killah Says Joint Project with Doom Could Be Dropping in February |url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/ghostface-killah-says-joint-project-with-doom-could-be-dropping-in-february-news.19378.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231063638/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/ghostface-killah-says-joint-project-with-doom-could-be-dropping-in-february-news.19378.html|archive-date=December 31, 2015|access-date=December 30, 2015 |website=HotNewHipHop |ref=HotNewHipHop}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Josiah |date=February 11, 2016 |title=Is This The Cover for Ghostface and DOOM's Collaborative Album? |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/is_this_the_cover_for_ghostface_and_dooms_collaborative_album|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101172431/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/is_this_the_cover_for_ghostface_and_dooms_collaborative_album|archive-date=January 1, 2021|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Exclaim!]] |language=en-ca}}</ref> It remains unreleased.

Dumile's ''[[Born Like This]]'' was released on Lex Records on March 24, 2009. The album was Dumile's first solo album to chart in the US.<ref name=lex>{{cite web |last=Paine |first=Jake |title=Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/29/2009 |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.8879/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-3-29-2009 |website=[[HipHopDX]]|access-date=May 31, 2012 |date=April 1, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423033248/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.8879/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-3-29-2009|archive-date=April 23, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> In a largely favorable review for ''Pitchfork'', Nate Patrin cast the album as a return to form for Dumile, following a period of limited output.<ref name=patrinbornlikethis>{{Cite web |last=Patrin |first=Nate |date=April 6, 2009 |title=DOOM: Born Like This |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12869-born-like-this/|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101142627/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12869-born-like-this/|url-status=live}}</ref> He observed that Dumile's lyrics and flow—"a focused rasp that's subtly grown slightly more ragged and intense"—were darker than on earlier records.<ref name="patrinbornlikethis" /> He also highlighted the overtly homophobic "Batty Boyz", a [[Diss (music)|diss track]] against unnamed rappers.<ref name=patrinbornlikethis/> Steve Yates, reviewing the album in ''The Guardian'', likewise saw ''Born Like This'' as hearkening back to Dumile's earlier output.<ref name=yatesbornlikethis>{{Cite news |last=Yates |first=Steve |date=March 15, 2009 |title=Urban review: DOOM, Born Like This |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/mar/15/doom-born-like-this-review|access-date=January 3, 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en|archive-date=December 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231224123/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/mar/15/doom-born-like-this-review|url-status=live}}</ref>  Yates felt it presented Dumile at "his scalpel-tongued, scatter-mouthed best".<ref name=yatesbornlikethis/> Both Patrin and Yates noted the influence of [[Charles Bukowski]] on ''Born Like This'': the first line of Bukowski's poem "Dinosauria, We" gives the album its title.<ref name=patrinbornlikethis/><ref name=yatesbornlikethis/>

===2010–2021: Move to the UK and later collaborations===
[[File:MF Doom - 23 July 2011 03.jpg|thumb|MF Doom in July 2011.]]
In early 2010, Dumile released the EP ''[[Gazzillion Ear]]'' on Lex, a compilation of remixes of "Gazzillion Ear" from ''Born Like This,'' including a remix by [[Thom Yorke]] and two mixes by [[Jneiro Jarel]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Patrin |first=Nate |date=January 7, 2010 |title=Reviews: DOOM Gazzillion Ear EP |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13800-gazzillion-ear-ep/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121195452/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13800-gazzillion-ear-ep/|archive-date=January 21, 2013|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |publisher=}}</ref> A further remix by Madvillain featuring a voicemail message from [[Kanye West]] was released online.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=December 17, 2009 |title=DOOM Links Up With Kanye, Mos Def |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/37415-doom-links-up-with-kanye-mos-def/|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051613/https://pitchfork.com/news/37415-doom-links-up-with-kanye-mos-def/|url-status=live}}</ref> The EP coincided with Dumile's first performances outside North America. On March 5, 2010, Lex and [[Sónar]] presented the first Doom show in London, at the [[Roundhouse (venue)|Roundhouse]] in Camden.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20100306_doom.shtml |title=Review: Doom, Enigmatic rapper lifts Sonar curtain |publisher=BBC 6Music |first=Rodrigo |last=Davies |date=March 6, 2010|access-date=December 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424022640/http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20100306_doom.shtml|archive-date=April 24, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Expektoration]]'', Dumile's second live album, was released on September 14, 2010, through Gold Dust.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Henderson |first=Stuart |date=September 13, 2010 |title=MF Doom: Expektoration... Live (featuring Big Benn Klingon) |url=https://www.popmatters.com/mf-doom-expektoration-live-featuring-big-benn-klingon-2496151645.html|access-date=January 2, 2021 |website=[[PopMatters]] |language=en|archive-date=January 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131163336/https://www.popmatters.com/mf-doom-expektoration-live-featuring-big-benn-klingon-2496151645.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In a review of ''Expektoration'', ''Pitchfork'' noted that Dumile's vocal performance was more energetic than on his recordings, which it characterized as "laidback" by comparison.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Patrin |first=Nate |date=September 17, 2010 |title=MF DOOM: Expektoration Live |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14629-expektoration-live/|access-date=January 28, 2021 |website=Pitchfork |language=en|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127035614/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14629-expektoration-live/|url-status=live}}</ref>

After completing his European tour, Dumile was refused re-entry into the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/24/doom-hip-hops-great-pretender |title=Doom: hip-hop's great pretender poised for another reinvention |date=June 24, 2015|access-date=June 28, 2020 |first=Ben |last=Westhoff |work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629193207/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/24/doom-hip-hops-great-pretender|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=faceddeportation>{{cite web |last1=Coleman |first1=C. Vernon |date=February 5, 2019 |title=7 Rappers Who Have Faced Deportation |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/rappers-deportation/|url-status=live|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]|archive-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630064248/https://www.xxlmag.com/rappers-deportation/}}</ref> He settled in the UK in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fletcher |first=Lily |date=January 18, 2021 |title=MF Doom: Rapper whose work continues to have far-reaching influence |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/mf-doom-rapper-obituary-hip-hop-b1788554.html|access-date=May 2, 2021 |work=[[The Independent]] |language=en|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118133549/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/mf-doom-rapper-obituary-hip-hop-b1788554.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Key to the Kuffs]]'', an album Dumile made in collaboration with the producer [[Jneiro Jarel]] as [[JJ Doom]], was released on August 20, 2012, and included guest features from [[Damon Albarn]], [[Beth Gibbons]] of Portishead, [[Khujo]] Goodie of [[Goodie Mob]] and [[Dungeon Family]], and Boston Fielder.<ref name="complex">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/jj-doom-reveal-key-to-the-kuffs-release-date-tracklist |title=JJ DOOM Reveal "Key To The Kuffs" Release Date, Tracklist |magazine=Complex |first=Andrew |last=Martin |date=July 5, 2012|access-date=January 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714024750/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/jj-doom-reveal-key-to-the-kuffs-release-date-tracklist|archive-date=July 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Reviews of ''Key to the Kuffs'' in ''Pitchfork'' and ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'' emphasized its references to Dumile's "exile" in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Patrin |first=Nate |date=August 29, 2012 |title=JJ DOOM: Key to the Kuffs |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16916-key-to-the-kuffs/|access-date=January 2, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128153418/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16916-key-to-the-kuffs/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Morpurgo |first=Joseph |date=September 6, 2012 |title=Keys to the Kuffs |url=https://www.factmag.com/2012/09/06/jj-doom-review/|access-date=January 2, 2021 |website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]] |language=en-US|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125183959/https://www.factmag.com/2012/09/06/jj-doom-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> while ''[[Resident Advisor]]'' noted its play on Britishisms in tracks like "Guv'nor".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawrence |first=James |date=September 11, 2012 |title=Review: JJ DOOM – Key to the Kuffs |url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/11594|access-date=January 2, 2021 |website=[[Resident Advisor]]|archive-date=February 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224212011/https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/11594|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[NehruvianDoom]]'', Dumile's collaboration with the rapper [[Bishop Nehru]], was released on October 7, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.factmag.com/2014/04/04/bishop-nehru-and-doom-are-now-releasing-an-album-nehruviandoom/ |title=Bishop Nehru and DOOM are now releasing an album, NehruvianDOOM |work=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]] |date=April 4, 2014|access-date=December 19, 2017|archive-date=October 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012035513/https://www.factmag.com/2014/04/04/bishop-nehru-and-doom-are-now-releasing-an-album-nehruviandoom/|url-status=live}}</ref> Dumile produced all the tracks on ''NehruvianDoom'', often using beats developed in the ''Special Herbs'' series; vocals are primarily Nehru's, with some contributions from Dumile.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Patrin |first=Nate |date=September 29, 2014 |title=NehruvianDOOM: NehruvianDOOM |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19809-nehruviandoom-nehruviandoom/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103171953/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19809-nehruviandoom-nehruviandoom/|archive-date=January 3, 2021|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en}}</ref> The album was Nehru's major label debut.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Charity |first=Justin |date=September 30, 2014 |title=Bishop Nehru and MF DOOM's "NehruvianDOOM" Is the Beginning of Something Great |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2014/09/bishop-nehru-mf-doom-album-review-nehruviandoom|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126121339/https://www.complex.com/music/2014/09/bishop-nehru-mf-doom-album-review-nehruviandoom|archive-date=January 26, 2021|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[Complex Networks|Complex]] |language=en}}</ref> The limitations of Nehru's artistic achievement on the album were stressed by critics due to his relative youth (he was still in his teens when the album was produced) and the album's briefness, lasting just over 30 minutes.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=October 6, 2014 |title=Bishop Nehru And MF Doom Tap Into Their Strengths On 'NehruvianDOOM' |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/bishop-nehru-mf-doom-nehruviandoom-album-review/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131163330/https://www.xxlmag.com/bishop-nehru-mf-doom-nehruviandoom-album-review/|archive-date=January 31, 2021|access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]] |language=en}}</ref> Dumile's contributions were also seen as limited: ''Pitchfork'' wrote that he often seemed on "autopilot",<ref name=":2" /> and [[XXL (magazine)|''XXL'']] suggested that neither he nor Nehru were able to "push the envelope".<ref name=":4" />

In August 2017, Adult Swim announced a Doom compilation, ''[[The Missing Notebook Rhymes]]'', that would consist of songs from his upcoming projects and featured appearances on other artists' songs. The Adult Swim website was to release one new song per week over the course of 15 weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Max |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/mf-doom-adult-swim-15-new-songs/ |title=MF DOOM to Drop 15 New Songs With Adult Swim |website=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]] |date=August 7, 2017|access-date=August 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807210414/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/08/mf-doom-adult-swim-15-new-songs/|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the arrangement was canceled in September after the release of only seven tracks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Alex Robert |date=September 27, 2017 |title=DOOM and Adult Swim Abruptly End Their Relationship |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/doom-and-adult-swim-abruptly-end-their-relationship/|access-date=January 1, 2021 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101051558/https://www.vice.com/en/article/pakzny/doom-and-adult-swim-abruptly-end-their-relationship|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2018, Dumile and [[Czarface]] released "Nautical Depth", the first single from their collaborative album ''[[Czarface Meets Metal Face]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gordon |first=Arielle |date=February 8, 2018 |title=MF Doom & Czarface – "Nautical Depth" |url=https://www.spin.com/2018/02/mf-doom-czarface-nautical-depth-stream/ |website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208210805/https://www.spin.com/2018/02/mf-doom-czarface-nautical-depth-stream/|archive-date=February 8, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The album was released on March 30, 2018. In a lukewarm review for ''Pitchfork'', Mehan Jayasuriya compared verses by [[Open Mike Eagle]] favorably to Dumile's, but noted that Dumile's contribution to "Nautical Depth" exhibited his "once razor-sharp lyricism".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jayasuriya |first=Mehan |title=Czarface / MF DOOM: Czarface Meets Metal Face |date=April 2, 2018 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/czarface-mf-doom-czarface-meets-metal-face/|access-date=January 2, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en|archive-date=January 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104005545/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/czarface-mf-doom-czarface-meets-metal-face/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ben Beaumont-Thomas, in ''[[The Guardian]]'', was more positive, noting Dumile's "stoner surrealism" in "Captain Crunch".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=March 30, 2018 |title=Czarface & MF Doom: Czarface Meets Metal Face review – action-filled hip-hop supersquad |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/30/czarface-mf-doom-czarface-meets-metal-face-review-action-filled-hip-hop-supersquad|access-date=January 2, 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101173818/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/30/czarface-mf-doom-czarface-meets-metal-face-review-action-filled-hip-hop-supersquad|url-status=live}}</ref>

Aside from the album with Czarface, Dumile's musical output in the final three years of his life was limited to one-off guest appearances on other artists' tracks.<ref name="Sayles 2021" /> Posthumous releases included appearances on two songs for the video game ''[[Grand Theft Auto Online]]'': "Lunch Break", with [[Flying Lotus]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gregory |first=Allie |date=December 16, 2020 |title=Listen to Flying Lotus and MF DOOM's 'GTA V' Radio Song "Lunch Break" |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/listen_to_flying_lotus_and_mf_dooms_gta_v_radio_song_lunch_break|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021 |website=[[Exclaim!]] |language=en-ca|archive-date=January 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127073852/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/listen_to_flying_lotus_and_mf_dooms_gta_v_radio_song_lunch_break}}</ref> and "The Chocolate Conquistadors", with [[BadBadNotGood]], made for the game's content update ''The Cayo Perico Heist.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=December 18, 2020 |title=MF DOOM and BADBADNOTGOOD Share New Song From Grand Theft Auto |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mf-doom-and-badbadnotgood-share-new-song-from-grand-theft-auto-listen/|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US|archive-date=February 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203003145/https://pitchfork.com/news/mf-doom-and-badbadnotgood-share-new-song-from-grand-theft-auto-listen/}}</ref> Shortly after Dumile's death was announced, Flying Lotus revealed that they had been working on an EP.<ref>{{cite web |last=Waite |first=Thom |date=January 2, 2021 |title=Flying Lotus was working on an EP with MF Doom prior to the rapper's death |website=[[Dazed]] |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/51551/1/flying-lotus-was-working-on-an-ep-with-mf-doom-prior-to-the-rapper-s-death |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102135548/https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/51551/1/flying-lotus-was-working-on-an-ep-with-mf-doom-prior-to-the-rapper-s-death |archive-date=January 2, 2021}}</ref> Having been completed in early 2020 but later delayed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Dumile's second collaborative album with Czarface and first posthumous release, ''[[Super What?]]'', was released in May 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darville |first=Jordan |date=May 5, 2021 |title=A new Czarface/MF DOOM album is out this week |url=https://www.thefader.com/2021/05/05/czarface-mf-doom-super-what-album|access-date=May 5, 2021 |website=[[The Fader]]|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505175258/http://www.thefader.com/2021/05/05/czarface-mf-doom-super-what-album|url-status=live}}</ref>