Spotlight: MF Doom

Acknowledging hip-hop as more than mere party jams and street stories, MF Doom conceptualizes comic book crescendos of rap. Loosely adopting the persona of Marvel's classic villain Victor Von Doom, the deadpan narrator adorns himself in a metal mask as a means to slice through even the most complex of dualities.

"There is no positive without the negative," states the masked man. "When Doom returns to his home planet he is revered. So who is it to put labels on things when it's really all about changing perspectives?"

Currently collaborating with kindred spirit Ghostface, the former KMD MC admits the apparent.

"Wu Tang inspired the whole shit. I already had the character on the drawing boards, but once I saw them I knew that I could really do it. When 'Protect Ya Neck' first dropped with those back-to-back rhymes, it was so raw. And when Old Dirt Dog came out with 'Brooklyn Zoo,' forget about it."

Aiming far beyond what's expected of black American entertainers, Doom expresses his comfort performing abstracted art.

"My music is basically for whoever gets it. I feel that I'm speaking to the whole human family rather than just strictly to hip-hop or just the hood. I'm trying to raise everybody right."

Teaming with Dangermouse for an upcoming album funded by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim program, Doom also remains in tight communiqué with Madlib as they work on a sequel to 2004's exceptional Madvillainy.

"On top of all of that, I'm fielding beats from Pete Rock. The tracks he's sent me so far have been absolutely bananas."

An amazing producer in his own right, Doom reveals the latest activities in his lab. "I've been moving away from the nostalgic vibe of Operation: Doomsday and MM.. Food? and going into new directions – like building on ideas I get from listening to Eastern Indian and Brazilian music."

Wherever the Metal Face chooses to roam, literarily graphic and unstoppable "microphone wreck" is sure to follow.