Operation: Doomsday

Following his debut in the late-1980s, Daniel Dumile, then known as Zev Love X, suffered a series of unfortunate setbacks, including the death of his brother and fellow KMD member DJ Subroc and the subsequent abandonment of the group's second studio album Black Bastards by Elektra Records due to its political message and cover art. In 1997 he would re-emerge as MF Doom, covering his face at shows and releasing singles on Bobbito Garcia's label Fondle 'Em Records. The three singles released generated enough buzz for Garcia to agree to sign Doom for an album. ==Recording and production==

Operation: Doomsday was produced by Dumile, mostly over a three-week period in which he stayed at DJ Stretch Armstrong's apartment and borrowed his Akai MPC2000 and MPC3000 workstations. Doom incorporated a variety of musical styles onto the album, featuring a mix of 1980s soul and smooth jazz loops with vintage drum breaks. Throughout the album several skits and sound collage tracks containing cartoon samples are littered, oftentimes utilizing scenes from the 1967 Fantastic Four animated series featuring Doctor Doom. ==Music and lyrics==

As an underground rap album, Operation: Doomsday is a lo-fi recording, with MF Doom producing bedroom electro. With an erratic thought process, MF Doom delivers sharp-witted stream-of-consciousness rhymes in a deteriorating yet steadfastly murky flow. At the center of Operation: Doomsday lies a bent towards free-form lyricism and pop-culture references. Doom uses a raw and lyrically dexterous delivery to recite palatable, off-kilter rhymes containing obscure references. His abstract rapping is laced with disparate word association grounded by tongue-in-cheek humor. Much of the album's lyrical content displays MF Doom in emotional disorder. The solo debut album acts as a lengthy exercise in musical therapy, with death hanging over throughout, both musically and lyrically. Drawing from the weight of his past, Operation: Doomsday is compact with frank, sincere lyrics and hard, piercing rhymes. ==Release and promotion==

After the departure of KMD from their label Elektra Records, MF Doom released his solo debut album, Operation: Doomsday through the independent record label Fondle 'Em Records in 1999. The studio album was re-released through Sub Verse Music in 2001. It was announced on 16 December 2010 that Operation: Doomsday was being reissued in 2011. The reissue cover was designed by Jason Jagel, who did the art for Mm..Food. It was reported that there were licensing issues with the original artwork, which was designed by the famed graffiti writer Keo X-Men, that caused problems with reissuing. Stones Throw Records stated that Doom was working on a track-listing for the reissue. ==Critical reception==

Upon its release, Operation: Doomsday garnered praise from contemporary music journalists, and has since achieved status as a cult classic. In a less enthusiastic review, Spin writer Jon Caramanica claimed, "Sewn together with snippets from the Fantastic Four and Wildstyle, the album is a rambling exercise in musical therapy." He concluded, "But Doom ain't no joker: he’s merely fulfilling KMD's mythology ... six years too late." Accolades ==Legacy==

Operation: Doomsday has been heralded as an underground classic that established MF Doom's rank within the underground hip-hop scene during the early to mid-2000s. ==Track listing==

All tracks were written and produced by MF Doom. Notes • MF Doom is credited as a feature on the tracks "Red and Gold" and "Who You Think I Am?" under the alias "King Ghidra". ==Personnel==

Credits are adapted from the albums' liner notes. 1999 Fondle 'Em Records release Personnel • MF.Doom – production Additional personnel • Daniel Dumile – executive production • Percy Carey – executive production • Big Lou – executive production • Bobbito – executive production • Pebbles – additional vocals Artwork • Doom – illustration • Scotch 79 – art direction 2001 Sub Verse Music re-release Personnel • Metal Fingers Doom – production • D.J. Cucumber Slice – cuts , additional vocals • Big Lou – co-production • X-Ray da Mindbenda – co-production • Pebbles the Invisible Girl – additional vocals • Ill-Clown – co-production Additional personnel • Metal Fingers Doom – mixing • MF Doom – executive production • MF Grimm – executive production • Big Lou – executive production • Bobbito – executive production ==Charts==