SH Fernando Jr’s exhaustive biography of MF Doom takes us on the underground rapper’s strange musical journey from New York suburb to Yorkshire social club

Hip-hop has no shortage of larger-than-life characters and tall tales. One of its most confounding operators was a cult underground rapper-producer most often known as MF Doom, whose death was announced at the end of 2020. Throughout his career as Doom, Dumile (pronounced “doom-eye-lay”) Daniel Thompson Jr wore a custom-made mask, fuelling his myth and safeguarding his anonymity.

Against prevailing 00s hip-hop narratives – first-hand street verité, conspicuous consumption – Doom created a stable of fantastical personae. His aesthetic was indebted to comic books, monster movies and low-rent TV soundtracks. He made mischief, sometimes sending other people to perform in his stead.