MF DOOM fans might have the biggest love-hate relationship in rap. We love him for the classics he’s brought to the world (Madvillainy Operation DOOMsday etc.) but hate him for nearly everything else. Teasing albums that will never come out sending imposters in his place at shows — he truly is rap’s resident super villain.
His latest plot involves 18-year-old New York rapper Bishop Nehru who for some reason caught his attention. Who knows maybe DOOM sees a little something of himself in the young MC? Their collaborative album NehruvianDOOM does not appear to exist for any good reason.
Nehru brings very little to the table apart from simply being there. He has a solid flow and decent bars but little by way of personality. He is young though so it’s forgivable.
DOOM however is not young and much harder to forgive (for the umpteenth time). Not counting his sound-collage intro he brings only seven original beats to the album; lead single “Darkness” reuses a beat from his Special Herbs series. On the mic he does even less providing a total of one hook on “OM” and three verses near the end. They’re characteristically full of quotables and delivered with his lackadaisical genius but still.
The worst part of NehruvianDOOM is knowing its potential. We know DOOM’s capable of incredible things and Nehru might be as well but neither deliver here.
