- Consequence of sound
- Festival outlook
As a quick Google search for “MF DOOM fake shows” illustrates, MF DOOM fake shows are nothing new. A 2007 appearance at the San Bernadino edition of Rock the Bells which featured what many believed to be an imposter of the British-born rapper is perhaps the most profound example of this, but many others cities and festivals (namely Pitchfork) have been rumored victims as well.
Following another performance, or lack thereof, this past Saturday, you can now add Los Angeles to the list. As The Daily Swarm points out, the rapper was scheduled to make a rare appearance at the Beat Club. However, after failing to open his mouth once the actual beats rang aloud, a few attendees became suspicious (via YouTube):
“It’s hard to see here but you can catch glimpses of him. It was obvious that he was an imposter since he never once laid his hand on a microphone and just played his new tracks on a laptop.”
Video evidence from the Los Angeles show below. An email sent to DOOM’s label requesting comment on the incident has yet to be returned. Update: According to DOOM’s label, Stones Throw, which does not handle the rapper’s booking, it was “obvious that he wasn’t going to show up at a venue that fits only 200 people when his performance fee requires venues about 10 times that size.” That said, they would neither confirm nor deny if it was indeed an imposter.
In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year, DOOM responded to the imposter controversy by claiming it added to his image.
“Everything that we do is villain style,” he explained. “Everybody has the right to get it or not get it. Once I throw it out, it’s there for interpretation. It might’ve seemed like it didn’t go well, but how do we know that wasn’t just pre-orchestrated so that we’re talking about it now? I tell you one thing: People are asking more now for live shows and I’m charging more, so it must’ve worked somewhere.”
TAGGED AS: MF Doom
comments (31)
I really don’t give a shit if it was DOOM or not. I’m pissed because whoever it was only played twenty minutes after making the crowd wait seven hours.
Thanks for the explanation Lbice!!! I now understand the brilliance of Doom’s concept of performing for a MERE 10 MINUTES!!! The concept is sooo complex it took my little brain awhile to fully comprehend how revolutionary it was! This is going to change music history. I feel stupid now to once think Doom was a lazy f*ck! This is some deep stuff yo! Doom all the way! Yeah dawg!
i too was at the Chicago n def show at the congress theater show and was not fooled by this clown ass impostor doom. i have heard of his fake doom acts before but i figured hey hes playing in one of the biggest city’s and in a pretty damn big venue that was well sold out, packed front to back 2 floors, and hes playing with well known and respected Mos def…….. Yet to find out this was yet another impostor. i paid for 2 tickets of my hard earned money, requested the day off from work, and drove nearly 1 hr to the venue, wait 1 hr at the doors freezing cold, wait n stand nearly 5-6 hours to see some fake who performed no more then 10min. NO MORE DOOM SHOWS FOR ME, and i feel bad and embarrassed for mos def who came out in a sick doom mask and opened his performance with a cover of my favorite doom song accordion. def must of new wed be disappointed and wanted to make up for dooms actions. true artist!!!!!!!
All you MF’ers are so pissed off ONLY because you can’t understand the brilliance of a concept developed by a rapper (“ARTIST”). If you are going to see a “concert”, you don’t really even belong at the venue. He is so F’ing innovative, that he has created a rap character that is not actually about him as a person or a celebrity musician. Mos Def was freakin awesome, wearing an MF mask himself and obviously fully in on the whole hype………….TOTALLY RADICAL!!
I was also at the Congress Theater show in Chicago and it beyond disappointing. It was straight up disgusting! I stood in one spot for 5 hours to see Zoom… oh I mean Doom. What did I get in return???? A wack 10 minute performance from Doom/imposter? I would expect some sort of press release from Mos Def because I have faith that he is a man of character and he owes it to his fan base. I don’t expect doom to take any such action because he doesn’t care about his fans. I will no longer buy anymore doom material. I warn anyone not to attend any of his performances.
I don’t know if Mos was in on it, I don’t think so. Mos seemed real apologetic and half into it. So I feel sorry for Mos. If I were him I’d be PISSED at Doom, made Mos look like a rookie chump standin there holdin a hand-me-down mic. Makes Mos look bad. How the hell to venues keep booking him? Is there no consequences for this shit? Can there be a class action lawsuit against Doom? There’s gotta be enough people pissed about this shit to make some consequences. I mean, could any business be run if the product was regularly withheld after payment? How can this shit continue? If McDonalds kept giving me an empty burger box with my meal then eventually they’re gonna have consequences. How does this continue, and why has it been allowed to become a pattern? Crazy. Just crazy. It’s a scam.
No surprised at all… that jerk off pulls this shit off all the time. Saw him at pitchfork last year and it wasn’t him either. He’s such a dumb ass!
And, don’t buy anymore Doom CDs, you can get that shite for free now on the intrawebs. If he’s gonna sucker the fans, then we should sucker him. No more money into the pockets of corporate underground hip (p)hop.
Chicago to Doom: Don’t come back chump.
Doom vs. Def show last night at Congress theater had an obviously fake Doom and some fat guy step to the stage after Mos Def (clearly embarrased) finished a mini set in which he rapped some of Dooms tracks, probably so the “fans” would at least hear some live Doom music. Total shite show, Mos Def was half hearted at best (probably because he was made to look like a total chump by an absent Doom) and when “Doom” finally stepped to the stage it was an obvious lip sync job ala Milli Vanilli. “Doom” never once said anything except the straight lyrics, never once addressed the crowd, nothing. Clearly it was a recorded track laying down rhymes. Once “Doom” gave a few tracks, maybe seven, he just up and left, the lights popped on, and a few thousand Chicagoans felt like they just got screwed out of $30 bucks each. Lame assed show. Doom made Mos Def look like a chump, left him standin there holding the mic like a sucka. Don’t bother buying any more tickets for Doom shows. If that bitch is gonna dis Chicago then he can eat a bag a…
His set at Soundset ‘09 was whack and at least half faked. I love the albums but nuts if I’ll make my way out of the house for him.
yes, MFDOOM did not say one word when we went to his show either and we got there around 9pm and waited til about 130am and nothing and i brought my poster from a mf doom show a long time ago at the henry fonda and he wouldn’t even sign it and this was all after i spent $20 on a fuckin shirt also after i paid $10 to get into the show. this is great.
he can get away with it because rap shows are on the whole wack as balls
From a recent New Yorker profile:
“For MF Doom, whose handle is inspired by the Fantastic Four villain Dr. Doom, Dumile wanted to create a character with a complete backstory, which he would reference through a series of albums. For live concerts, he routinely sends out one of his comrades in the Doom costume and has them lip-sync the entire show.”
A) dude who said DOOM’s last album lacks anything is an idiot. That shit is a blast back to Operation Doomsday in my opinion. Ur obviously not a real DOOM fan!
B) This is one of the greatest things ever done by an artist. I ain’t tryin to see Doom unless it’s booked w other artists like Madlib or any other artist’s Doom works or has worked with. Plus it better be at a serious venue.
C) How are any of u Internet geeks gonna try and critisize one of our greatest rappers of today. U can all get a mouth full of deez nuts! The Super Villian has done it again! Bravo!!!!it’s obvious promoters are now just going to promote a DOOM show without even trying to get him to come… shitty situation.
I honestly saw MF Doom make out with another guy at the Minneapolis rock the bells this year.
I use to be a major Doom fan until his last album “Born like this”. I swear, everything that Doom dropped prior to this last album was hittin crazy hard, now he’s a fat, alcoholic, bum who makes horrible music. This whole “no-show” business is completely embarrassing. I mean, who has balls that big to have a “fake / impostor” get on stage and perform a whole show? What about the fans that paid to see him perform? WTF!
After his last album I called it quits for Doom. he better be working on some lava in the studio to win many of his fans back, including me!
Peace!
Ima print up flyers for my next house party, charge $20 at the door saying Dooms gonna perform, then get my fat black friend to wear a gladiator mask. Thanks Doom!
doom was amazing when i saw him
Add Doom to the long list of MC’s that disappoint live. Kool Keith will not steal anymore of my $$ for live performances. I gave him like 5 chances and each time except once, I left ripped off.
blame DOOM? how bout blame a greedy promoter who knows this shit works already. lighten up fools
doom can do whatever he wants. he’s a super villain
This is the *2nd* time he’s done this in L.A. Even though Stones Throw doesn’t do his booking, they should try to do something about it. THEY’RE FROM L.A. FOR CHRISTS SAKE. No fucking hometown integrity… After the no-show show I went to, I made sure to tell anyone that was a Doom fan that this is a pattern for him. From his interviews he sounds like a lazy old drunk that’s trying to pass off this shit as his villain persona. I’m sure when no one’s buying his shit anymore, he can live the life of the loser that he wants to be.
“i don’t know if i’ll ever go to his shows again”
conviction, you need some
DOOM IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AND CAN NOT TRAVEL FREELY INSIDE THE UNITED STATES. HE ALSO CAN NOT DO OVERSEAS SHOWS AND THEREFORE PERPETUATES THESE IMPOSTORS TO TAKE YOUR MONEY.
id be pissed if i was one of the people who paid my hard earned money to watch some actor up there pretend to be doom.
He’s on Stones Throw Records…not Stone Throws
Maybe you can charge more because people like what you’re putting out there, not because you pay some douche to act like you. This will come back and bite him in the ass in the long run.
He did this bullshit in atlanta a little while ago also. I dont know if im going ever try to see his shows again.
