Madlib spoke about MF DOOM’s death in a new interview with Piotr Orlov for NPR Music. News of the rapper’s death in October 2020 was revealed late last year when Madlib said he had also heard about it for the first time. “I found out when everyone else was doing it on social media,” he said. “His family is very private, so they probably didn’t know how to approach this one. I still can’t believe he died. That’s funny. “
The prolific producer, who worked with DOOM on underground hip-hop masterpiece Madvillainy in 2004, said he made intermittent contacts with DOOM last year. “We talked once or twice a year, but it’s always been like that. We talked last year and everything seemed fine, ”he said. “I mainly sent him beats, he rarely sent me things. But yeah, we checked in whether it was music or not, talked about our kids or whatever. “
The interview mainly focuses on Madlib’s new album Sound Ancestors, arranged by Four Tet and due out later this evening. Kieran Hebden told NPR that the two were considering postponing the release after news of DOOM’s death became known. “When we heard about it [DOOM’s passing]It was all totally shocking, ”he said. “Maybe we just have to pause everything for a while. But maybe [releasing Sound Ancestors] could be pretty positive when you’re in the middle of it. You know, Dilla is gone, DOOM is gone, but Otis [Madlib] hangs in there, becomes strong and does not give up. He actually put out this new album and continues to keep the spirit of all this music, this whole style where the three of them feel like this kind of magical, all-powerful trinity. “
News of MF Doom’s death arrived on December 31 in a statement from his wife Jasmine Dumile. She wrote that the rapper, born Daniel Dumile, had died two months earlier on October 31st. The news sparked condolences and memories, including from Flying Lotus, Thom Yorke, Questlove, and Tyler, the creator.
Revisit Pitchforks 2014 feature “In Search of Tomorrow: The Story of Madlib and DOOM’s Madvillainy” on the pitch.
