MF DOOM. God Bless Your Life.

Thank you for everything you have given me. I have to celebrate this human. He introduced me to Anita Baker through his sampling. I love Anita Baker. I can close my eyes and see his albums playing out. He made it all real to me. Doom’s music is the soundtrack to my fondest memories in college, being a starving artist in New York, and traveling the world as a muralist. This is the first in a long journey of creating in memory of my hero, MF DOOM Daniel Dumile July 13, 1971 – October 31, 2020.

My first step was to rock a digital illustration of his iconic mask in my abstract petal-block style. The color palette is an ode to my favorite album “Operation: Doomsday.” Doom always spoke on the power of God and quoted scripture from the Quran. “Gye Nyame,” the symbol featured in the forehead area means God is all powerful.

While I was extremely happy with my first take on my design, I wanted to make it more dynamic. My second version added shades, highlights, and strong black outlines. This conveyed the dynamism that I’ve always felt listening to Doom.