Rating
4.0

The enigmatic DOOM (a.k.a Daniel Daniel Dumile, formerly MF Doom and a slew of other aliases) is a more popular figure to diehard rap fans, nerds and Adult Swim watchers than he is with the general public. DOOM is a poet as a lyricist, but his new album, Born Like This, while certainly an outstanding release, suffers from reiteration as well as a lack of cohesion as an album. 

Though his driving and monotonous rapping style is distinct and integral to the success of the individual songs, it seems to hurt the end result of the overall listening experience. The beats are often a pseudo-funk style of doom and gloom, which only compounds the heavy nature of the album. There are other artists on Born Like This (including Raekwon and Tony Starks), and their presence, combined with the occasional sound clip from a movie or television show, help keep the experience interesting. The parts are great, but the sum is somewhat underwhelming, and fails to represent how DOOM has grown as an artist.

Overall, I think Born Like This is a solid album, but I hope DOOM’s next release will reflect the type of innovation that made the reclusive artist such a great listen in the first place.