Mm..Food Explained

Mm..Food
Type:studio
Artist:MF Doom
Cover:Mmfood.jpg
Released:16 November 2004
Genre:Alternative hip hop
Length:48:57
Label:Rhymesayers
Producer:
Chronology:MF Doom
Prev Year:2004
Next Title:The Mouse and the Mask
Next Year:2005

Mm..Food (stylized in all caps) is the fifth studio album by British-American rapper and producer MF Doom, released by Rhymesayers in November 2004. The album peaked at number 17 on Billboards Independent Albums chart, and number 9 on Heatseekers Albums chart. The title Mm..Food is an anagram of "MF Doom".

Background

MF Doom described Mm..Food as a concept album "about the things you find on a picnic, or at a picnic table".[1] The album's titles and lyrics contain references to different foods, some with common metaphors and double entendres in the "street world" and the "nutritional realm".[2]

The album is primarily produced by MF Doom, except for the tracks "Potholderz", produced by Count Bass D; "One Beer", produced by Madlib and originally intended for the joint Madlib and MF Doom album Madvillainy;[3] and "Kon Queso" produced by PNS of Molemen. Mm..Food features guest appearances from Count Bass D, Angelika, 4ize and Mr. Fantastik.

"Kon Queso" was originally released under the name "Yee Haw" on a 12 inch single in July 2003 with Molemen.[4] The track was re-recorded for Mm..Food with a more laidback performance from MF Doom. "Vomitspit" is a new version of the song "Vomit", with a different beat and some changed lyrics.[5] The original release of the album included a different version of "Kookies". It was removed due to an unlicensed sample from Sesame Street, and was promptly changed to a simpler version of the song in all future physical and digital releases.

A bonus disc titled Mm..LeftOvers containing throwaway tracks and remixes from Mm..Food was released on November 16, 2004 on Hiphopsite.com. It was given away with copies of Mm..Food. The CD contained a recipe for "Villainous Mac & Cheese" by Grammy Dumile on the back of the CD insert.[5]

The album cover's art director was Jeff Jank, and painting by Jason Jagel. The original painting included a blunt that was later edited out.[6]

Critical reception

Mm..Food garnered acclaim upon release. At Metacritic, it was given an average score of 81, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Ryan Dombal of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Mm..Food flips countless edible metaphors over hard-hitting, jazzy beats, while never devolving into pointless parody." David Jeffries of AllMusic called it "as vital as anything he's done before and entirely untouched or stymied by the hype." Pitchforks Nick Sylvester called Mm..Food "an attempt to make good on Doom's almost fascist conceit to restore rap's golden age despite its loss of innocence." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club called the album "a crazy pastiche tied loopily together around obsessions with food, comic books, and supervillainy" and wrote that Doom is "exempt from the law of diminishing returns."[7]

In 2012, Stereogum named it the best MF Doom album.[8] In 2015, NME named it "one of the 23 maddest and most memorable concept albums."[9]

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by MF Doom, except for "Potholderz" produced by Count Bass D, "One Beer" produced by Madlib, and "Kon Queso" produced by PNS

Notes

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

Production

Additional personnel

Artwork

Charts

2004 chart performance for Mm..Food!Chart (2004)!Peak
position
US Billboard Independent Albums[12] 17
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[13] 9

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pappademas . Alex . MF Doom: Our 2004 Profile . Spin . 18 March 2021 . December 2004 . 6 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210306080714/https://www.spin.com/2019/11/mf-doom-interview-mm-food/ . live .
  2. Web site: DOOM Shares The Stories Behind Ten Of His Best Verses . XXL Magazine . 18 March 2021 . 18 October 2013 . 19 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210519014336/https://www.xxlmag.com/doom-shares-the-stories-behind-ten-of-his-best-verses/ . live .
  3. Web site: One Beer. Stones Throw. 19 March 2021. 30 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210430092835/https://www.stonesthrow.com/store/one-beer-2/. live.
  4. Web site: MF Doom - Yee Haw . Discogs . 18 March 2021 . 19 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210219072028/https://www.discogs.com/MF-Doom-Yee-Haw/release/226222 . live .
  5. Web site: MF Doom – Mm..LeftOvers . Discogs . 18 March 2021 . 19 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210219094337/https://www.discogs.com/MF-Doom-MmLeftOvers/release/375551 . live .
  6. Web site: JASON JAGEL X MF DOOM: MM FOOD | Stones Throw Records . 27 September 2022 . 27 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927141125/https://www.stonesthrow.com/news/jagel-doom-mm-food-art-print/ . live .
  7. Web site: MF Doom: Mm.. Food?. Nathan. Rabin. Nathan Rabin. The A.V. Club. November 29, 2004. April 5, 2018. 31 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201231230759/https://music.avclub.com/mf-doom-mm-food-1798200165. live.
  8. Web site: MF Doom Albums From Worst To Best — 1. MF DOOM – Mm.. FOOD (2004). Stereogum. Tatusian. Alex. December 13, 2012. March 21, 2017. 8 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208123556/https://www.stereogum.com/1219752/counting-down-mf-doom-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/mmfood/. live.
  9. Web site: 23 Of The Maddest And Most Memorable Concept Albums. NME. July 8, 2015. January 20, 2017. 13 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170113182943/http://www.nme.com/photos/23-of-the-maddest-and-most-memorable-concept-albums-1425767. live.
  10. Web site: MF Doom - MM.. Food (Vinyl, LP, Album, Mispress, Reissue). Discogs. 2007. August 17, 2019. 13 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191013123446/https://www.discogs.com/MF-Doom-MMFood/release/3433495. live.
  11. MM..Food. MF Doom. 2004. liner notes. Rhymesayers Entertainment. RSE0051-1. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  12. MF Doom - Chart history - Top Independent Albums. Billboard. January 20, 2017. 18 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181218012230/https://www.billboard.com/artist/276868/mf-doom/chart?f=326. live.
  13. MF Doom - Chart history - Top Heatseekers Albums. Billboard. January 20, 2017. 15 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170615131219/http://www.billboard.com/artist/276868/mf-doom/chart?f=324. live.
  14. Web site: ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. July 24, 2023. July 21, 2023.