MF Doom, Danger Mouse and cartoon characters converge for a rap classic
“I might be buggin’, but it seem to me, that cartoons be realer than reality TV,” raps guest MC Talib Kweli on The Mouse and the Mask’s “Old School.” The line may reflect the feelings of MF Doom and Danger Mouse when they decided to embark upon this collaboration centered around The Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup. More likely, though, the prolific MC and producer are just fans who thought the idea of making an album that includes characters like Meatwad and Master Shake would be a whole lot of quirky fun. Fortunately for those who aren’t fans of shows like Sealab 2021, Doom brings it ill and witty enough for all to enjoy, and his typically gruff, lazy drawl fits Danger’s slightly left-field beats tightly as an iron mask. The self-described “black wookie” is joined by Cee-Lo, Kweli and Wu-Tang’s Ghostface on several standout tracks. The rest of the record safely relies on Doom’s ample lyrical strength—as he spits clever wordplay and gets wonderfully weird—and on Danger Mouse’s crafty sampling of everything from string sections to obscure psychedelic rockers. The results are wonderfully askew.