Daniel Dumile (pronounced /ˈduːmᵻleɪ/ DOO-mə-lay; born 9 January 1971) is a Britishhip hop recording artist who spent most of his life in the United States. Best known for his "super villain" stage persona and unique lyrics, Dumile has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably as Metal Face Doom or MF Doom. He has appeared in several collaborative projects such as Madvillain (with Madlib), DANGERDOOM (with Danger Mouse), DOOMSTARKS (with Ghostface Killah), JJ DOOM (with Jneiro Jarel), and NehruvianDOOM (with Bishop Nehru).

Early life

Dumile was born in 1971, in London, England, the son of a Trinidadian mother and a Zimbabwean father. He moved with his family to New York and was raised on Long Island, New York, although he never became an American citizen.

Music career

1988–1993: Career beginnings with KMD

As Zev Love X, he formed the group KMD, in 1988 with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another MC called Rodan. When Rodan left the group, Zev found another MC to replace Rodan named Onyx the Birthstone Kid.A&R rep Dante Ross learned of KMD through the hip hop group 3rd Bass, and signed the group to Elektra Records. Dumile and KMD's recording debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" from The Cactus Album, followed in 1991 with KMD's album Mr. Hood, which became a minor hit through its singles "Peachfuzz", "Who Me?" and heavy video play on cable TV's Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City.