On Saturday, July 31, 2021, the late rapper Daniel "MF Doom" Dumile will be honored in his hometown of Long Beach, New York. According to a press release, MF DOOM, who passed away October 31, 2020, will receive his own street renamed "KMD - MF DOOM Way" in Long Beach to remember him. The street is on the block of East Hudson Street, between Long Beach Boulevard and Riverside Boulevard, where the rap icon and his brother Dingilize "Dj Subroc" Dumile spent their teenage years.
"The honoring of Daniel Dumile, the artist known as MF DOOM, is part of a tradition that must include the hip-hop generation," says Dr. Patrick Graham, member of the Committee and author of the petition. "His hip-hop lyricism represents some of the culture's best linguistic metaphors, garnering intergenerational and interracial admiration. His life and art symbolize the resilience we need in our present context."
Dumile started rapping under the name Zev Love X with his brother DJ Subroc and Onyx the Birthstone Kid in the group KMD. After the tragic passing of his brother in 1993, Dumile would be forced to regroup after KMD would be dropped from their label following his brother's fatal accident. Five years late, Dumile would return as the alter-ego, MF DOOM, the mask-wearing rap villain, back for vengeance.
The rapper would drop several classics throughout his career, including Operation: Doomsday, MM...FOOD and Madvilliany with Mad-lib.
City of Long Beach representatives and residents could not be prouder to acknowledge his artistry. "MF DOOM left an indelible mark on the music industry and on the lives of people across the globe," Long Beach City Manager Donna M. Gayden says. "Long Beach is proud to bestow this honor in his memory and proud that he (once) called our City home."