MF Doom: MM..Food DVD
Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment
Author: Steve 'Flash' Juon

The photo to your left has been artfully arranged, but the contents are in no way fake or plastic. Those bottles of beer are from my actual stockpile. One was consumed before I started this review and in the spirit of Daniel Dumile I may consume the other two during and/or after. That pile of bread and meat was a lot sadder before I gave it a nice triangle slice. The only non-edible things in that photo are two unlabelled DVD's (undoubtedly a recent UFC PPV), the unused coaster and the shrinkwrapped "MM..Food" CD & DVD. The Rhymesayers wrapper is actually the tastiest part of the picture. That foil wrapping glistens in the light like a fresh package of smoked salmon or a rich dark chocolate bar, begging to be ripped open and greedily devoured. Amusingly the back of the two course combo actually had the warning "remove package before enjoying" but that proved to be impossible as I had already bought the "MM..Food" CD years ago. I've consumed the audible treats inside many times, from the sweetly flavored "Hoe Cakes" to the spicy "Gumbo" and the crunchy delicious "Rapp Snitch Knishes." Thankfully unlike a pack of Stride gum there's nothing wrong with audible treats lasting TOO LONG. With demented drunken raps and comic book cartoon samples straight out the Fantastic Four, "MM..Food" is still a fresh album after all these years with no expiration date.

"What's the point of reviewing the album again Flash? Have you lost what little of your fucking mind you had to begin with?" Not yet - although one thing on the CD through my sanity a curveball. I listened to "Kookies" over and over again saying "That's not right - I remember a Children's Television Workshop loop and a bunch of Cookie Monster samples throughout." I dug out my old copy of "MM..Food" and was proven correct. While the new version still has flavor, it's a salty slap in the face if you remember the sweetly sublime original. I'm sure sample clearance troubles are to blame, but regardless of the "Kookies" controversy the REAL reason for reviewing this re-issue is the brand new bonus DVD hidden inside the shrinkwrap. Initially when I unwrapped the foil and flipped it over I thought the DVD was tucked inside the artwork promoting Chicago Red Hots and a New York slice. Once the second layer of shrinkwrap was removed though it turned out to be a poster for the "MM.. Food Drive Tour" - a multi-city concert where patrons were encouraged to bring non-perishable items for the homeless. As it turns out the DVD is actually inside the CD case in one of those flip out trays that seems to break so easily. Speaking of breaking I had to break through a THIRD layer of packaging to figure that out the hard way. The security tape along the top would not peel or come off by any means necessary so I had to resort to means UNNECESSARY and use the same knife I cut my sandwich in half with. Trust me - opening it this way will save you a lot of time and aggravation; and for you ladies out there, your fingernails will thank you later.

On to the DVD itself which is labelled "Food Drive Tour" - and that's all the information you're going to get before pressing play. After going to this much trouble to repackage and re-release "MM..Food" you'd think they'd at least add a DVD list of contents or a short description to the back cover. NOPE! Thankfully there are no painfully tedious copyright warnings you can't skip when the presentation starts - just a short video plugging the producers that shows Doom putting on a pair of glasses over his trademark metal mask. You can skip it and go straight to the main menu if you like, but there's no reason you should. Once you play the main feature a series of old black and white movie newsreels is narrated in the style of the "MM..Food" skits, warning that the public should fear "the second coming of Doom." Obviously Fillmore at the TLA in Philadelphia is not afraid though, because the first shot you see after Doom gets into a waiting car is their marquee promoting a show headlined by Metal Face himself along with Brother Ali, BK One and Reef the Lost Cauze. Fans get their wristbands, the DJ goes digging in the crates, sound levels are EQ'd and before you can say boo Dumile takes the stage rapping to the strains of "Hoe Cakes." Doom's vocal tone is higher than on the album but the flow is clearly recognizable as his own and you can hardly blame Doom for being amped up and excited by the large and enthusiastic crowd. He launches into the short "Kon Queso" while the crowd encourages him to jump off the stage and surf. "I'm 229 pounds! I'm not trying to break my neck. Who's gonna catch me?" It's the moments like these that make concerts memorable and home videos of said shows that much more entertaining. You already know the star and the songs, but the crowd reaction and interaction is what you miss being there live. It's obvious that the banter also vents Doom's pent up energy a bit as he had no problem afterwards busting his classic "Kon Karne" rap before gleefully singing the opening to "One Beer."

Shortly thereafter Doom introduces us to his crew and thanks everybody for bringing out their canned goods and contributions before we get another linking segment of narration and newsreel footage leading us to the next stop on Doom's tour. These segments are worth the price of admission in their own right with comic book dialouge like "a clever ploy from a deviant mastermind to mollify the common man." From there we move to San Francisco, where Doom launches into a performance of "Beef Rapp." I have to admit I was hoping that during this hour of live concert footage Doom might break into his stockpile of classics from albums like "Operation Doomsday" and "Madvillainy," therefore it's a nice change of pace when he busts out "Accordion" to an approving crowd in Boulder, Colorado and "Meat Grinder" in Minneapolis immediately after. Since I like "MM..Food" so much I can hardly complain about him performing the album he was on tour to promote in the first place, but as with all foods and musical flavors diversity is definitely the spice of life. That variety is exemplified by the L.A. live set, where Doom flips the "Doomsday" classic "Dead Bent" and follows up with "Go With the Flow" but you can find more stellar examples throughout. The "Food Tour Drive" is a whirlwind tour complete with footage of long car drives, endlessly curving roads, and long hotel nights leading to long days. The biggest revelation of this tour footage is how energetic and fun-loving Doom is live, despite long-standing (and obviously incorrect) rumors that he's a rambling and surly drunk on stage. While it's not clear that Doom will have a second food drive for this re-release, the DVD in this package is a definite endorsement for why you should go if so. Even if you own the original version, this re-issue is a winner on the strength of the DVD alone, especially when standalone concert videos can sell for $5 to $10 more.

EDITOR'S NOTE: No other food was harmed in the making of this review although Flash's liver is still recovering from being "Dead Bent" in college.

Content: 8.5 of 10 Layout: 8.5 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8.5 of 10

Originally posted: July 31, 2007
source: www.RapReviews.com