MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday CD

Operation: Doomsday is the debut solo studio album by Daniel Dumile, and the first under the MF Doom moniker. It was first released through Fondle 'Em Records on 19 October 1999, and later reissued by Sub Verse Records in 2001 with a slightly altered track listing. It was his first solo release under the MF Doom moniker after previously performing as Zev Love X in the group KMD. Operation: Doomsday is regarded as one of the most influential albums in independent hip-hop history. Following his debut in the late-1980s, Daniel Dumile, then known as Zev Love X, suffered a series of unfortunate setbacks, including the death of his brother and fellow KMD member DJ Subroc and the subsequent abandonment of the group's second studio album Black Bastards by Elektra Records due to its political message and cover art. After the untimely death of his brother and the disbanding of KMD in 1993, Zev Love X left the hip-hop community and would suffer years of homelessness and despair. Dumile described himself during this period as living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of Manhattan, sleeping on benches". In 1997 he would re-emerge as MF Doom, covering his face at shows and releasing singles on Bobbito Garcia's label Fondle 'Em Records. Operation: Doomsday was produced by Dumile, mostly over a three-week period in which he stayed at DJ Stretch Armstrong's apartment and borrowed his Akai MPC2000 and MPC3000 workstations. Doom incorporated a variety of musical styles onto the album, featuring a mix of 1980s soul and smooth jazz loops with vintage drum breaks.