MF DOOM: Rare Backstage Footage from Manchester, 2011
On 11 June 2011, MF DOOM appeared at Manchester's Parklife Weekender. Moments before taking to the Now Wave stage, Strategy captured a rare backstage moment with one of underground hip-hop's most distinctive figures.
Wearing his signature metal mask and carrying an MF DOOM lunchbox, DOOM can be seen waiting backstage before taking the microphone and making his way up the ramp, greeted by the sound of the crowd.
Born in London and raised in New York, Daniel Dumile first emerged as Zev Love X in KMD alongside his younger brother DJ Subroc. Following Subroc's death in 1993 and the shelving of KMD's second album, Black Bastards, Dumile stepped away from the music industry before returning as MF DOOM, the masked supervillain who would become one of hip-hop's most celebrated underground artists.
His catalogue, including Operation: Doomsday, MM..FOOD and Madvillainy with Madlib, helped establish a legacy built on extraordinary lyricism, inventive production and a fiercely individual approach to music.
Less widely known is DOOM's connection to the UK. In 2010, after spending most of his life in America, he was refused re-entry to the United States following an overseas tour. He subsequently settled in Britain, continuing to record and perform.
DOOM died in Leeds on 31 October 2020, aged 49. His death was announced on New Year's Eve.
The original footage, filmed by Strategy at Parklife Weekender in Manchester, is presented here as part of Conduct Magazine's archival series.
Original footage: Strategy / Conduct Magazine
