Recently, there was a tribute concert held for rapper MF DOOM at Tyler, The Creator’s music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw. Though I was not in attendance, my YouTube feed recommended me a visual and audio recording of the set for the tribute concert. I will admit that I am not the biggest DOOM fan, I know all of his most popular songs and a few b-sides here and there; however, this concert captivated me so much that I sat down and watched all 55 minutes of footage, and I am sure it will have a similar effect on you all.

As far as the quality of the concert goes, it is impeccable. Madlib, a long-time DOOM collaborator (they even made an album together as a duo called Madvillain) alongside the Metalface Orchestra conducted by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, deliver a truly beautiful performance of DOOM’s songs with a live orchestra and band over isolated verses from DOOM. Throughout the course of the set, you can hear the excitement and joy from the crowd as they cheer when the components of DOOM’s instantly recognizable beats begin to sync up to form the beat itself. It’s electrifying. On top of the raw beauty of the instrumentation, there are other highlights for this concert. Daedalus, the original accordion player for the song sampled in the DOOM track “Accordion,” appears on stage to perform his now-famous accordion notes for the live rendition of “Accordion” in a poetic full-circle moment. In the band, there’s a musical giant on the drums in the form of Karriem Riggins, a world-class drummer who has worked with Paul McCartney, Erykah Badu, and extensively with J Dilla (who was also a friend of DOOM’s as well). There is even a special appearance by a person mentioned in the last sentence: Erykah Badu. During the track “Doomsday,” Badu comes out to sing the sampled part from Sade’s “Kiss of Life,” bestowing a legendary moment of homage from one great musician to another. Plus, she sounds great! I think that there is only one word I can use to describe this DOOM tribute concert: goosebumps.

Musicality aside, there is something else I believe to be significant about this tribute concert. In the wake of AI used to resemble dead artists’ likeness and deceased artists’ estates using their image to push half-baked products and music, there is a sense of desensitization and manipulation in the air surrounding these artists and ultimately, the humans they were before they passed. Just recently, we have seen Juice WRLD’s estate put together an album of unfinished songs unintended for release complete with a horrendous album cover that Juice himself would have never chosen–not only is it heartbreaking, it is disgusting. Yet, in the context of all this blatant manipulation, FM MOOD stands out as a demonstration of humanity by those near and dear to DOOM himself, and spectators cannot help but feel that genuineness. This concert is an example of what it means to be human, to lose someone you love, and how to honor their legacy after they are gone. I am confident that DOOM heard their emotive sounds in whatever afterlife he is in and bobbed his head to their rhythms. Rest in power, DOOM.

I have attached the link to the concert below! Additionally, if you are interested in another example of a deceased artist’s legacy being handled properly, I would recommend you look into Mac Miller’s estate and their handling of his posthumous albums!