Red 2LP
Released in 2003 as MF DOOM's star was rising into the stratosphere, Take Me to Your Leader finds the Metal Faced Supervillain going by his Monsta Island Czar alias and recording for the envelope-pushing U.K. label Big Dada. It was his second solo album: following Operation: Doomsday but before Vaudeville Villain , Mm...Food, and Madvillain. Produced entirely by DOOM himself, it's got all his signature characteristics: absurdly catchy loop-driven beats culled from a wide variety of genres, big and chunky beats, dizzying tempo changes, bizarro Godzilla dialogue samples, and gruff but clever wordplay delivered in a husky flow and liberally peppered with random pop culture references. The featured guests (Kurious, Scienz of Life, Grimm, Rodan, Trunks, Hassan Chops, Mr. Fantastik, and Gigan) are all impressive. But it's still DOOM's show, and he delivers one of the best albums in his lengthy discography. There's not a weak track here, but "Fastlane," "Next Levels," "Anti-Matter," and "Fazers" are especially fresh.
