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MF Doom Explains How the Movie ‘Gladiator’ Helped Him With His Signature Mask in Throwback Interview

MF DOOM revealed how an iconic Russell Crowe film inspired his iconic mask and why he liked to rap as characters so much.

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Arguably, the most ubiquitous part of MF DOOM is his infamous mask. It has become an iconic symbol within hip-hop, a beacon of what the underground was for a long time. Any rap nerd has the Madvillainy album cover with his face on it burned into their memory. But where did it all come from? Why did he decide to wear a mask in the first place?

In an interview with journalist David Ma, the rapper born Daniel Dumile explained that DOOM was just another character he created, another perspective from which he could rap. “The DOOM thing is to be able to come at things with a different point of view. I decided the mask would just add to the mystique of the character as well as make DOOM stand out. I thought it’d be an easy way for people to see and differentiate between characters, sorta like when an actor gains weight for a role,” MF DOOM explained. “Throwing on the mask was just a good way to switch it up. King Geedorah and [Viktor Vaughn] are characters too, for example.”

But where did the mask come from, exactly? It seems like we can thank Russell Crowe for donning the mask before we even knew DOOM.

MF DOOM Revealed That His Mask Came From The Movie ‘Gladiator’

“You know the movie Gladiator? Well, around that time, they started selling these ‘gladiator masks’ that were replicas from the movie. So, what it was is that a friend of mine told me he saw this mask that would be perfect for the DOOM character. I trusted him, even though it was kinda expensive,” MF DOOM laughed.

Then his friend altered it so it could be worn comfortably rather than kept as a display piece. From there, they turned it chrome, added a ruby, and the DOOM mask was born. It was this character creation that separated him from the rest of the pack. He explained to the journalist that everyone in hip-hop had visions of being a star from their own story. Ultimately, he found it way more compelling to sell something else entirely, without coming off as fake.

“Hip-hop is so saturated with the same old same old that people always expect the guy to actually be the guy,” MF DOOM said. “They want you to be real and straight from the streets and all that. I make hip-hop, but use DOOM as a character to convey stories that a normal dude can’t. You have writers that write about crazy characters but that doesn’t mean the writer himself is crazy. DOOM is evil, let’s not forget that, but that doesn’t mean I’m evil [laughs].”

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