Perfecting the art of the alter-ego is not for the faint of heart, to hold a character together for a song is hard enough but for an entire album it takes meticulous planning and creative thought. MF DOOM is one to never shy away from a challenge however, and if history tells us anything it’s that if someone can have success with an alter-ego record it’s the KMD member Zev Love X. His critically acclaimed debut Operation: Doomsday was raved about and is considered by many to be an underground classic, so how does Viktor Vaughn fit into the scheme of things? Well, consider it sort of a prequel to the transformation of the legend that is now simply DOOM.
Being extremely busy in 2003 after having already released an album as King Geedorah and his follow-up solo MM..Food soon to be on the way, it’s only natural to expect something lackluster. However this is certainly not the case with Vaudeville Villain. The album opens with an evil cartoon theme on Overture that sets the villainous tone that is perfect for the rhyming style of DOOM. Unlike his previous records, DOOM hands over the production duties to King Honey, Heat Sensor, Max Bill and a memorable appearance by growing underground sensation Rjd2.
“V. Vaughn the travellin’ Vaudeville Villain/who don’t give a flying fuck who ain’t not feelin him.” Is the opening line of the title track and it pretty much forecasts what’s in store; that being a very good record that will be taken for what it is. From a production standpoint this album is stellar from start to finish, as each song seems to weave its way into the next to follow the story of the young intellectual genius Vik Vaughn. Varying in speed and tempo the beats compliment each other perfectly as the transitions are met with humorous explanatory television samples that give the listener a deeper insight into the mind of Vaughn. After the title track the album slows down with the production on Lickupon, The Drop, Lactose and Lechithin, all of which set up the atmosphere for the dark A Dead Mouse.
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The two part Open Mic tracks include a slew of guest like Louis Logic and Lord Sear but are a little hindered by the beat changes. However, on certain parts of these two tracks the production is among the best of the album. The pace is picked up on these joints but is very quickly slowed down on the almost love song Let Me Watch where Apani makes a strong appearance. The highlight of the album comes in an incredibly smooth Rjd2 production called Saliva.Here DOOM claims that; “Vaughn never been a duck or diver/he spit on the mic – yuck saliva.” Rjd2 proves once again why he’s the most talked about producer in the underground scene with a beat that not only mesmerizes but also makes the listener beg for future collaborations. The remarkable story seems to come to a climactic end when Viktor is found frozen in the prelude to G.M.C. The final track features some bouncy production and it’s sure to be a hit. Another alter ego and another excellent release from Daniel Dumile, and with that even Kool Keith would be impressed.
