Before he began calling himself DOOM and rocking a mask, you could find Zev Love X rhyming with Rodan and his brother Subroc as the collective KMD. After a brief introduction via 3rd Bass’ “The Gas Face” video, this video provided an extended look at the pair Dante Ross would describe as “joined at the hip.” MC Serch would later explain that things were deeper than Rap as far as his initial meeting with Zev Love X was concerned.
“I started hanging out in Long Beach and getting to know Zev Love X and his brother Subroc and the Ansaar Allah community and was fasting on Ramadan with them,” Serch said during an interview with GuiltAndPleasure.com.
Take a look at “Peach Fuzz,” and the influence of the Nation of Gods and Earths is prevalent. Brand Nubian make cameos, with Grand Puba Maxwell pretending to do a mean xylophone solo, while Zev shouts out Dr. Malachi York. The track is generally light-hearted, but Zev and Subroc weren’t trying to bite their tongues either.
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“As far as influence of Islam in music or period, we were growing up like in ’92 when everything was ill,” DOOM would later explain in an interview with UrbanSmarts.com. “It started back in the 60’s when people educated us to let us know the strengths that we had as the original men. I can’t see it any other way. It’s part of our history, so of course it’s going to influence us, and during the time we were doing that album (KMD’s “Mr. Hood”) is when we were absorbing all of that.”
Sadly, Subroc was hit by a car and died between the completion of the Mr. Hood album “Peach Fuzz” was featured on and the group’s sophomore set, Black Bastards. Due to label politics, Black Bastards was shelved, and Zev Love X was given his master recordings, a check for $20,000 and his walking papers from Elektra Records.
Zev rechristened himself as MF DOOM (and later, simply DOOM) during stints on Rymesayers, Brick and Sound Ink. His former A&R, producer and sometimes engineer, Ross credits DOOM as “the biggest proponent and the most recognizable figure from the Fat Beats era of post-regular, weirdo Rap.”