It’s been nearly two and a half months since the world learned about the death of MF DOOM. The legendary rapper passed away on Halloween last year, but the news was withheld by his family until New Year’s Eve. The rapper’s legacy became quickly clear, as a number of artists took a moment to share their condolences and thank him for his work. In a recent interview with Inked Magazine, Playboi Carti shared what DOOM’s unique influence on him was, after he referenced him on “Stop Breathing” from his album Whole Lotta Red.
“I had to tell my boy, my best friend, my engineer. He’s the person recording the song, and he didn’t know who MF DOOM was,” he said. “I’m like, you don’t know MF DOOM? You don’t know who this dude is? I had to play songs for him, because he didn’t know who he inspired. The mask! I’m anonymous myself, but he’s king of that.”
Carti added that while their respective sounds are completely different, their refusal to conform to society’s standards was fairly similar. “I don’t have to sound like MF DOOM to be inspired by him,” Carti said. “Nobody can keep a leash on him. Nobody can keep a leash on me. That’s definitely his impact. Even if I didn’t know that at first, I had to look up and think about this sh*t right here—it had already been done.”
You can read the full sit-down with Carti here.