In 2005, MF Doom and Danger Mouse dropped the legendary cult hip-cop classic collaboration project Dangerdoom. Their lone album, The Mouse & The Mask, saw the producer’s whimsical Adult Swim cartoon-inspired production paired with Doom’s never-ending flow and it’s a touchstone for Doom fans of when his style was at an innovative peak. Doom (neé Daniel Dumile) died in late 2020, leaving a hole in the hearts of hip-hop heads. But on Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s newly released Cheat Codes album, MF Doom delivers a verse from beyond on “Belize” and it has a heavy Dangerdoom vibe.
“Fat rat, the mask made him batty as a mad hatter / Known for his absurd word choices / And will ignore you if you ask him if he heard voices,” Doom raps over Danger Mouses’s cinematic beat. It’s a saucy flow and quite frankly, emotional for anyone who connected with Doom’s music at any point during his storied rap career. It’s a respectful stroke of genius from Danger Mouse, who presumably unearthed this flow from the Dangerdoom sessions. Black Thought tips a cap himself on his verse, spitting, “This something for the shooters and back-and-forth commuters / Who never knew the difference in laws and jurisprudence. I feel as though it’s safe to assume that to the students. And I can prove it to the way me and DOOM do this.”
Listen to “Belize” above.
Cheat Codes is out now via BMG. Hear it here.