KMD ‘Mr Hood’ 25th Anniversary
Released the same day as De La Soul’s ‘De La Soul is Dead’ (see below) was the debut album from Long Beach trio KMD (a slightly awkward acronym for ‘A positive Kause in a Much Damaged society). A cult classic in its day, the album is best remembered today as the album which launched the rap career of MF Doom, then known as ‘Zev Love X’. Comparable in many ways to output of groups such as De La Soul, ‘Mr Hood’ mixed comedy skits with positive massaging via unorthodox choices of sample material, in particular the character of ‘Mr Hood’ who appears in skits throughout the album constructed from samples of language instruction records.
Sadly ‘Mr Hood’ was the only album released during the group’s active life, the follow up ‘Black Bastards’ having been dropped by Elektra records due to the label’s concerns about its potentially offensive content and imagery. The group’s DJ (and brother of Zev Love X) Subroc died after being hit by a car on the Long Island expressway just days before the group’s deal was brought to an end prompting Zev Love X to retire from rap for around 6 years before finally returning in the guise of MF Doom in 1997. ‘Black Bastards’ finally saw an official release in 2000, some 7 years after it was recorded, although bootleg versions made from the official Elektra promo cassette had been in circulation for some years prior.
There is currently no official stream for the album on Youtube, but you can find a video of the full album here.
[Purchase physical copies / check release details on Discogs here]