MF DOOM’s Metalface Records to reissue KMD’s ‘Black Bastards’ for its 30th anniversary
MF DOOM’s Metalface Records is set to reissue KMD’s ‘Black Bastards’ in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
‘Black Bastards’ was first recorded in 1993 and served as the second album by the rap collective, which then consisted of DOOM (under former moniker Zev Love X) and his brother DJ Subroc. The new vinyl reissue honours the year that ‘Black Bastards’ was recorded, given that its release was stalled following Subroc’s death in 1993.
Around the same time, KMD’s label, Elektra Records, pushed the release of ‘Black Bastards’ back to 2000 due to its controversial lyrics and cover art. The 30-year reissue will be available on March 31 through DOOM’s label Metalface Records and Rhymesayers Entertainment. It can be purchased in either red or black vinyl, both of which feature an expanded gatefold.
The ‘Black Bastards’ reissue coincides with the vinyl rerelease of ‘Operation: Doomsday’, DOOM’s debut album, which celebrates its 24th anniversary this year. That reissue will likewise hit record stores on March 31. Both anniversaries are further celebrated by the release of exclusive apparel – including beanies, hats and shirts – which can be accessed alongside album pre-orders via DOOM’s official website.
‘Black Bastards’ served as the follow-up to KMD’s 1991 debut ‘Mr. Hood’. The latter album featured guest verses by the likes of Cucumber Slice, Kurious, and longtime DOOM collaborator MF Grimm. DOOM’s last project, a posthumous collaborative album with Czarface titled ‘Super What?’, arrived in 2021, and was described by NME as a “short, loose, fun record” in a three-star review.
In December, Barack Obama named the DOOM-assisted ‘Belize’ (by Danger Mouse and Black Thought) among his favourite tracks of 2022. Elsewhere, the rapper will be the subject of The Chronicles of DOOM: Unraveling Rap’s Masked Iconoclast, an extensive biography set to hit bookshelves in 2024.
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Tom Disalvo
NME
