... But no gloom. If you're not a die-hard golden age hip-hop fan like yours truly, you probably never heard of MF Doom (or Doom for the initiated), who passed away recently.
Daniel Dumile was his real name and was a staple of the underground rap circuit for the better part of 4 decades, producing classic track after classic track and even flirting with mainstream recognition from time to time. He had a hard life that one could also feel just listening to his music.
But what was most striking about him, is that he always rejected mainstream recognition, even going out of his way to hide his true identity for the latter part of his career, cultivating mystery and keeping his fans and detractors alike guessing about who he was and what he was going to do next.
This desire to make his own way on his own terms led to him creating one of the most creative, engaging, original, and funny bodies of work in the world of hip hop. His instrumentals sampling old superhero cartoons, Motown, and obscure 1970s kids’ TV shows are amongst the most recognizable out there, a feat in itself given how prolific he was as a producer, on top of his already very full rapping career.
His departure is a great loss for creativity. He was the epitome of the relentlessly creative who does not limit oneself to a particular medium, but just creates, dare I say for the sake of it and of our course our enjoyment.
If there is one thing to learn from him is that carving one's own path may be harder, less lucrative more treacherous and difficult than following norms but it is also more rewarding for both the creator and his followers. There are many good rappers and producers out there, but few with both the breadth and depth that he had as well as the instant recognizability of his work both as a rapper and a producer. Not to mention the outsize influence he's had on generations of rappers, well outside of his underground aura. That's the true marker of how influential he was, in some sense the Zappa of hip hop.
I personally think that these life principles are eminently applicable to design and for designers who aspire to make a difference.