Born Daniel Dumile, MF Doom built a cult following with his wordplay and comic-book style. He died in October, a statement shared by his record label said.<\/b>
\nDaniel Dumile, the masked rapper who performed as MF Doom and built a lasting underground fan base with his offbeat wordplay and comic-book persona, died on Oct.31, a statement from his family said on Thursday. He was 49. The rapper\u2019s record label, Rhymesayers, provided the statement, signed by Mr. Dumile\u2019s wife, Jasmine. The label did not provide details on a cause of death or why the information was being shared two months later. Over six solo albums released between 1999 and 2009 and five collaborative LPs (with Madlib and Danger Mouse, among others) between 2004 and 2018, Mr. Dumile honed a style that was intricate and imaginative, calling on both esoteric and lowbrow references as well as cartoonish imagery in lyrics that could be poignantly emotional. Born in London and raised on Long Island, Mr. Dumile grew up steeped in early hip-hop influences. He debuted in 1989 on the 3rd Bass track \u201cThe Gas Face\u201d with a standout cameo that helped him get a record deal for his own group, KMD, in which he rapped as Zev Love X. The act included his brother, Dingilizwe, who performed under the name DJ Subroc, and its first album, \u201cMr. Hood,\u201d arrived in 1991 on the major label Elektra. During the recording of KMD\u2019s second album, \u201cBlack Bastards,\u201d Subroc was killed in a car accident, and the label later declined to release the record. Mr. Dumile went underground, vanishing from the entertainment business, but continuing to work on music privately while he raised his son. He resurfaced in 1997 with the single \u201cDead Bent,\u201d his first song under the name Metal Face Doom. (The persona was a nod to the Marvel villain Doctor Doom.) Around the time of the release of the album \u201cOperation: Doomsday\u201d in 1999, which featured a masked character on its cover, he began hiding his face in public, at first with a stocking mask, and later with the metal one that became his signature. In a 2009 interview in The New Yorker, Mr. Dumile said the mask became necessary as he made the leap from the studio to the stage. \u201cI wanted to get onstage and orate, without people thinking about the normal things people think about,\u201d he said. \u201cA visual always brings a first impression. But if there\u2019s going to be a first impression I might as well use it to control the story. So why not do something like throw a mask on?\u201d Once an underground cult figure, Mr. Dumile\u2019s albums in the mid-aughts launched him to greater fame. \u201cMadvillainy,\u201d which arrived in 2004 with the producer Madlib, was a breakthrough. \u201cHe delivers long, free-associative verses full of sideways leaps and unexpected twists,\u201d the pop music critic Kelefa Sanneh wrote in The New York Times, reviewing a 2004 concert. \u201cYou think you know where he\u2019s heading and what each sentence will mean when it ends. Then it bends.\u201d Released in the same year, his album \u201cMM.. FOOD“ (an anagram of his stage name), included tracks like \u201cGumbo,\u201d \u201cKon Queso\u201d and \u201cKon Karne.\u201d In rapping about the seemingly mundane topic of food with goofiness and wit, Mr. Dumile told Spin in 2004 that he was \u201cshowing respect for human life.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m more like a writer dude rather than a freestyler,\u201d Mr. Dumile told The Chicago Tribune that same year. \u201cI like to design my stuff, and I consider myself an author.\u201d Mr. Dumile rapped under different personas, and later became known for sending impostors out onstage to perform for fans; in his trademark metal mask, it was difficult to know the difference. The body doubles often disappointed fans but sparked viral moments online, like when an apparent MF Doom drop-in at a concert turned out to be the comedian Hannibal Buress. In 2017, Mr. Dumile announced on social media that his son, King Malachi Ezekiel Dumile, had died at 14. Information on survivors was not immediately available.<\/p>\n