Born Like This

Born Like This
A stone or concrete rendition of the modern MF DOOM mask, facing a stone with abstract symbols etched into it.
Studio album by
Doom
ReleasedMarch 24, 2009 (2009-03-24)
GenreHip hop
Length40:34
LabelLex
Producer
MF Doom chronology
Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix
(2008) 		Born Like This
(2009) 		Unexpected Guests
(2009)
Singles from Born Like This
  1. "Gazzillion Ear"
    Released: January 2010

Born Like This is the sixth and final solo studio album by British-American rapper/producer MF Doom. It was released under the pseudonym "Doom" on March 24, 2009 through Lex Records. It debuted at number 52 on the Billboard 200 chart, having sold 10,895 copies as of March 29, 2009.[1] In addition to tracks produced by MF Doom, the album includes production by frequent collaborator Madlib, as well as J Dilla. The album title is borrowed from Charles Bukowski's poem "Dinosauria, We", which employs it as a cadence. The track "Cellz" opens with a sampled recording of Bukowski reading the poem.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The A.V. ClubA−[5]
Consequence of SoundA−[6]
Drowned in Sound7/10[7]
HipHopDX3.5/5[8]
The Observer[9]
Paste76/100[10]
Pitchfork8.0/10[11]
Slant Magazine[12]
URB[13]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Born Like This received an average score of 77% based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3]

Born Like This ranked at number 4 on The Skinny's "2009: A Year in Records" list.[14] Pitchfork included it in their best albums of 2009, placing it at number 48.[15]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Supervillain Intro"
0:54
2."Gazzillion Ear"
J Dilla4:12
3."Ballskin"DumileJake One1:30
4."Yessir!" (featuring Raekwon)DumileMF Doom2:34
5."Absolutely"
Madlib2:43
6."Rap Ambush"DumileJake One1:28
7."Lightworks"
J Dilla1:52
8."Batty Boyz"DumileMF Doom3:16
9."Angelz" (featuring Tony Starks)DumileMF Doom3:07
10."Cellz"
  • Dumile
  • Littler
  • MF Doom
  • Mr. Chop
4:21
11."Still Dope" (featuring Empress Stahhr tha Femcee)DumileMF Doom2:40
12."Microwave Mayo"DumileJake One2:26
13."More Rhymin'"DumileJake One1:39
14."That's That"
MF Doom2:15
15."Supervillainz" (featuring Kurious, Mobonix, Posdnous, Prince Paul & Slug)
  • MF Doom
  • Mr. Chop
2:49
16."Bumpy's Message" (featuring Bumpy Knuckles)
  • Dumile
  • Littler
  • Daley
  • MF Doom
  • Mr. Chop
1:36
17."Thank Yah"DumileMF Doom1:14
Total length:40:34

Sample credits and additional notes

Personnel

  • Mr. Chop – additional instruments (1, 10, 15–16)
  • Paloma Faith (aka “Cat-Girl”) – additional vocals (1–2, 9)
  • G Koop – keyboards, guitar, bass (3, 6, 12–13)
  • Posdnuos (aka P-Pain) – additional vocals (1, 15)
  • Prince Paul (aka Filthy Pablo) – additional vocals (15)
  • Raekwon – additional vocals (9)

Charts

Chart performance for Born Like This
Chart (2009) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[18] 52
US Billboard Independent Albums[19] 5
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[20] 29
US Billboard Rap Albums[21] 9

Cover art

The album cover shows a MF DOOM mask looking at a stone with text that decodes to “Doom born like this, dying because of this” in the English language.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Paine, Jake (1 April 2009). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/29/2009". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  2. ^ “Dinosauria, We” by Charles Bukowski Archived June 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Born Like This". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  4. ^ Forget, Tom. "Doom / MF Doom – Born like This". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  5. ^ Rabin, Nathan (31 March 2009). "Doom: Born Like This". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  6. ^ Kivel, Adam (3 April 2009). "MF Doom – Born Like This". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  7. ^ Slater, Luke (2 April 2009). "Doom – BORN LIKE THIS". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  8. ^ J-23 (26 March 2009). "Doom – BORN LIKE THIS". HipHopDX. Retrieved 22 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Yates, Steve (14 March 2009). "Doom, Born Like This". The Observer. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  10. ^ a b Emerson, Austin (24 March 2012). "Doom: Born Like This". Paste. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  11. ^ a b Patrin, Nate (6 April 2009). "Doom: Born Like This". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  12. ^ a b McBee, Wilson (23 March 2009). "Doom – Born Like This". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  13. ^ Meredith, Ben. "Doom :: Born Like This". URB. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  14. ^ "2009: A Year in Records (#2–10)". The Skinny. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  15. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2009 (1/5)". Pitchfork. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  16. ^ a b Kenner, Rob. "J Dilla...The Afterlife". Complex. February 7, 2016. http://www.complex.com/music/2016/02/j-dilla-essentials-guide-the-afterlife/posthumous-tracks
  17. ^ a b AbduSalaam, Ismael. "MF Doom: Born Like This...". All HipHop. March 31, 2009. https://allhiphop.com/2009/03/31/mf-Doom-born-like-this-album-review/
  18. ^ "MF Doom – Chart history – Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  19. ^ "MF Doom – Chart history – Independent Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  20. ^ "MF Doom – Chart history – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  21. ^ "MF Doom – Chart history – Rap Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.