Czarface and MF DOOM’s Break in the Action: DOOM’s Final Strike

Czarface and MF DOOM is one of my favourite hip hop side groups. You combined MF DOOM, Inspectah Deck from Wu – Tang Clan and comic book references into some of the most unique hip hop out there. Their first collab record came with Czarface Meets Metal Face in 2018, which was a product of a MF DOOM guest appearance on the track Ka-Bang! in 2015. However, when MF DOOM passed away it left a hole in hip hop and Czarface delayed this record, Super What?, since April 2020. This delay was partly due to COVID, but also partly due to the impact of DOOM’s death. Much of this record is a tribute to DOOM and his artistic contribution to the group. Baring any deep cut tracks not accounted for, this may be the last recorded work by DOOM.

Like all of Czarface’s work with MF DOOM, this track has a sick beat. There is a mix of Harlem jazz with a tight snare, which gives the track a wonderful flow. You can get lost in this track as it flows over you like honey. Furthermore, there are classic Czarface sample drops from media that sounds like a sound bar from 1950s cartoons. I have always enjoyed the production work on Czarface’s rercords and the mix of jazz, snare, bass and 8bit drops really works here. It both showcases the immense hip hop talent on this record, while also highlighting that we are here to have fun. I love the musical complexity and playfulness in this track.

Speaking of playfulness, the verses on show here feel like a group of guys freestlying at a comic book store. References to Jedi tricks, Black Adam, Cobra Kai and rude boys is just a ton of fun. Part of my Czarface MF DOOM love is seeing what they come up with next. MF DOOM’s unconventional verses and delivery mixed with Deck’s endless comic and pop culture references is a pure joy. You can just sit back and admire pure rhyming. It is like they are picking words out of a hat and the challenge is to see who can make the most interesting rhyme. Listening to DOOM and Deck flow is the essence of what we love about hip hop, which is two artists trying to outdo each other.

If this is the last of MF DOOM’s studio recordings, Break in the Action shows how Czarface was able to bring out his best. This entire record is the personification of the sum is greater than its parts. Czarface and MF DOOM play so well off each other that the record becomes a monument to friendship and a fitting tribute to one of the most unique rappers to ever take on the game.

Listen to Break in the Action