As mainstream rappers continue to spew couplets about how much swag they’ve accrued and how many shiny gems they can fit into their Franck Muller watches, the reclusive and prolific Doom has gone ahead and dropped the best hip-hop album this year – the aptly titled Born Like This. The new LP is a masterpiece any way you look at it; from the selection of exceptional producers (J Dilla, Jake One, Thom Yorke) to the sharp collection of wordsmiths assembled (Wu-Tang’s Raekwon and Ghostface, Freddie Foxxx, Kurious Jorge). But above all, it’s the Metal-Faced Villain’s amazing, choppy delivery, Ginsu-sharp diction and unrivaled imagination that make his latest opus a certified classic.

Doom’s last two collaboration albums – 2004’s Madvillainy project with producer MadLib and 2005’s The Mouse and The Mask with Danger Mouse – were both heralded as masterworks – but Born Like This stands on a different plateau. “Gazillion Ear” is a fast-moving sonic vehicle that switches instrumentals midstream and boasts vintage-Doom, braggadocio wordplay. “Cellz” conjures thoughts of post-apocalyptic, paranoia with deceased writer/poet Dan Bukowski reading off haunting lines from his poem, “Dinosauria, We.”  And on the spectacular “More Rhymin’” he unleashes a dizzying lyrical barrage that starts off with: “More rhymin’, pure diamonds, poor timin’, tore hymen, Paul Simon tourin’….” – you could take two weeks out of your schedule to decipher what he’s getting at and still be dumbfounded, but therein lies the magic of Doom.

Through 15-plus tracks of creative eccentricity, the forty-something Doom proves that no other emcee/group can match him in the realm of art-hop. And quite honestly, no one even comes close.

Words by Geo Hagan, photos by Cara Pasture