Super What＜Black & White Vinyl＞

Rap supergroup Czarface recorded a second album with the elusive MF DOOM in April of 2020, and originally wanted to put it out right away, but decided to hold off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After making some adjustments and finalizing the album, DOOM passed away on October 31; his unexpected death was announced to the world two months later. The album eventually appeared the following May, making it DOOMs first posthumous release (not counting a single with BadBadNotGood recorded for Grand Theft Auto, which surfaced in December). DOOM seems more engaged on this release than on 2018s Czarface Meets Metal Face, and his verses are brief, filled with the type of dense, cunning wordplay hes always been known for. His appearances on DOOM Unto Others, Mando Calrissian (with the chilling line So imminent you can hear death), and Break in the Action are particularly worth the repeated rewinds. Aside from the bittersweet presence of the late super-villain, the album is as fun and enjoyable as Czarfaces other releases, especially if you geek out on comics and Saturday morning cartoons as much as they do. Esoteric and Inspectah Deck trade sharp rhymes which reference everything from Radiohead to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and 7Ls booming beats are filled with rapid-fire samples and occasionally stuttering, DOOM-like drums. Opening track The King and Eye features a cameo from D.M.C. (yes, of Run-D.M.C.), a life-long comic fiend who bigs up Stan Lee and compares himself to Black Panther. Del the Funky Homosapien slides neatly into the Czarface universe on Jason & the Czargonauts, during which Esoteric reminds us that the albums creators wore masks years before the pandemic started. Super What? is another worthwhile issue of the Czarface saga, and a fond farewell to DOOM. ~ Paul Simpson