Name: Black Bastards
Brand: KMD

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

RSE363lp-C1

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

{"time": 1675745324198, "blocks": [], "version": "2.26.4"}

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: Yes

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2023-03-31

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Secre­tly

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

826257036377

Total Cap

Red LPx2

RSE363lp

Black

Extended format: No

826257036315

Black LPx3

Artist

Genre US

Hip Hop

Label US

Metal Face Records

KMD, an acronym first for Kausin' Much Damage and then Kause in a Much Damaged Society, was a hip hop group formed in the late 1980's by brothers Daniel Dumile Thompson (Zev Love X) and Dingilizwe Dumile (Subroc), along with Onyx The Birthstone Kid. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when Subroc passed away in 1994 while the group was working on their second album, Bl_ck-B_st_rds. As a result of this loss and being dropped by Elektra, Zev Love X withdrew from the industry only to reemerge later as MF Doom.
KMD initially gained recognition for their unique style and socially conscious lyrics. Their debut album Mr. Hood received critical acclaim for its innovative sound and thought-provoking themes. However, after the untimely death of Subroc, KMD faced significant setbacks that ultimately led to their disbandment.
Despite these challenges, Zev Love X persevered through his grief and reinvented himself as MF Doom. Under this new persona, he continued to push boundaries within the hip hop genre with his intricate wordplay and distinctive production style. Today, both KMD's early work and MF Doom's solo career are celebrated as influential contributions to hip hop culture.

Before MF DOOM donned his mask and became one of the most prolific&nbsp;MC-producers of modern Hip-Hop, he was a member of&nbsp;KMD, an early ‘90s&nbsp;rap group whose work still goes criminally under-appreciated to this day.&nbsp;Following their 1991 debut album,&nbsp;Mr. Hood, the former trio shed one&nbsp;member leaving only two remaining – Subroc and his brother, Zev Love X&nbsp;(better known today as MF DOOM). Originally scheduled for release in 1994,&nbsp;their sophomore album&nbsp;Black Bastards&nbsp;showed clear progression from their&nbsp;debut. It was a truly amazing record, both sonically and lyrically, full of&nbsp;youthful creativity and tinged with the stresses of growing up as Black men&nbsp;in urban America. Songs like the lead single “What A N*gga Know”, the&nbsp;slippery, bass-driven “Get U Now”, and the album’s title track explore Black&nbsp;consciousness viewed through young-but-experienced eyes. Musically&nbsp;alternating between bouncy and raw – many times both, concurrently – the&nbsp;tracks gave the MC’s the springboard they needed to express themselves&nbsp;clearly.&nbsp;Sadly, Subroc would face a sudden and untimely death in 1993, just as the&nbsp;duo were finishing the album. Grief-stricken, his brother Zev Love X – now&nbsp;the sole remaining member of the group – was determined to carry the&nbsp;legacy of KMD onward, but Elektra Records unceremoniously shelved the&nbsp;project in the eleventh hour, due to controversy surrounding the album’s&nbsp;provocative cover art. Following the fallout with Elektra, Zev tried for years to&nbsp;release the album on other labels, but he was continually met with dead&nbsp;ends. Struggling through the pain of losing his brother, coupled with the&nbsp;inability to release their final project together, a discouraged Zev Love X&nbsp;quietly withdrew from the scene and began quietly plotting his revenge on an&nbsp;industry that had broken him spiritually. Thus, in order to understand the true&nbsp;origin story of the super-villain, MF DOOM, one must recognize and&nbsp;appreciate the evolution of his former group, KMD, and the backstory of their&nbsp;pivotal album,&nbsp;Black Bastards.

Black Bastards

Music US