jade tree
jade tree
brass villain - A nod to MF DOOM
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brass villain - A nod to MF DOOM

5

Inspiration has a way of circling back when you least expect it. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been immersed in The Chronicles of DOOM by S.H. Fernando Jr., a deep dive into the life and legacy of MF DOOM. Reading it reignited my love for his music—the way he flipped dusty samples, his unpredictable drum patterns, and the sheer genius of his wordplay. DOOM was an architect of sound, bending time and space in his beats and bars, and his influence has always lingered in my own music as jade tree.

While absorbing the book, I found myself digging back into his catalog, rediscovering the raw textures and cinematic worlds he built with sound. That energy made its way into my latest track, brass villain, out February 12. The title itself is a nod to DOOM’s unmistakable brass-heavy production, and I wanted to capture a bit of that spirit—grimy, off-kilter, but still knocking.

A big part of that process was choosing the right sample. I landed on Oh! What a Feeling by Jimmy Ricks and The Ravens—something about the warmth and grit of that recording felt like the perfect foundation. Chopping it up, stretching it, and letting it breathe over thick drums felt like a way to bridge the past and present, much like DOOM did so masterfully.

Beyond the music itself, what has always resonated with me about DOOM is his philosophy: "It don't matter what you look like. None of that shit matters when it comes down to the music... it's all about the skills." His approach was about the work—being in the studio, creating, refining, and staying fully immersed in the craft. That mindset mirrors my own experience learning production—spending every day in the studio, lost in making beats, with no interest in conforming to expectations of how I should be or sound. It’s about taking every opportunity, showing up, and staying in the zone. I deeply relate to MF DOOM’s creative process—focused, intentional, and always about the art itself.

I’m sharing brass villain here with my lovely subscribers first, giving you all an early listen before it drops everywhere on February 12. I love being able to connect with you all through these releases and share more of the stories behind the music.

In the meantime, if you haven’t yet read The Chronicles of DOOM, I highly recommend it. It’s a reminder of why DOOM’s music remains timeless—an endless source of inspiration for beatmakers, storytellers, and sonic architects alike.

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