Take Me To Your Leader

by King Geedorah

King Geedorah - Take Me To Your Leader

Ratings

Music: ★★★★☆ (4.0/5)

Sound: ☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5)

Review

**Take Me To Your Leader: King Geedorah's Monstrous Hip-Hop Masterpiece**

In the vast multiverse of Daniel Dumile's alter egos, King Geedorah stands as perhaps his most conceptually ambitious creation. While MF DOOM was busy perfecting the art of villainous wordplay and Madlib was crafting beats for Madvillain, this three-headed space monster emerged from the depths of underground hip-hop with 2003's "Take Me To Your Leader," an album that feels like it was beamed down from another planet entirely.

The origins of King Geedorah trace back to Dumile's obsession with Japanese kaiju films, particularly the golden age of Toho monster movies. After establishing himself as the metal-faced DOOM, Dumile channeled his love for Ghidorah, the three-headed dragon nemesis of Godzilla, into this new persona. The timing was perfect – this was peak underground DOOM era, when his creative output seemed limitless and his conceptual ambitions knew no bounds. Following the success of "Operation: Doomsday" and preceding the legendary "Madvillainy," "Take Me To Your Leader" arrived as proof that Dumile could inhabit any character and make it compelling.

Musically, the album operates in a unique space within DOOM's catalog. Where his other projects often featured his own production or high-profile collaborations, King Geedorah showcases a more collaborative approach, with beats handled by various producers including Dumile himself. The sound is distinctly more spacious and atmospheric than typical DOOM fare, incorporating sci-fi sound effects, monster movie samples, and otherworldly production that perfectly complements the kaiju concept. It's experimental hip-hop that never forgets to knock hard, blending the abstract with the accessible in ways that only Dumile seemed capable of achieving.

The album's standout tracks read like a greatest hits collection of underground hip-hop gems. "Next Levels" featuring Lil' Sci bursts with kinetic energy, its frantic beat matching the urgency of the lyrics. "The Fine Print" showcases Dumile's ability to weave complex narratives while maintaining his trademark wordplay, while "Fazers" demonstrates the album's more experimental tendencies with its hypnotic, repetitive structure. Perhaps most impressive is "One Smart Nigger," a controversial title that houses some of Dumile's most incisive social commentary, wrapped in the kind of dense metaphorical language that made him a critics' darling.

"Krazy World" stands as the album's emotional centerpiece, featuring a haunting melody that perfectly captures the isolation inherent in the King Geedorah character. Meanwhile, tracks like "Monster Zero" lean heavily into the kaiju concept, with Dumile adopting different vocal personas to represent Geedorah's three heads. It's this commitment to character that elevates the album beyond mere novelty – Dumile fully inhabits this monstrous alter ego, creating a cohesive artistic statement that works both as entertainment and as serious hip-hop artistry.

What makes "Take Me To Your Leader" particularly fascinating is how it functions as both homage and original creation. Dumile's love for Japanese monster movies is evident throughout, but he never lets the concept overshadow the music. Instead, the kaiju framework provides structure for some of his most adventurous work, allowing him to explore themes of alienation, power, and destruction through a fantastical lens.

The album's legacy has only grown stronger with time. While it initially flew under the radar compared to DOOM's more celebrated releases, "Take Me To Your Leader" has gradually been recognized as an essential entry in the Dumile canon. Its influence can be heard in the work of countless underground artists who've attempted their own conceptual projects, though few have matched its seamless blend of high concept and street credibility.

In the broader context of Dumile's career, King Geedorah represents his most successful experiment in character creation outside of DOOM himself. While other aliases like Viktor Vaughn felt more like extensions of his core persona, King Geedorah truly felt like a different artist entirely. The tragic loss of Daniel Dumile in 2020 has only heightened appreciation for projects like this – bold artistic statements that showcased an artist unafraid to follow his creative impulses wherever they might lead.

"Take Me To Your Leader" remains a testament to hip-hop's capacity for reinvention and imagination, a monster movie soundtrack for the underground that continues to

Login to add to your collection and write a review.

User reviews

  • No user reviews yet.