Tired of your Spotify playlists? The Purbalite is here to help with our Essential Listening series.
The Mouse & The Mask is a 2005 album by Danger Doom, a collaboration between MF Doom and Danger Mouse that makes heavy use of sounds from Adult Swim TV shows such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
This album is celebrated for its incredible use of samples, the unique beats, and the masterful rapping consistently provided by MF Doom. The beats were created perfectly and blended well with Doom’s voice.
Fans of cartoons and rap have likely already heard of MF Doom, and in the 2000s, Danger Mouse was an elite producer. The combination of these two, with Adult Swim clearing the large amount of samples, makes The Mouse & The Mask an album that blends multiple streams of media at their best.
The best songs on this record include “Benzi Box” and “Crosshairs.”
A frequent collaborator of MF Doom was Madlib, who provided a remix on the album. It is unlikely that an album like this could ever be created again due to the talent and samples present.
All in all, fans of hip-hop and Adult Swim will love this unique album, as it is something that is so filled with trends from its time and the unmistakable vibe of the early 2000s.