More than eight months after his death at the age of 49, it looks like MF DOOM will soon have a street in his hometown renamed in his honor.
Speaking with HipHopDX today (July 7), Dr. Patrick C. Graham, who launched a petition to have a Long Beach, N.Y. street named after the late rapper, reports that the city council has approved of the idea. Soon, East Hudson Street’s block between Riverside Boulevard and Long Beach Road will be called KMD-MF DOOM Way.
Dr. Graham says it was the KMD-MF DOOM Way Committee that asked him to start the petition. After he launched the petition four months ago, it’s now gotten extremely close to its goal of 10,000 signatures. Currently, the total sits at over 9,600, though it didn’t need to reach 10,000 for the council to approve the street renaming.
Dr. Graham, who went to high school with the rapper born Daniel Dumile, is satisfied with the outcome.
“I’m just happy this is happening because it’s not only a victory for Dumile’s legacy, but it’s also about showing that community our generation,” Dr. Graham tells the site. “It is a way for people to see a symbol of our generation and our impact, particularly in a community that’s gentrifying pretty fast.”
With his penchant for deft wordplay and his enigmatic persona, Doom was a beloved member of the hip hop community. He died on Oct. 31, but it wasn’t announced until exactly two months later. Doom’s wife announced it through his Instagram account on Dec. 31.
Reflecting on DOOM’s legacy, Dr. Graham marvels at the rapper’s accomplishment’s while lamenting the brevity of his life.
“DOOM represents a brand of sort of metamorphosis over time, just like Malcolm X,” Dr. Graham says. “That’s what his life was in a very short time. Like many before, our stars take off like rockets and fall and disappear just as quick as they came. That’s the sad part, but it’s also what makes them so great that they do things so young.”