Rhymes Like Dimes
"Rhymes Like Dimes" is a song by British-American rapper MF Doom from his debut studio album Operation: Doomsday (1999). It features DJ Cucumber Slice. Produced by MF Doom himself, it contains a sample of "One Hundred Ways" by Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram.
| "Rhymes Like Dimes" | |
|---|---|
| Song by MF Doom featuring DJ Cucumber Slice | |
| from the album Operation: Doomsday | |
| Released | 19 October 1999 |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Length | 4:18 |
| Label | Fondle 'Em |
| Songwriter(s) | Daniel Dumile |
| Producer(s) | MF Doom |
Background
MF Doom and DJ Cucumber Slice recorded the song in the latter's bedroom. Instead of closing the song with a verse or hook, Doom handed Cucumber Slice a microphone and told him to talk. Slice began saying random, wild combinations of words that came to his mind and laughed. He continued speaking such words and phrases when Doom was not responding. It eventually was included on the finished track, without regard for Slice's part or the audible peak it left.[1]
Composition
The song is built on a synth riff sampled from Greg Phillinganes' solo in "One Hundred Ways", while lyrically MF Doom brags about selling his music the way others deal drugs.[2][3] He laments that "Only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck / And still keep your attitude on self-destruct",[4] and also repeats a verse.[5]
Critical reception
In a review of Operation: Doomsday, Neil Drumming of CMJ New Music Monthly commented that MF Doom "flows in a rambling torrent that wobbles from first to third person and easily merits its own chamber right between RZA's jumble and Raekwon's pasta poetry", citing lyrics from "Rhymes Like Dimes" as an example.[6] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork included the song's "entire-verse hook" as a reason why Operation: Doomsday is "above all else an extremely accessible album."[7]
Uproxx ranked it as the best song by MF Doom,[8] while Paste ranked it as his third best song.[3]
References
- Hagle, Will (March 9, 2023). Madvillain's Madvillainy. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 9781501389245.
- Jenkins, Craig (January 4, 2021). "Hip-Hop Needs No Other Supervillain After MF DOOM". Vulture. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- Russell, Scott (January 8, 2021). "The 25 Best MF DOOM Songs". Paste. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- Caramanica, Jon (August 2000). "KMD: Black Bastards / M.F. Doom: Operation Doomsday". Spin. 16 (8): 152–54. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Rabin, Nathan (26 April 2011). "MF Doom: Operation Doomsday: Lunchbox". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Drumming, Neil (May–June 2001). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 93. p. 85. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- Cohen, Ian (25 April 2011). "MF DOOM: Operation Doomsday". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Williams, Aaron (September 18, 2017). "MF Doom's Ten Best Songs Have Set The Bar For Lyrical, Indie Hip-Hop For 20 Years". Uproxx. Retrieved 31 July 2023.