K.M.D.

Heavily influenced by the philosophy of the Five-Percent Nation movement, K.M.D. (Kausing Much Damage) was an underground hip-hop outfit from Long Beach, New York. Formed in 1988 by MCs Daniel “Zev Love X” Dumile, and Dingilizwe “DJ Subrock” Dumile, the group rose to prominence after being featured on 3rd Bass’ 1989 single “The Gas Face.” This caught the attention of Elektra Records, who signed the crew to their roster and released their debut album, Mr. Hood, in 1991. Blending samples from Sesame Street and language learning tapes with themes of racism and black empowerment, the album peaked at Number 67 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and featured fellow Five-Percenters Brand Nubian on the single “Nitty Gritty.” Tragedy ensued in 1993 as DJ Subroc was hit by a car and passed away shortly after, which marked the release of their sophomore effort, Black Bastards, in 1994. Featuring a sambo-like caricature hanging from the gallows in the cover, the album was shelved by Elektra due to its militant, confrontational nature and was later released via Bobbito’s Fondle ‘Em Records in 1998. In the late 90s, Zev Love X rose to prominence as MF Doom, Dumile’s supervillain alter-ego, and enjoyed great critical acclaim through a series of underground cult albums. “True Lightyears,” K.M.D.’s first track in over a decade, was premiered through NPR Music in 2017 and served as a teaser for Crack in Time, an unreleased collection of songs that was put on hold after Dumile’s death in October 2020.