BBC Sounds: Podcast series explores New York rapper MF DOOM's final years in Leeds
The story of a New York hip hop icon living out his final years in Yorkshire is one of four podcast series released soon on BBC Sounds.
MF DOOM: Long Island to Leeds is out on Tuesday, February 10, charting the journey of a musician who had six solo albums during a two-decade career, enjoying collaborations with Damon Albarn's Gorillaz, DJ Danger Mouse, Ghostface Killah, Flying Lotus, The Avalanches and Radiohead.
The rapper, real name Dumile Daniel Thompson, died aged 49 in October 2020 at St James's Hospital in Leeds.
Across five episodes, BBC 6 Music DJ AFRODEUTSCHE and Adam Batty tell the story of how the artist found himself living in “relative obscurity in the north of England”, with the help of guest appearances from well-known fans and contemporaries such as Romesh Ranganathan and MC Paul Barman.
The other three other BBC Sounds Audio Lab.podcasts are So Loud In Here!, Made in China and Judged – A Mother’s Love. They are an exploration of the impact of noise in everyday life for neurodivergent people, the experience of being a transracial adoptee from China and the extraordinary stories of “mothers facing impossible choices,” says the BBC.
Chosen from hundreds of applicants, four creators spent seven months immersed in a BBC accelerator programme backed by a “comprehensive package of practical and professional training”, embedded with one of Audio Lab’s production partners across the UK, to transform their ideas into a set of podcasts for BBC Sounds.
Khaliq Meer, Commissioning Executive for BBC Sounds Audio Lab, says: “It’s an absolute privilege to share the finished titles of another brilliant set of BBC Sounds Audio Lab creators.
"With expert guidance from our production partners, they’ve produced deeply thoughtful, creatively adventurous and seriously relevant UK podcasts that you can’t hear anywhere else.
"All four series deliver fresh formats, are hugely informative and are beautifully sound designed,” he said.
"I look forward to you following in the footsteps of the Sounds Audio Lab alumni – winning next-level roles and accolades in the weeks and months ahead.”