When Madlib, one of the most respected beat-makers in hip-hop, announced his new solo album last month, he didn’t imagine he’d be grieving his most famous collaborator soon after. On New Year’s Eve, he was at home in lockdown, like music fans all over the world, staring at the internet in disbelief at the news of the death of MF Doom, one of rap’s most prodigal forces. Doom’s wife revealed on Instagram that the masked rapper had passed away two months earlier.

“I still don’t believe it,” says the producer, real name Otis Jackson Jr, from his home in Los Angeles. He described Doom as “a brother, a guy that took time to hang out, call me all the time” but also “king of the beats”, the “Muhammad Ali” of hip-hop whose rhyming skills are hugely influential. “Everybody’s still learning off of him,” he adds. He is glad his late contemporary is posthumously getting the recognition he deserves. “Last week I saw five of Doom’s albums on the top charts, and it’s sad to say but that wouldn’t happen if he was here.”

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