MF DOOM left us over four years ago, but his enduring legacy and resonance as an artist is only becoming more powerful with time. However, some bumps in the road emerged along the way, including a dispute between his widow Jasmine Thompson and his Stones Throw colleague, Eothen "Egon" Alapatt. Basically, Jasmine claimed that Egon unrightfully purchased 32 of DOOM's notebooks last decade and refused to return them to him, his family, or preserve them otherwise. Fortunately, it seems like they have settled their differences. On the late rap legend's Instagram page, it was announced that Egon will return the notebooks to Jasmine.
Both sides in this MF DOOM notebook debacle issued statements on their confidential settlement. Egon wrote of how close he was with DOOM and how he admired him, emphasizing the need to preserve his "musical genius" and calling this settlement a "triumph" in that mission. He trusts Jasmine to take the lead from here, and she expressed gratitude on behalf of herself and DOOM's family over Egon returning the notebooks and preserving them. She also expressed relief over ending this years-long process, which she said the media sometimes misconstrued among many narratives. Jasmine characterized this resolution as a "step forward in continuing to honor his memory."
Read More: MF Doom's Estate Shares Remixes & Interview Soundbites On 20th Anniversary Edition Of "MM..Food"
Madlib's Egon Lawsuit
Unfortunately for Alapatt, this resolution concerning MF DOOM's notebooks might not absolve the executive of bad blood with Madlib, who formed Madvillain alongside DOOM. He sued Egon for mismanagement and financial impropriety in November of last year, claiming that the former manager screwed him over through various shady business practices. These include general financial mismanagement, "taking a fee off the top" excessively regarding the money off the producer's recorded music, and barring work with "key music business platforms" like Apple Music and YouTube.
As such, we will see how Egon comes out of all this. Speaking of Madvillain, though, MF DOOM and Madlib's first Madvillainy demos are now officially out, and they are a great window into their creative process and into the enduring strength of both their artistries. DOOM's legacy is sadly not his to control anymore, but fans can breathe easy knowing that his notebooks fell into the right hands.
