Twitch under fire for shutting down MF DOOM memorial stream

Olivia Richman Published 02/01/2021

Rap veteran Daniel “MF DOOM” Dumile passed away in October. After his wife shared the sad news on December 31, a tribute stream went up on Twitch. But it didn’t last for long.

No cause of death was specified, but the long-time masked rapper’s wife took to Instagram to tell fans that MF DOOM had died. The rapper was known for his intellectual rhymes and social commentary.

“The greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover, and friend I could ever ask for. Thank you for all the things you have shown, taught, and given to me, our children, and our family,” MF DOOM’s wife wrote.

But it wasn’t only family and friends who mourned the passing of the masked icon. Some fans decided to create an MF DOOM tribute stream on Twitch, which simply played some of the rapper’s well-known songs. It was a sad way to end 2020, and fans sought to make the tribute a positive look back at MF DOOM’s legacy. But the tribute stream didn’t last long.

Twitch DMCA controversy continues with MF DOOM tribute takedown

The remembrance stream was cut short when it was hit with a DMCA notice. Twitch has recently been under fire for a sudden influx of DMCA warnings and bans, which led to streamers being punished or permabanned with little to no warning or explanation. Streamers scrambled to delete old clips to avoid having their accounts targeted, but many times it was still too late.

Even though Twitch stated that they would try to offer more clear warnings in the future, the streaming platform was already heavily scrutinized for the continued DMCA crackdown. An innocent tribute stream being taken down has only caused further frustration within the streaming community.

Musician Kenneth Charles Blume III, aka KennyBeats, called out Twitch when he saw the tribute stream get banned while live streaming. KennyBeats called the situation “goofy,” reiterating that it was just a tribute stream.

“That can’t be true. What the fuck,” he ranted to his viewers.

KennyBeat’s sentiment was echoed all over Reddit and Twitter. For many people, it was the first terrible thing to happen in 2021. MF DOOM was an inspiration and source of relatable music for many individuals. To see his tribute stream be shut down due to DMCA was disheartening.

Of course, some people pointed out that the music was copyright protected, even if MF DOOM was an independent artist. While this may be true, many felt that this tribute channel should have been an exception.

One Twitch user joked that the owner of the tribute channel should have flashed himself in order to keep the channel running. This was a jab at Twitch’s inconsistent banning policies, which seems to leave some people without punishment despite instances of nudity when others, such as the tribute channel, are swiftly shut down for more innocent offenses.

Twitch has no public comment about the growing DMCA controversy surrounding the MF DOOM tribute channel.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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