The album is composed almost entirely of raps by MF DOOM, performed over beats created by Danger Mouse sampling music from various television shows airing on Cartoon Network's programming blockAdult Swim. The album was heavily promoted by the network prior to its release. "Sofa King" was released as a 12-inch single on November 4, 2005 and was followed by "Old School" on July 10, 2006. A video for "A.T.H.F." has also been made. Comedian Dave Chappelle created an iTunesCelebrity Playlist and selected the Danger Doom track "Mince Meat" for his Block Party Picks. He stated, "Two very consistently good artists collaborate to make my head nod. DOOM, Mouse - Thank You. Wherever you are, nice album." MF DOOM mentions Chappelle in the song "Peoples, Places, and Things". DOOM says "Rap cats at brave as hell/Get on the mic and turn 'Gangsta!' on some 'yeah, see' like Dave Chappelle." in reference to a bit Chappelle performed in his stand up "Killin' Them Softly". MF DOOM disses MF Grimm in this album by referring to the Monsta Island Czars as 'Midgets Into Crunk' in the song "El Chupa Nibre". Grimm responded by releasing an entire DOOM diss track, entitled "Book of Daniel", in which he mainly accuses Doom of having sold out. "Old School" features a mix of Keith Mansfield's song "Funky Fanfare," and "Space Ho's" sample Mansfield's "Morning Broadway." The rap that Meatwad performs at the end of "Bada Bing" is a verse from "Beef Rapp", the first song on MF DOOM's album MM..Food. As of November 6, 2008 the album has sold 170,081 copies.
Reception
The Mouse and the Mask was well received by critics, scoring 81 out of 100 on the review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". Spin ranked it 25 on their "40 Best Albums Of 2005", and said that "together, these two dudes are more animated than the cartoon characters who pop up on this disc.". Entertainment Weekly gave it an A-, calling it a "hip-hop tour-de-farce". Magnet said "wading deep into hip hop's rich history, they deliver a record that conjures the classics without sounding willfully retro". The Wire called it " frenetic comedy both above and of a kind with its fratboy origins, admirably absurdist in some respects and coolly demented in others" and Vibe similarly said " headphone-friendly soundtrack... deliciously demented narratives." Mojo gave it 3 out of 5 stars, noting "the stoned, late-night hilarity is grounded by some deft soundtrack-funk production from Dangermouse..."
