KOOL KEITH
After single-handedly redefining "warped" as the mind and mouth behind the Bronx-based Ultramagnetic MCs, "Kool" Keith's lyrical thematics remain as free-flowing here as they ever were with the NY trio, connecting up complex meters with fierce, layers-deep metaphors and veiled criticisms of those who "water down the sound that comes from the ghetto." His own debut single, "Earth People" by Dr. Octagon, was quietly released in late 1995 on the San Francisco-based Bulk Recordings, and the track spread like wildfire through the hip-hop underground, as did the subsequent self-titled full-length released the following year. Featuring internationally renowned DJ Q-Bert (also of the Invisible Skratch Picklz) on turntables, as well as the Automator and DJ Shadow behind the boards, Dr. Octagon's left-field fusion of sound collage, fierce turntable work, and bizarre, impressionistic rapping found audiences in the most unlikely of places, from hardcore hip-hop heads to jaded rock critics. Keith proved he was not averse to cross-genre experimentation and even collaborating with Tricky on a remix of the Trick's Blow Back Album "Evolution Revolution Love Remix" Keith appears on the Multi- Platinum Album Fat Of The Land by Prodigy, as the voice on the hit single "Smack My Bitch Up" and on the track "Diesel Power." Keith's complex weave of associations and shifting references is quite often amazing in its intricacy. The record found its way to the UK-based abstract hip-hop imprint Mo'Wax (for whom Shadow also records) in mid-1996, and was licensed by the label for European release [Mo'Wax also released a DJ-friendly instrumental version of the album titled, appropriately, The Instrumentalyst (Octagon Beats)]. The widespread popularity of the album eventually landed Keith at Geffen splinter Dreamworks in 1997; the label gave Dr. Octagon its third release mid-year, adding a number of bonus cuts.
He comes in many forms and many incarnations, but his style is distinctly his own. Just as there's no mistaking his smooth lyrical delivery and searing hip-hop prose with its underlying edgy beats, there's no denying the incredible force of power that is Kool Keith. Whether as a founding member of the legendary Ultramagnetic MCs, or in the guises of his renegade rap personas that include Dr. Octagon and Dr. Dooom, Keith has established himself as an innovative lyricist whose erudite raps stretch the envelope to the limit while exciting and entertaining the listener. - D.R. Howling
