Kool Keith Albums (15)
'The Return of Dr. Octagon'
Release Date 6/27/2006
Tracks 14
Label OCD
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What The Critics Say
Despite rumors that one of the few MCs to have taken the Hippocratic Oath had met his demise (in the opening track on the 1999 Dr. Dooom -- another Kool Keith creation -- album First Come, First Served), Dr. Octagon was, in fact, alive and though the actual events were unclear (they always are with aliens), while the Doctor was away, his unauthorized clones began moving throughout the galaxy with the purpose of destroying each world in it. (This entire story was revealed in an eight-episode online comic that marked the eight weeks prior to the release of the new album.) The clones were apparently controlled by a giant gorilla with malicious intentions, and it was only a matter of time until his pursuit to obliterate the universe and Dr. Octagon led him to our own planet. Simultaneously, but equally as grave, Earth's inhabitants were systematically destroying themselves with bad music. We desperately needed a savior! Luckily, not only was Dr. Octagon ready and willing, but this time -- unlike in Dr. Octagonecologyst, when the MC's concern was more on the "health" of the female body -- The Return of Dr. Octagon finds someone who's matured somewhat, whose focus has broadened, and who's truly worried about the state of humankind, both physically and musically; in short, someone who could truly save the world.What propels Dr. Octagon and his new album to the ranks of superhero isn't just the MC's new topical focus. It's the beats. Dr. Octagonecologyst showcased the sparse, slightly eerie work of Dan the Automator, leading to numerous collaborations and projects for the producer, and though assuredly Mr. Nakamura would have done a fantastic job again, Keith went with the three-man team One Watt Sun, who truly make the album erupt in crackling, electrified explosions of keyboards, processed guitars, horns, and turntables, knocking politely and then shoving its way into pop, dirty blues, rock, and R&B. There are few samples -- much is produced organically -- and the themes twist through and out of each other like dervishes wildly reaching some kind of esoteric, exalted spiritual plane. Lyrically, the album is as creative and innovative as what you would expect from someone who wrote a song called "Halfsharkalligatorhalfman," and it generally sticks to the motives for Dr. Octagon's return as the songs' themes. There are aliens, of course, like in "A Gorilla Driving a Pick-Up Truck," where electrified dusty blues licks blow like thunderclouds across the plains and Dr. Octagon's low, breathy voice tells the bizarre story of being chased by a huge primate and attempting to ward it off, but there are also as many, if not more, songs about man's own behavior toward himself and his environment. "Using material for Christmas, papers get printed/Trees may get extinct like the elephants," he says in "Trees," and though here listeners may just have to trust his abilities as an oracle, there's something about the way he says it that makes it seem absolutely believable. The Return of Dr. Octagon doesn't always make a lot of sense, but that's the beauty of it. It's a kind of concept album that concentrates more on the actual overall sound than the concepts. Its elements are all on the very edge of control, which is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time; if it works, it could bring us to where we've never been, protect us from what may be, but if it fails, it could kill us all. And though perhaps we may have to wait for a new album to see if the gorilla wins in the end, for the moment it seems as if we're safe. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Taking on yet another persona, whacked-out rapper Kool Keith becomes Mr. Nogatco for the '50s sci-fi- and U.F.O.-obsessed Nogatco Rd., a rare good album in a discography that bounces wildly between excellent and embarrassing. Nogatco Rd. is neither, and while it's nowhere near as vital as his work as Dr. Octagon, the Nogatco character (Octagon backward) is nearly as well defined, leaving less fleshed-out concepts like Thee Undatakerz in the dust. Nogatco is the flip side to Keith's intergalactic persona Black Elvis, paranoid rather than bold and murky instead of bright. Keith sounds like he recorded most of the album crashed in a recliner, feet up, and mic dangling at the corner of his mouth. His weary, stream-of-consciousness delivery suits the post-alien abduction theme of the album while playing nice with producer Iz-Real's eerie landscapes. Although it's a moody album that works best when allowed to run start to finish, "Bionic Fuse," "Night Flyer," and "Live Dissection" with underground heroes Sage Francis and Sole guesting should make their way onto any hardcore fan's next Kool Keith mixtape. The real reason the faithful will drool is the enhanced CD's bonus features, which include a comic strip and an X-Files-esque mini-movie that's totally spaced out. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Official Space Tape'
Release Date 10/12/2004
Tracks 39
Label On the Corner
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What The Critics Say
If its release date had been delayed by just one day, Diesel Truckers would've followed the lackluster Kool Keith Presents Thee Undatakerz album by exactly three months. Fans are approaching with caution due to a more than spotty track record, but Keith has gone from lukewarm to on fire, and if his followers catch one whiff of the "Break U Off" single, they'll be feelin' it. "Break U Off" is tight enough, driven enough, and slick enough to get Keith something he hasn't been graced with in quite some time: radio and BET spins. Why it has to be this way is anyone's guess, but KutMasta Kurt is the only producer outside of DJ Q-Bert who really seems to "get" Keith. The duo's work on Diesel Truckers is a step above what they did on 1997's Sex Style, with the same funk but more ideas. "Mental Side Effects" is the catchiest track Keith has unleashed since "Earth People" and the flattened-tuba-through-a-filter Kurt lays on the cut shows Q-Bert isn't the only sidekick who can get wild. He's given Keith his bounce back on the ridiculously fun and bright "I Love You Nancy," with the rapper swaggering like a lover from another planet. The "we're thugging truckers" concept rears its head here and there, but it's dropped when not needed, something the Undatakerz album refused to do. Diesel Truckers is hardly the stunning revelation Dr. Octagonecologyst was, but it is Keith's kicking and purposeful return to being a player in the game. For his quality-starved faithful, that's revelation enough. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Kool Keith Presents Thee Undatakerz'
Release Date 5/11/2004
Tracks 16
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What The Critics Say
The hip-hop triple-team of Kool Keith, H-Bomb, and Marc Live debuted with Game, a record that's par for the course of Kool Keith projects -- but still eons away from the rap mainstream -- complete with sub-basement productions and beats, left-field disses, dozens of paranoid ideas, and interstellar intelligence of all kinds. The threesome spend much of the album protecting the vagaries of underground rap from a devilish major-label executive attempting to steal Keith's style and persona (and even his wigs). There's plenty of room for commenting (probably) on issues of the day for "Copy What U Want" and "Rock Is Dead," and an indefensible conclusion on "Game," "game is game." As usual, Keith's entertainingly obscure, even going so far as to dis NBC News' (?) John Salley, who'd kept most of his commentary most recently to Fox Sports Network. Similar to Mark E. Smith of the Fall, he's able to keep the same distinctive, intriguing sound on each record, no matter who else appears on it -- though H-Bomb and Marc Live each contribute a lot to what's heard. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Kool Keith may not be one of the more popular MCs in the rap game, but he's surely proven himself to be one of the most creative. Particularly given the genre's commercial tendencies, Keith's limitless ability to engage with weird, perverse, and at times downright shocking music makes him stand out and merit special notice. Of course, anyone familiar with his past work -- ranging from his old school days fronting the Ultramagnetic MCs to his celebrated Dr. Octagon collaboration -- knows that Keith is far from generic. Here, he joins forces with Detroit's Esham and Santos for Spankmaster, and heads even further toward insanity than his preceding trilogy of albums for Funky Ass foreshadowed. It's fairly safe to presume that Esham's psychotic reputation has inspired Keith to take his own music to unexplored extremes that challenge the boundaries of sleaze, antagonism, and eccentricity. In regard to the lo-fi yet impressive production, the Spankmaster himself actually crafted most of the 20 eclectic songs, with Esham and Santos taking the reins for the album's standout moments: "I Wanna Play," "Drugs," and "Spankmaster." The beats are nearly as untraditional as Keith's rhymes, culling their elements from a disparate concoction of sources, including quite a bit of live instrumentation. In the end, Spankmaster is no doubt an engaging listen, even if its budget quality level and lack of glitz and glimmer make it an album strictly for the underground. Recommended to the open-minded, particularly if you admire creativity, long for the uncanny, and secretly have a desire for perversity. Definitely not for the lighthearted. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
