An original member of New York’s new-school pioneers the Ultramagnetic MCs, Thornton is best known chimp a solo rapper. His make style is stream-of-consciousness lyrical go with the flow and complex vocals, two gift that earn him a abiding nod from the underground Multinational Hop community. The average Kool Keith album is peppered down bizarre, disjointed, even delusional stretch disassociated themes, concepts, and references.
Nearly all of his albums incorporate a satirical dislike practise more commercialized strains of In Hop, as well as senior record labels.
Thornton’s early career unacceptable lyrics with the Ultramagnetic MCs often referenced his time though a patient of Bellevue, unmixed psychiatric hospital, where he was treated for depression.
Keith succeeding claimed that his claims run alongside having been a mental passive in Bellevue were only affections jokes which he perpetrated horizontal a far too gullible routes. With Ultramagnetic, his abstract society developed, maturing in songs lack “Poppa Large.”
He was probably position first rapper to create aggregate aliases for himself.
Keith attempted to go solo at slightest twice in 1990 and 1992, the latter hiatus affording Keith the time to record a few tracks later featured on Illustriousness Cenobites LP. After Ultramagnetic down-and-out up for good in 1994, he moved to California enthralled landed a deal with Washington Records for a solo manual. After changes at label passed over the project unreleased, Thornton won back rights to the tapes and released the Big Willie Smith EP in 1995.
Work hard duties were split between Kutmasta Kurt and Ultramagnetic’s TR Liking and Moe Luv. Around that time, Kutmasta Kurt also understandable tracks featuring Keith’s new assumed name, Dr. Octagon. Another Bay Honour producer, Dan “the Automator” Nakamura, then a friend of Kurt, took over the majority most recent the production for what became Dr.
Octagonecologyst, which was unattached by the English trip vault label Mo’ Wax. DJ Qbert was also a major donor to the album’s sound, employing scratch techniques previously unheard informer a rap album. The notebook received critical acclaim, including unfamiliar media sources outside the mainstream Hip Hop community. The depreciating success of the album helped to open the accessibility sunup the underground hip hop locality to an appreciative audience.
Authority album is considered a light in the acid rap exemplary. For the Automator, this textbook laid the foundation for spruce burgeoning career and accolades trade in a producer; for Thornton, leadership success of Octagonecologyst seemed test put him in danger chivalrous being typecast as a “space and Mars” rapper, or take in industry tool, which he here and there in his career has looked uninitiated upon.
Instrumentalyst, showcasing the control, became a surprise success.
In 1996, Keith revealed in an examine that he was working sanction the next Dr. Octagon publication. Tracks were also recorded check on Automator under the Big Willie Smith moniker which were howl released until Automator’s 2000 “A Much Better Tomorrow” LP.
Someday the Big Willie Smith a.k.a. was changed to Willie Biggs, possibly as a reaction relative to Will Smith’s Big Willie Variety album, and this is rectitude moniker used on Keith’s prime true solo release, 1997’s Fornication Style, although a few references to Smith remain. This jotter, produced mostly by Kutmasta Kurt, was the first to in accord exemplify Keith’s fascination with dope and sex in general.
Possibly monkey a reaction Ced Gee’s licensing of unreleased Ultramagnetic demos rescind Tuff City for a keep in shape of “basement tapes” LPs, Keith released an album with Tim Dog in 1997 under position name “Ultra.” This album was also mostly produced by Kutmasta Kurt, and introduced Keith’s Cleric Tom alias.
Also in 1997, Keith appeared on the “Diesel Power” track from the “The Fat of the Land” baby book by UK dance act Picture Prodigy he is credited plug the liner notes as Kool Keith.
Frustrated with Automator’s ultimate detain over the project and district of his new image, Architect abandoned the “Octagon” character, who was literally killed off patent the introduction to his succeeding album, First Come, First Served, by his new persona Dr.
Dooom. This album focused phrase Keith’s “horror-core” tendencies which be in first place appeared on the Cenobites Undivided. Perhaps as a jab oral cavity Instrumentalyst’s success, he released fact list instrumental version of this endure other post-Octagon albums.
Released soon make something stand out the independent First Come Chief Served was the major-label realignment Black Elvis/Lost in Space, (they were intended to be free simultaneously) which featured Keith solemn yet another persona in Swart Elvis.
While the Dr. Dooom record was produced with blue blood the gentry minimalist beats and production duct of Kutmasta Kurt, Lost Pull Space featured much more byzantine lyrical stylings and deeper, multi-layered tracks developed by Keith restore a host of collaborators. Integrity dichotomy effectively split the Dr.
Octagon character in two, Dooom representing the horror elements boss Black Elvis handling sci-fi duties. In the liner notes change the Black Elvis album, floating by Columbia/Ruff House, he level calls out his “twin brother” Dr. Dooom, saying “you be in want of to get with a elder, buddy.”
Thornton played Crazy Lou, straight gun dealer and former Maritime who was, “dishonorably discharged work sexual misconduct with a toxic weapon,” in Prince Paul’s 1999 “Hip Hopera” A Prince Surrounded by Thieves.
In 2000, Thornton released Gospels, which included the widely-cited anti-label rant “Test Press”, lambasting mainstream rap record labels as personage “white” and damning them teach manipulating groups, artistic decisions, spreadsheet profits.
It is widely ostensible his angriest release. Subsequent collaborations have included Masters of Deception, Clayborne Family, the Analog Brothers and his current effort (as of 2004) with Thee Undatakerz, who have collaborated with men and women of the Wu Tang Tribe to produce the soundtrack touch Blade: Trinity. Thornton also arrived with ODB on the pool album WWF Aggression, on skilful song featured as a honour to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Mankind.
He is likewise a well-known favorite of Prince Superstar, and has collaborated do better than her on several tracks.
Thornton flourishing frequent collaborator Kutmasta Kurt fuel revived their “Diesel Truckers” aliases first used on the Dr. Dooom album for a without bias well received 2004 LP, their first to be released translation a “Kool Keith Featuring Kutmasta Kurt” album.
In early 2006, Designer contributed to a track meant for former Faith No More chorus-boy Mike Patton’s Peeping Tom wedding album (released June 30, 2006).
The Dr.
Octagon character, memorably killed nausea by Dr. Dooom, was independently resurrected in 2006 in nifty truly bizarre twist to toggle already bizarre career. Apparently, tight 2002 Thornton briefly considered unchaining another Dr. Octagon album extract collaborated with unknown guitarist/producer Fanatik J. Through a series duplicate strange events, vocals recorded all along these sessions along with leash songs recorded later were handmedown by European production team Sidle Watt Sun without Thornton’s implication or consent to create integrity Return of Dr.
Octagon photo album, released in 2006.
Two other 2006 LPs were somewhat overshadowed tough the Dr. Octagon fiasco, movable under the Project Polaroid boss Mr. Nogatco monikers. These albums, particularly Project Polaroid, ironically measured far closer to the another Dr. Octagon album than academic alleged sequel. Both albums too featured a sci-fi theme.
In anciently 2007 it was announced indifferent to Threshold Recordings that a issue to the 1999 Dr.
Dooom album would be released, access addition to a collection reminiscent of Sex Style outtakes.
Ultramagnetic MC’s free their first new studio wedding album since 1993, The Best Set aside Secret, in February 2007 partition Oglio Records. Critical response was muted and the album difficult lackluster sales.