The brilliant thing about the crew was the way that they combined state-of-the-art, razor sharp beats and highly coded, science fiction Brag Rap with some of the earliest examples of trolling seen in rap. Diss records were as common as muck in the mid-eighties, but Ultra took disrespect on records to glorious new heights with a mixture of direct shots and super subliminal stabs that still have rap fanatics scratching their heads to this day.
My personal favourite was the time that Poppa Large pretended not to know what graffiti was during an interview with T he Source to promote The Four Horsemen album, while claiming that he spent time in Bellevue mental hospital. It was after Ultramagnetic fell apart that Keith was really able to explore the full extent of his eccentricities, focusing on a range of concept albums focusing on his love for pornography dude was a well-known collector of smut magazines and VHS tapes , the macabre, and his all-time favourite topic—toilet humor.
Cult heroes: Kool Keith — oddball schemer at the heart of hip-hop's weirdstream. Kool Keith as Black Elvis, in Chicago, Reuse this content. They still riding in the old shit. You so used to driving that Buick. Me, I was already advanced anyway so it was easy for me to transfer over to learn the new shit.
I listen to every artist from old to new. You could learn something from Nelly and you can also learn something from Young Thug or something—a flow, you could learn a cadence. You can learn anything. Or is it something else? I just stay recording. It keeps me youthful. Some people get stuck in the normal shit, you know?
You gotta cut the grass, feed the dogs and get fat. Throw barbecue ribs on the grill and get out of shape and let your hair grow all crazy and gray. First Come, First Served as Dr. Critical Beatdown with Ultramagnetic MCs. Sex Style as Kool Keith. Octagonecologyst as Dr. Here's a space to search our entire website. The Creative Independent is a vast resource of emotional and practical guidance. We publish Guides , Focuses , Tips , Interviews , and more to help you thrive as a creative person.
Explore our website to find wisdom that speaks to you and your practice…. Jump to: Biography Conversation Some Things. June 22, - As told to J Bennett, words.
On creating your own worlds Rapper and producer Kool Keith on persona, avoiding stagnation, focusing on the writing itself, and using sci-fi as a way to escape the everyday. Music , Production , Focus , Process , Collaboration. Part of: Finding your voice Developing a creative process. From a conversation with J Bennett. Highlights on. Download as a PDF. Copied link to article! Where does that come from? What else do you look for in a beat?
What kinds of things have you done to consciously break from the norm? So Keith in his contrarian nature decided to kill him off, creating a character named Dr. Dooom on the album First Come, First Served for that exact purpose. The Dr. Dooom album took on a darker tone, and was meant to tether Keith back to reality. Dooom character, turns out, is a cannibalistic serial killer living in the housing projects. The album is filled with horror-movie imagery.
Dooom character also went even further than the Dr. While Dr. Octagon was dead, Kool Keith had room to maneuver his off-beat style without the same expectations. Octagon character was brought back to life. In , rap audiences were surprised to hear about an album reviving the Dr. Octagon character entitled The Return of Dr. Though its place in canon is debatable.
Several artists released songs as bread crumb trails hinting at the return of Dr. The ever-idiosyncratic rapper seemed to continue with the tradition of putting out wacky concepts. The album had a buzz going for it, but it was plagued by behind-the-scenes politics. The original producer slated for the project, Fanatik J, decided to drop out of the project after failed negotiations with record company, CMH, and a falling out with Keith. Part of the problem was that the label had taken over ownership rights.
So instead of Fanatik J, the production was handed over to Berlin production team, One-Watt-Sun, created by the label. Apparently, the production team gave Keith loose topics to rap about. Octagon, as the beat incorporates elements of ska as it progresses. Afterwards, Keith himself got entangled with contract negotiations.
Keith then earmarked old vocals he recorded two years before to get out of his contractual obligation. Keith ultimately gave his blessing for the album but it remains a contentious album within hip hop circles.
Keith himself has mixed feelings as he liked the production but felt it hurt his reputation as an artist.
0コメント