Keith Matthew Thornton
, better known by his stage name Kool Keith
, is an American rapper. A founding member of Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith has also recorded extensively both as a solo artist and under multiple aliases.
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KOOL KEITH TICKETS
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History
After the release of Ultramagnetic MCs' debut album,
Critical Beatdown
, Thornton was reportedly institutionalized in
Bellevue Hospital Center.
[1] [2] However, he admitted later that the idea that he was institutionalized came from a flippant remark made during a stressful interview and he never expected the story to become so well-known.
[3] Following the unsuccessful release of Ultramagnetic MCs' second and third albums, Thornton released his first notable solo single, "Earth People," in 1995, under the name
Dr. Octagon, followed by the release of
Dr. Octagonecologyst
the following year. The album's production by
Dan the Automator and
scratching by
DJ Qbert was acclaimed by critics, and the album was released nationally by
DreamWorks Records, who also issued an instrumental version of the album, titled
Instrumentalyst (Octagon Beats)
.
Thornton followed the album with
Sex Style
in 1997 under the name Kool Keith.
In 1998, Thornton collaborated with
Tim Dog for the single "The Industry is Wack," performing under the name Ultra.
The following year, he released the album
First Come, First Served
under the name "Dr. Dooom", in which the album's main character killed off Dr. Octagon on the album's opening track. On August 10, 1999, Thornton released
Black Elvis/Lost in Space
. It peaked at #10 on the
Billboard
Heatseekers
chart, #74 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and #180 on the
Billboard
200.
[4] On July 25, 2000, Thornton released the album
Matthew
. It peaked at #47 on the
Billboard
Heatseekers chart.
[5] The same year, Thornton collaborated with
Ice-T, Marc Live, Black Silver and Pimp Rex for the album
Pimp to Eat
, under the group name
Analog Brothers, with Keith performing as Keith Korg and Ice-T as Ice Oscillator.
On June 5, 2001, Thornton released the album
Spankmaster
on
Esham's
Overcore Records through
TVT Records.
[6] It peaked at #16 on the
Billboard
Heatseekers chart, #11 on the Top Independent Albums chart and #48 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
[7] In 2002, Thornton began recording
The Resurrection of Dr. Octagon
with producer Fanatik J,
[8] [9] signing a contract with
CMH Records to release the album, which was eventually completed without much input from Thornton, due to a falling out over contractual terms.
Thornton, Marc Live and
H-Bomb formed the group
KHM, releasing the album
Game
on November 19, 2002, changing their name to "The Clayborne Family" by the release of their second album.
On October 12, 2004, Thornton released the mixtape
Official Space Tape
. The same day,
Real Talk Entertainment issued the unauthorized release
Dr. Octagon Part 2
. The album was discontinued by court order.
On April 25, 2006, Thornton released the album
Nogatco Rd.
under the name Mr. Nogatco.
On June 27,
The Return of Dr. Octagon
was released by OCD International, an imprint of CMH, advertised as the official follow-up to
Dr. Octagonecologyst
.
Some critics felt that it was not as good as its predecessor.
[10] [11] Thornton stated that he liked the album, but felt that it hurt his reputation as a musician.
In August, Thornton performed under the Dr. Octagon billing, but did not acknowledge the release of the OCD album.
[12]
Lyrical and performance style
Thornton's lyrics are often
abstract,
[13] surreal,
[14] and filled with
non-sequiturs and juvenile humor.
[15] Thornton is also known for an explicit style focusing on
sexual themes, which Thornton has referred to as "pornocore".
[16] [17] In a 2007 interview, Thornton claims to have "invented
horrorcore".
[18]
Discography
- 1996: Dr. Octagonecologyst
- 1997: Sex Style
- 1999: First Come, First Served
- 1999: Black Elvis/Lost in Space
- 2000: Matthew
- 2001: Spankmaster
- 2004: Diesel Truckers
(with KutMasta Kurt)
- 2006: Nogatco Rd.
- 2006: Project Polaroid
(with TomC3)
- 2006: The Return of Dr. Octagon
- 2008: Dr. Dooom 2
- 2009: Tashan Dorrsett
References
- The New Rolling Stone Album Guide
- All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-hop
- Kool Keith and KutMasta Kurt
- Charts and awards ''Black Elvis/Lost in Space''
- Charts and awards for ''Matthew''
- All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-hop
- Charts and awards for ''Spankmaster''
- All The Voices In Kool Keith's Head Working On New Albums
- ''Kool Keith CD Scam Exposed''
- Review of ''The Return of Dr. Octagon''
- Review of ''The Return of Dr. Octagon''
- ''Kool Keith's Bits & Pieces''
- Review of ''Dr. Octagonecologyst''
- Is Hip Hop Dead? The Past, Present, and Future of America's Most-Wanted Music
- Review of ''Dr. Octagonecologyst''
- Review of ''Sex Style''
- Review of ''The Return of Dr. Octagon''
- Kool Keith Interview