Matthew: He's naked! On Matthew, Kool Keith of Ultramagnetic MCs fame removes all of the capes, masks, plastic Elvis wigs, and warped rap personas (Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom, Big Willy Smith) he's recorded under over the years. Unfortunately, this one-time psychiatric patient is at his best when his rhymes and beats are completely out in left field. On this nonconcept album, his "music industry sucks" manifesto is disappointingly unoriginal. On "27 Shots" Keith issues a challenge to dumb groupies, dumber MCs, and Keith wannabes. Likewise, on "Baddest MC" he rambles on about the lack of individuality in the music industry, dissing male rappers who are so soft they "wear leg warmers and tights." He manages to keep it somewhat surreal on "I Don't Believe You," where he flaunts his patented unconventional rhyme scheme. But Matthew lacks the futuristic beat constructions that highlighted Keith's earlier works, such as Black Elvis/Lost in Space. Keith's blinding vitriol against the rap industry has prevented him from crafting an interesting album. He obviously should have focused more attention on these lackluster beats and rhymes.
First Come, First Serve: The problem with being recognized as a creative genius is that you've got to live up to it 24/7. Kool Keith was given such a mantle upon the release of the Dr. Octagonecologist album, and it's not something he seems happy about: on the first track of First Come, First Served, he--as Dr. Dooom--kills Octagon. It's the perfect move for Keith, and it sets the tone for the album, which is a mix of humorous tracks ("Neighbors Next Door," which asks you to imagine having Keith and Jacky Jasper living in the next apartment, and "You Live at Home with Your Mom") and songs on which Keith lays down the law ("No Chorus" and "Leave Me Alone"). Few MCs could hope to match Keith, but here--rapping over knocked-off Octagon grooves (produced with Kutmaster Kurt, they're still more innovative than most) and settling lots of personal scores--he sounds like he's just trying to get a bunch of ideas out of his head as quickly as possible. Still, there's an amazing EP's worth of material here, but it's spread over a full album. Minus the filler, Dooom might just be Octagon's better.
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Black Elvis/Lost In Space:
Kool Keith, aka Black Elvis, Dr. Octagon, Poppa Large, Dr. Dooom, and about a dozen personae, got his start with the Bronx-based Ultramagnetic MC's in the mid-1980s. Although revered, their recordings made little commercial impact and the group disbanded. Since then Keith has enigmatically swung from project to project, maintaining a deliberately inscrutable cloak of aliases and alter egos. The result is a catalog that is high in concept, broad in scope, and completely, utterly wacky: it's hip-hop as Darius James writes novels and Terry Gilliam makes films. Only a few other artists--Definition of Sound and Divine Styler most notably--have ever come close to achieving similar results. Judging from the results of this recording, one of Keith's more straight-ahead, more rappers should try. On Lost, Keith's rhymes are unpredictable, obscure, and hilarious. On "Static," he somehow rhymes Benjamins with basketball star Scottie Pippen, (ex-NFL quarterback Mark) Rypien, and 1960s boxing champ Sonny Liston; elsewhere he namechecks 1970s journeymen basketballers Darnell Hillman and Slick Watts. He's critical of hip-hop pretension on many tracks, most notably "I Need a Release Date." Although the recording features a solid, contemporary bounce, Keith is completely old school--it's his whimsical words and unique delivery that matter most.
All Reviews Copyright Amazon.com, 2000
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