KOOL KEITH Teams w/ Power Violence Duo, TETAN for New LP

Although “Kool” Keith Thornton may not always get the recognition that he deserves, the Bronx-based emcee is not only one of the most versatile figures in hip hop history, but also one of the most influential.  Thornton first gained recognition as a member of Ultramagnetic MCs in 1980s through early 90s, demonstrating a unique flow and left field lyricism that was unlike anything that had ever really come before it.  I once saw spoken word artist/poet/actor/musician, Saul Williams do a speaking engagement and, when referencing his influences, he mentioned Keith, how those early Ultramagnetic verses jumped out at him, and what an impact it made when he first heard them.  As for Kool Keith himself, he’s openly given himself the credit that is owed to him, claiming the role of pioneer, if not outright inventor, behind multiple hip hop sub genres.  Among those styles are horror core, which there were elements of in the Ultramag material, only to be amplified later under aliases like Dr Octagon and Dr Dooom.  He also boasts his position as originator of a genre that he refers to as “pornocore,” a graphically erotic approach to rap displayed heavily on his sophomore solo release, Sex Style, and, to a lesser extent, on projects like his 2001 effort Spankmaster.  Then there’s his hardcore space rap influence on releases like the groundbreaking Octagonecologyst and Black Elvis: Lost In Space — another high point in his career.  But almost as remarkable as all that he has done in the past, is the fact of how prolific and adventurous he continues to remain to this day.  His latest project is no exception.

As someone with a ton of respect for Kool Keith that believes he’s put out some of the greatest rap records of all time, I’m also not afraid to admit that a lot of what he does can be hit or miss.  His live shows are equally inconsistent with the potential to be one of the most bizarrely entertaining events you could hope for — the first time that I saw him, he handed out bags of fried chicken to the crowd and borrowed my recently purchased Mothers Of Invention Weasels Ripped My Flesh vinyl to freestyle over about fucking my friends mom on stage — or a complete trainwreck — the last time that I saw him, he sent a couple of off-rhythm Caucasian kids on stage to rap his album, instead of him.  I love that he continues to stays active and push out new material, but with so much being produced at such a high rate, it has often been difficult to sift through it all and find the gems.  Keith isn’t one to bite anyone’s style or change up his own, simply to adjust to whatever is currently popping.  That isn’t to say that he doesn’t continue to try new things, though, because it’s quite the opposite, but he always does so on his own terms; something that he deserves praise for, whether or not he always lands it.  In recent years, his experimental nature and dedication to consistently moving forward has yielded some really solid projects that, unfortunately, flew, somewhat, under the radar.  Just last year, Thornton teamed with legendary Beatnuts producer, Psycho Les, for the album KEITH, demonstrating the ability for a pair of old school pioneers to unite in crafting fresh, relevant material, decades after they first entered the game.  Prior to that, he dropped the genuinely impressive Time? Astonishing, in 2015.  Produced by North Carolina born Seattle-based Nashville transplant, L’Orange, it was not only another example of Kieth‘s ability to pull something unexpected from his repertoire with each new collaboration, but also the value of working with younger artists bringing a whole new perspective.  Now, Thornton is teaming up for one of his most fascinating collaborations to date, joining Nashville powerviolence duo, Thetan, to release a full-length studio album.

Kool Keith is an artist that is genuinely disinterested in living in the past and feels stifled, if he isn’t allowed to continue evolving.  That’s why his introduction of Dr Dooom on 1999‘s First Come First Served, opened with his new moniker murdering his previous one of Dr Octagon, only to then find him “lost in space” later that year, as Black Elvis.  Last year, Keith finally seemed to embrace his past with his release of the special Record Store Day single, “Complicated Trip,” which saw him bring all three of these primary personas together on a track for the first time ever.  His new album with THETAN, titled Space Goretex, has him returning to that formula, only on an extended scale.  THETAN members, Chad L’Plattenier and Dan Emery, perform the majority of the instrumentation on the release by utilizing bass, drums, theremin and synth.  The guest appearances sound equally as wild with members of both the rap and metal communities making cameos in characters of their own.

The press release breaks it down as follows:

The album also includes some special guest appearances, including Gangsta Boo (Three 6 Mafia) who performs as Officer Lola. Casey Orr (Gwar, X-Cops) appears as his X-Cops character Sheriff Tubb Tucker, marking the first time he has recorded anything as this character since 1996. Blag Dahlia from the Dwarves provides a monologue alongside Ashley Mae of Lost Dog Street Band and DJ Black Cat Sylvester, inventor of the Synth-Table. Blowfly’s right-hand man Uncle Tom Bowker also makes an appearance.

Space Goretex will be released on April 10th through Anti-Corporate Music, who currently has pre-orders available now on various formats, including bundles with the “Complicated Trip” vinyl.  For those concerned about ordering it blindly, the label has released it’s first single today.  Titled, “Hallucinations” it’s a promising sample that shows Keith and THETAN in a true collaboration whereing their styles are merging in a way that benefits each of their respective approaches, while successfully dodging all of the 90s Nu-Metal/rap rock trite so many of us are still recovering from.  Predicts Keith, of the single. “This is gonna definitely be a fan fav on the album. My lyrics crazy but the track is hypnotic.”

Check out “Hallucinations” below, followed by a complete track list of the upcoming album