Dr. Octagonecologyst

The seller sent the CD as soon as was stated, and I received it in fine condition, with limited scratches as stated. The only thing I was a little disappointed about was it had been stated that I would receive the CD cover slip, although not in good condition. I did not receive the CD coverslip, it actually came in a thin case that usually holds burned CDs. The CD was not burned though, and it plays fine.

Some sick tracks, hip-hop classics even, but more put out for arts sake than anything else.

The first solo album by underground hip-hop journeyman Keith Matthew Thornton (aka Kool Keith, aka Dr. Dooom, aka Mr. Nogatco, aka Black Elvis, aka Crazy Lou, aka Big Willie Smith, aka Willie Biggs, aka Dr. Octagon) is a beloved touchstone of the left-of-center (and sub-of-terranean) rap community. It's a record that sounds simultaneously unlike and eerily similar to its more commercially successful brethren, a collection of loping, ludicrous boasts maneuvering their way over and around a maze of beats and loops. Like most rap albums, Dr. Octagonecologyst is organized around a loose concept- namely, the glorification and self-mythologizing of its star MC. The difference is that instead of bragging about the many uses he has for his penis, Dr. Octagon wants to tell us all about his proficiency in time travel, his bizarre medical experiments, and his feces-shooting space gun. You see, Dr. O is not your typical hip-hop persona. He's not an Uzi toting thug or a drug pushing pimp daddy. No, no, no, our dear eight-sided doctor is in fact a time-traveling gynecologist whose mission in life is to take as many of our women to bed as he possibly can. Oh, and did I mention he's from Jupiter? Yeah, he's from Jupiter.

Just hear me out for a second.

This album is way better than it has any right to be. That probably has something to do with Keith's unorthodox but undeniable talent. His lyrics are, in a very postmodern sort of way, everything that rap lyrics should be: clever, aggressive, assertive, grandstanding, and eminently quotable, full of unexpected similes and pop culture references. The good doctor juxtaposes abstract ideas and phallic filth, complex declarations and childish non-sequiters. B-movie schlock slices through discussions of quantum physics. Technical jargon sits comfortably alongside over-the-top space opera. Sex and science unite! Keith's also a damn good rapper: His technique is as weird and wonderful as his lyrics, a ghostly but authoritative croon that twists its way around the words with an odd sort of nervous energy. There's a sense of discomfort in the rapper's style- his rhythm is wobbly and unstable, difficult to really grab a hold of. And yet it never sounds contrived or amateurish; it's all just so freaking right.

Throw in a great minimalist production from Dan "The Automator" Nakamura (which features a bevy of ghostly, trip-hoppish beats and medical porn samples), and you've got a fine piece of weirdo rap.

Like a lot of hip-hop albums, Dr. Octagonecologyst suffers from its length- it starts off brilliant but runs out of steam about halfway through. Really, there's not much worth listening to after "Girl Let Me Touch You." Nothing terrible, of course, just nothing to really justify the album's sixty-five minute running time. Still, there's plenty of awesome stuff here.

I'd like to first address that even though Dan The Automator handled the production on this album, that doesn't mean it's going to sound anything like Deltron 3030. That's a whole different league, folks.

"Dr. Octagonecologyst" is an album from one of the many alter egos of Kool Keith, a member of the Ultramagnetic MC's. But this isn't anything like Kool Keith has ever done. This album helped to establish the dark, demented side of rap. Kool Keith was a patient at Bellevue Hospital Center, which he claimed as an inside joke, but nonetheless, this was a great influence on this album.

The lyrics are X-Rated and usually deal with the human anatomy and other abstract and sadistic details. It can be too much for some, but if you dig this style, you'll love what Kool Keith has to offer. The flow isn't super spectacular, but it gets the job done. If there's anything I enjoy most about this album, it's the production. It's a completely different perspective for Dan The Automator, with dark and spacey beats meant for this, along with scratching provided by Q-Bert. DJ Shadow even appears on "Waiting List" for a little surprise.

This isn't an album for the feeble minded, but if you want something that breaks away from your average hip-hop, then by all means check this out.

After hearing the instrumentalist version of Dr. Octagon, I blindly decided to by this album. I did enjoy it; it provides quirky beats along with interesting/strange skits. However, alot of the lyrics don't rhyme, which is one thing I do like when it comes to rap. The lyrics are essentially incomprehensible. Yes, it's English all right, but nothing he seems to say makes any sense, as there is no real, general theme to follow. I would definitely recommend this album to people who are looking for something different. Not traditional rap, rather a science fiction movie style hip hop CD.