Thornton's early career and lyrics with the Ultramagnetic MC's often referenced his time as a patient of Bellevue, a psychiatric hospital, where he was treated for depression. With Ultramagnetic MC's, his abstract style developed, maturing in songs like Poppa Large. He was probably the first rapper to create an alter ego, and then create an alter ego for that alter ego (Kool Keith v. Moe Luv). After the Ultramagnetic MC's broke up, he expanded his resume, experimenting with new styles, including his self-described pornocore, known for pornographic imagery and brutal, abstract lyrics. Sex Style released in 1997, was the showcase for this genre.
Teaming up with Dan the Automator Nakamura under the name Dr. Octagon, Thornton again reinvented his image, recording the self-titled Dr. Octagon album (later reissued under the title Dr. Octagonecologyst) which was released by the English trip hop label Mo Wax. The album received critical acclaim, though mainly from sources outside the mainstream hip-hop community. The critical success of the album helped to open the accessibility of the underground hip hop scene to an appreciative audience. For Dan the Automator, this album laid the foundation for a burgeoning career and accolades as a producer; for Thornton, the success of Dr. Octagonecologyst seemed to put him in danger of being typecast as a "space and Mars" rapper, or an industry tool, which he throughout his career has looked down upon.
His style as a whole is characterized by non sequiturs and bizarre commentary, particularly anal, fecal and genital references. For example, "Chief administrator suck my oil," "Dr. Ludicrous I turn into an octopus," "All this jealousy shit is mayonnaise and celery shit," "Two drinks minimum, don't worry, we're maximum," etc. An instrumental version of the album, Instrumentalyst, showcased the production, became a rising success with most of the credit given to Dan the Automator and other collaborators, even though Thornton is credited on the LP with some production duties.
List of projects, groups and alter-egos:
- Ultramagnetic MC's
- Dr. Octagon
- Dr. Dooom
- Sinister 6000 (Dan the Automator)
- Black Elvis
- Masters of Illusion
- Analog Brothers
- Mr. Nogatco
- Project Polaroid
- Tashan Dorset
- Sex Style
- Ultra
- The Cenobites
- Sergei Khmelev
(this list is incomplete)
Cleavage
Kool Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Want me tell you the style that's goin on right now?
Girl I caught you last night
You're only 19 or 20, tryin to hide
Sittin in the back of a resteraunt, with a 99 year-old man
I'm startin to see that a lot
Hey fellas!
She's feisty feisty, just lettin it all hang out
[Chorus: repeat 2X]
Man I know, they're out there cheatin
Every girl in the club, exposin cleavage
[Kool Keith]
Man I know.. I'm on the couch yo, I'm feelin laid back
I play my records over and over, my name is K-Mack
I'm over here on the chair, girls stop and stare
200 million pounds, you bring a box or 7
I'm on the news, girls you turn to Fox 11
You try to network, that watch and neck hurt
I give you irons, don't take so long to press my shirt
With the steam that's clean, you start to dream extreme
You chose one, you're on the creamer team
You move with men that beat 'em, they on the screamer team
[Chorus]
[Kool Keith]
Man I know.. you know the kind of sound, grab your Metro card
Get rid of your ego, meet me down in Chinatown
The classic Lincoln, respect the K when he speakin
I sleep in limos and headline shows at the Beacon
Broadway players, the City Hall to the majors
I'm on DVD, most cats still watchin Betas
I write with two pens and two pads, two songs on papers
Girls with FedEx sendin all thongs to me in all flavors
UPS delivery B what you givin me?
[Chorus]
[Kool Keith]
Man I know.. have you seen your girl tonight?
Call the manager, turn on the light
No studio tape, 300 groups wanna be in the remix
and bypass the need for fixin, loaded with chicks and
With the mic, rock icon, women like pops
Don't fear eyedrops
You're frozen with teardrops, double peein
That's right you seein, the best to believe it you receive it
Non-stop for the hip-hopp-in, that's right you stop man
Cause your records done flopped man
A full length video, that's the girl in stereo
I gotta see this, don't you believe this
[Chorus]
[Kool Keith]
Man I know..
The lyrics to Kool Keith's song Cleavage are filled with vivid imagery of his experiences in New York City, particularly with regards to the fashion and nightlife scene. The song opens with Keith describing a situation where he caught a young woman with an elderly man at a restaurant, suggesting that this type of behavior is becoming more commonplace. He then launches into a chorus about how every girl in the club is exposing cleavage, hinting at the sexualization of women in this scene.
Keith then describes himself as lounging on a couch while playing his records and being surrounded by women. He talks about his weight, joking that he weighs 200 million pounds, and mentions being on the news and having his own DVD. He then mentions writing with two pens and pads, and having women send him thongs of all flavors. Keith finishes off the song by describing a full-length video featuring a girl in stereo that he simply has to see.
Line by Line Meaning
New York City
This song is about the current style in New York City.
Want me tell you the style that's goin on right now?
The singer wants to talk about the current style in New York City.
Girl I caught you last night
The singer saw a girl the previous night.
You're only 19 or 20, tryin to hide
The girl was very young and trying to hide something.
Sittin in the back of a resteraunt, with a 99 year-old man
The girl was sitting in the back of a restaurant with a much older man.
I'm startin to see that a lot
The singer has noticed this happening more often.
Hey fellas!
The singer is addressing a group of men.
She's feisty feisty, just lettin it all hang out
The girl is confident and exposing a lot of her cleavage.
Man I know, they're out there cheatin
The artist knows that people are cheating on their partners.
Every girl in the club, exposin cleavage
All the girls in the club are exposing their cleavage.
Man I know.. I'm on the couch yo, I'm feelin laid back
The singer is relaxed on a couch.
I play my records over and over, my name is K-Mack
The artist listens to his own music repeatedly and goes by the name K-Mack.
With the steam that's clean, you start to dream extreme
The singer uses steam to clean his clothes and it helps him have vivid dreams.
You chose one, you're on the creamer team
If a girl is with the singer, she is part of the 'creamer' team.
Man I know.. you know the kind of sound, grab your Metro card
The singer knows what kind of music people like and suggests they take the train with their Metro card to meet him.
The classic Lincoln, respect the K when he speakin
The artist has a classic Lincoln car and wants people to respect him when he speaks.
I write with two pens and two pads, two songs on papers
The artist writes his music with two pens and two notepads, and writes two songs on each paper.
Girls with FedEx sendin all thongs to me in all flavors
Girls are sending different colored thongs to the singer through FedEx.
Man I know.. have you seen your girl tonight?
The singer is asking if someone has seen their girlfriend tonight.
Call the manager, turn on the light
The artist suggests calling the manager and turning on the light to find the girlfriend.
A full length video, that's the girl in stereo
The artist wants to see a girl in a full-length music video.
I gotta see this, don't you believe this
The artist is excited to see the music video and wants someone else to believe it too.
Contributed by Violet F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.