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)
Don't Believe U
Kool Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My man over there he?s lying, you know what?
You?re building up a bunch of lies, straight lies
You got mad guns? I don?t believe you
You got eleven cars? I don?t believe you
You got the block scared? I don?t believe you
Youse a bugged thug? I don?t believe you
You doin' jail time? I don?t believe you
You got the newest Benz? I don?t believe you
You got the girls ready? I don?t believe you
You movin' big weight? I don?t believe you
You cook in steel pots? I don?t believe you
You goin' on Soul Train? I don?t believe you
You cashin' royalties? I don?t believe you
You did a video? I don?t believe you
You smackin' everybody? I don?t believe you
You closin' all deals? I don?t believe you
You say you manage people? I don?t believe you
Youse a movie star? I don?t believe you
You work with Warner Brothers? I don?t believe you
You down with Jamie Foxx? I don?t believe you
Youse a drug lord? I don?t believe you
You pay your mortgage? I don?t believe you
You datin' fine chicks? I don?t believe you
You travel solo kid? I don?t believe you
You smackin' anybody? I don?t believe you
You got your own label? I don?t believe you
You say you never lease? I don?t believe you
You say your record?s hot? I don?t believe you
You workin' hard lady? I don?t believe you
You like to clockwork? I don?t believe you
You at your brother?s house? I don?t believe you
You tour with Babyface? I don?t believe you
You mix on Ni boards? I don?t believe you
You talk to Aaron Hall? I don?t believe you
You play for the Charlotte Hornets? I don?t believe you
You buyin' a Rolls Royce? I don?t believe you
You got signin' power? I don?t believe you
You makin' hit records? I don?t believe you
You say Zach?s your cousin? I don?t believe you
You sellin' knicks tickets? I don?t believe you
You givin' after parties? I don?t believe you
You at the Superbowl? I don?t believe you
You bought a mansion? I don?t believe you
You think you hype rappin'? I don?t believe you
You say you are the man? I don?t believe you
Your mother thinks she?s fly? I don?t believe you
You say your pops is cool? I don?t believe you
You got your aunt a diamond? I don?t believe you
You got the kids a gift? I don?t believe you
You movin' out to Cali? I don?t believe you
You say you doin' jacks? I don?t believe you
You makin' millions kid? I don?t believe you
You say you sellin' furniture? I don?t believe you
You work construction? I don?t believe you
You got your hair done? I don?t believe you
You mess with Lauryn Hill? I don?t believe you
You danced with James Brown? I don?t believe you
You own a Dodge truck? I don?t believe you
You work at 7/11?
In this song, Kool Keith calls out people who boast and exaggerate their accomplishments. The chorus consists of a list of things that he doesn't believe, such as that the person has mad guns, eleven cars, or is a drug lord. The verses and additional chorus lines go on to list more things that he doesn't buy, including jail time, owning a Rolls Royce, being a movie star, and having signing power. The repetition of "I don't believe you" emphasizes Kool Keith's skepticism and disdain for those who try to impress others by fabricating stories about their success.
Kool Keith points out the ridiculousness of such behavior in the first verse when he says, "You're building up a bunch of lies, straight lies." He also suggests that people who feel the need to exaggerate their accomplishments may be insecure, as in the line, "Youse a bug thug? I don't believe you." This also reinforces the theme of the song, that it's better to be honest about oneself than to lie to try to impress others.
Overall, the song is a criticism of the culture of hypermasculinity and the pressure to appear successful that can lead people to lie about their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, you're lying, he's lying and she's lying
The singer addresses multiple people by saying they are all lying.
My man over there he's lying, you know what?
The singer accuses someone specific of lying, indicating that they are familiar with the liar.
You're building up a bunch of lies, straight lies
The singer accuses the liar of creating a large and blatant web of lies.
You got mad guns? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar has a lot of firearms.
You got eleven cars? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar has eleven cars.
You got the block scared? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar causes fear in their neighborhood.
Youse a bugged thug? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is a tough criminal.
You doin' jail time? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar has been to jail.
You got the newest Benz? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar has the latest Mercedes-Benz car.
You got the girls ready? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar will have women waiting for him.
You movin' big weight? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is involved in large-scale drug trafficking.
You cook in steel pots? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is involved on a large scale in any illegal activities.
You goin' on Soul Train? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar will appear on the Soul Train television program.
You cashin' royalties? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is receiving monetary compensation for their creative works.
You did a video? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar has produced a music video.
You smackin' everybody? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is physically assaulting lots of people.
You closin' all deals? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is successfully closing business deals.
You say you manage people? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar has management responsibility for anyone.
Youse a movie star? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is a famous actor.
You work with Warner Brothers? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar has a professional relationship with Warner Brothers.
You down with Jamie Foxx? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is associated with Jamie Foxx.
Youse a drug lord? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is a major player in drug trafficking.
You pay your mortgage? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is paying their mortgage.
You datin' fine chicks? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is dating attractive women.
You travel solo kid? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar travels alone.
You got your own label? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar owns their own record label.
You say you never lease? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar doesn't lease things.
You say your record's hot? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar's music is popular.
You workin' hard lady? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the female liar is working hard.
You like to clockwork? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is punctual.
You at your brother's house? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is at their sibling's home.
You tour with Babyface? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is going on tour with the famous musician Babyface.
You mix on Ni boards? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar mixes music on Neve recording consoles.
You talk to Aaron Hall? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is in conversation with the R&B musician Aaron Hall.
You play for the Charlotte Hornets? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is a professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets.
You buyin' a Rolls Royce? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is purchasing a Rolls Royce vehicle.
You got signin' power? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar has the power to sign people to record deals.
You makin' hit records? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is producing successful music.
You say Zach's your cousin? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is related to someone named Zach.
You sellin' knicks tickets? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is selling tickets to see the New York Knicks basketball team.
You givin' after parties? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is hosting after-parties for concerts or other events.
You at the Superbowl? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is attending the Super Bowl football game.
You bought a mansion? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar has bought a large house.
You think you hype rappin'? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is a skilled rapper.
You say you are the man? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is exceptionally accomplished.
Your mother thinks she's fly? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar's mother thinks she is fashionable or attractive.
You say your pops is cool? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar's father is particularly interesting or impressive.
You got your aunt a diamond? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar gave a diamond to their aunt as a gift.
You got the kids a gift? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar gave a gift to some children.
You movin' out to Cali? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is moving to California.
You say you doin' jacks? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar is doing exercises known as jumping jacks.
You makin' millions kid? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is earning millions of dollars.
You say you sellin' furniture? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is selling furniture for profit.
You work construction? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar works in construction.
You got your hair done? I don't believe you
The singer doesn't believe the liar recently had their hair styled.
You mess with Lauryn Hill? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar is associated with the musician Lauryn Hill.
You danced with James Brown? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar has danced with the famous musician James Brown.
You own a Dodge truck? I don't believe you
The artist doesn't believe the liar owns a pickup truck made by Dodge.
You work at 7/11?
The singer doesn't ask any further questions regarding a potential job at a 7-Eleven convenience store.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind