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)
Feel About You
Kool Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, Kool Keith
Oh yeah
[Chorus: Kool Keith singing]
Girl you know my name in all directions
The way I feel about you
Honey can take that, secret advice from me
[Kool Keith]
Executive upstairs, I deal with the same list
Broke people love MTV Cribs
Chewin a dollar fifty slice of pizza
A minor rapper dissin they low income lifestyle that's rich
Fans that work at buck forty jobs; braidin hair on the week
and they can't afford hygiene products and cotton swabs
Fantasizin what it's like to sip champagne
Quarter juice figures, livin through another monkey's fame
Get my name straight, you should be ashamed
Layaway plan action, get ready for concerts you can't afford
Struggle to buy that ring, another imposter
Diamond wannabe like necklace girl on the pre-paid
cell phone with a fake gold chain
Caught up in illusion, fakin like a mothersucker
[Chorus]
[Kool Keith]
Oh my God! Another Chrystler with the Hemi
To boost the ego, let that car be itself
You can't turn it into a Rolls Royce Bentley, over stingy
Makin you spend gently; women hover
Is that leather goose down to rubber?
I'ma investigate the fella, 40 percent rabbit
Your wife ain't wearin a chinchilla
Nobody want they coat to get wet, step under the umbrella
Is the Rolex real? What'chu gon' tell her
With them cheap suits you bought from Portabella
600 pounds with five stomachs
Big baller, in the leased Escalade painted vanilla
TV's in the headrest
With 36 White Castle hamburgers, he can't digest
Caught up in illusion, fake like a mothersucker
[Chorus]
[Kool Keith]
Everybody's turnin groupie
Guys fight the girls to get in first
I hate to see a dude with a baseball cap jump the line
To get in the club like they carry a purse
Get to the front with no money
Turn around quick, they be the worst
The latest schedule, process material
Love to listen to the caviar and sushi rhymes
But just had a bowl of Frosted Flakes cereal
Songs that make you imagine you live imperial
The problem is the poor watch the many, extravagant videos
Facin the most highest celebrities, livin on they lows
There's no turf and you ain't plush flossin
K-Mart is the new place, your mom used to go to Woolworth
Caught up in illusion, fake like a mothersucker!
The song Feel About You by Kool Keith provides a commentary on the illusion of living a luxurious life and the pressure to keep up with the facade. The chorus establishes the person’s name is popular, yet despite any mystique or status, he is infatuated with a particular woman. Kool Keith conversely tackles the topic of people trying to boast about their wealth and how trying to act like they’re wealthy is all an illusion. He discusses the people who, while living in poverty, try to present themselves as wealthy by going into debt and pretending that they are living a luxurious lifestyle. Kool Keith also touches on people consumed with status symbols, such as cars, designer clothes, and big houses, all of which people frequently finance at the expense of accruing credit card and personal loan debt to feed this lifestyle illusion. The implication is that people can quickly become stuck in a cycle of conspicuous consumption and consumption of illusion that they can not afford, leading to more significant problems for themselves and their family and friends.
The song has a highly personal nature to it, as Kool Keith tells a story of his observations of people working countless hours to buy something they can not genuinely afford. Kool Keith lyrically describes these people who are in debt and stuck in a cycle of illusion while chasing their illusions like a moth to the flame. The theme of materialism, and the tangible power that it holds over people despite the ultimate emptiness it can bring, is a recurrent motive in contemporary rap music. Kool Keith takes the flaws of modern society and uses Feel About You to highlight them, while also looking to recognize the failings of the musical industry along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, Kool Keith
Introduction
Oh yeah
Acknowledgement
Girl you know my name in all directions
I am famous and my name is known in many places
The way I feel about you
I have strong feelings for you
Honey can take that, secret advice from me
I have some advice that I want to share with you secretly
The way I think about youuuu, and what you do
I am constantly thinking about you and your actions
Executive upstairs, I deal with the same list
I am an executive who deals with the same issues as everyone else
Broke people love MTV Cribs
Poor people enjoy watching MTV Cribs
Chewin a dollar fifty slice of pizza
Eating cheap pizza
A minor rapper dissin they low income lifestyle that's rich
A less famous rapper criticizing a low-income lifestyle that is actually rich
Fans that work at buck forty jobs; braidin hair on the week
Fans who have low-paying jobs and braid hair on the side
and they can't afford hygiene products and cotton swabs
These fans cannot afford basic hygiene products
Fantasizin what it's like to sip champagne
These fans dream of drinking champagne
Quarter juice figures, livin through another monkey's fame
These fans are satisfied with small-time fame and living vicariously through other celebrities
Get my name straight, you should be ashamed
People should know my name and be embarrassed if they don't
Layaway plan action, get ready for concerts you can't afford
People need to prepare financially for concerts instead of relying on layaway plans
Struggle to buy that ring, another imposter
People pretend to be wealthy by struggling to buy expensive items
Diamond wannabe like necklace girl on the pre-paid
The girl with the prepaid cell phone pretends to have a diamond necklace
cell phone with a fake gold chain
The girl pretends to have a fake gold chain on her prepaid phone
Caught up in illusion, fakin like a mothersucker
People are caught up in an illusion and pretending to be something they're not
Everybody's turnin groupie
Everyone is becoming a groupie
Guys fight the girls to get in first
Men and women compete to get into venues first
I hate to see a dude with a baseball cap jump the line
I dislike when men with baseball caps jump ahead in line
To get in the club like they carry a purse
These men don't belong in the club and act effeminate
Get to the front with no money
These people try to push their way to the front without paying
Turn around quick, they be the worst
These people act poorly when they are not successful in getting into the venue
The latest schedule, process material
People are interested in the latest trends and fads
Love to listen to the caviar and sushi rhymes
People enjoy listening to songs about expensive foods
But just had a bowl of Frosted Flakes cereal
In reality, these people are only eating cheap food
Songs that make you imagine you live imperial
These songs make people imagine they are living like royalty
The problem is the poor watch the many, extravagant videos
Poor people watch extravagant videos and desire the lifestyles shown in them
Facin the most highest celebrities, livin on they lows
Even the most famous celebrities can live low-key lives
There's no turf and you ain't plush flossin
There is no space for you to show off your wealth
K-Mart is the new place, your mom used to go to Woolworth
K-Mart is now the place where your mom used to go to Woolworth
Caught up in illusion, fake like a mothersucker!
People are lost in an illusion and are pretending to be something they're not
Chorus
Repeating the theme of the song
Contributed by Avery B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mc Remmy Baby
Does KK have unlimited music? lol damn man