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)
Get Off My Elevator
Kool Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Security will escort you out the building)
Get off my elevator
(That woman is very nosey)
I choose my subjects, personal man, that's what I want to write
Critics critique, I compel that lots of rappers weak
'97 I blacked out, he's paying all my rent
No feedback on R&B scams motivate me
With stretch marks around your gut plus I know you hate me
Guard your feet, lose cellulite, I'm a come complete
Work off your stomach pounds with super sonic stomach sounds
That's word to hoss, animal heads, stupid fly gorilla
I get pros vexed, on ghetto clicks I get iller
Guard your rab mics, my style shine like zebra stripes
Right in your forehead, my word becomes a real missile
I be hanging in back doors like Rose's toilet tissue
Hydrolic engines blow flies out your left window
Your rap is catnip with slob dropping on the pillow
Shut your face, shut your mouth like pigeons flying south
I'm rolling rampart, the bottom kids where you start
Get off my two sacks, light your pipes, load your cracks
Get off my elevator
(Security will escort you out the building)
Get off my elevator
(That woman is nosey, trying to find out business)
Get off my elevator!
(Security will escort you out my building)
Get off my elevator!
(That woman is nosey, trying to find out more business)
You're rapping wackey, your whole wardrobe, your colored food stamps
Department of agriculture scheming like a vulture
I burn your sideburns off on tracks like John Shaft
You be counting your pubic hairs trying to do the math
Like mascot, you front your ashy face and black beat
Studio platic, melts panties, sweating street heat
I'll be there like Vladimir packing in your ear
Dr. Smith, Will Robinson make you say "Oh dear"
I take your tour bus, treat you like infested puss
Lima beans drop down and grease your dirty jeans
National thunderstorms, step up and find your power
Your records hot melt like yogurt and you smell sour
Get my reels, Ampex, a dat system flex
You got polio knees, lock fell on soul train
The answer is Anorex, punks I'll flip your brain
Like Don Cornelious, I hide behind the scenes
Make you lick my hot dogs with ketchup on two beans
I censorship real quick and feed your family cabbage
Make you thought eat ham hocks, tuna out the garbage
Blind your range with tones, your radio sounds strange
Eat out your rear bag, snatch ribs out your wild coyote
Tell Bob to pay me, the company boss still owe me
But Capitol built walls, built fences
I come for my check, don't lower your defenses
Get off my elevator
(Security will escort you out my building)
Get off my elevator
(You are very nosey and un high classed)
Get off my elevator
(Security will definitely esort you away from my building)
Get off my elevator
(You'll be shipped away in a cop car)
Elevation, I want elevation beyond elevation yes
Elevation, elevation, past elevation
Elevation, elevators elevating elevation
The song "Get Off My Elevator" by Kool Keith is a rap song that is full of braggadocio, threats and insults towards other rappers in the hip-hop game. The song is clearly meant to be a statement of superiority, with Kool Keith presenting himself as an unassailable force in the rap world. He claims that his rhymes are superior to those of other rappers and that he is larger than hip-hop itself.
Kool Keith's use of language in this song is particularly notable, with his verses full of intricate wordplay and clever rhymes. He criticizes rappers that he feels are weak and untalented, and he mocks critics who he feels are not able to appreciate his artistry. He also boasts about the power of his words, insisting that they can be like missiles that strike their targets with precision.
The chorus of the song, with its repeated refrain of "Get off my elevator!", suggests that Kool Keith is not interested in sharing the limelight with others. He wants to be the center of attention, and he is not afraid to tell others to "get off" if they try to compete with him.
Line by Line Meaning
Get off my elevator!
You will be forced to leave the premises by security.
Get off my elevator!
That woman is trying to snoop around and find out information.
I choose my subjects, personal man, that's what I want to write
I stick to what I know and what I want to write about.
Critics critique, I compel that lots of rappers weak
I don't pay attention to critics because they don't know what they're talking about when it comes to rap music.
'97 I blacked out, he's paying all my rent
In 1997, I rose to fame and now I'm living comfortably off my earnings.
Larger than hip-hop, you watch me like the president
My status is bigger than just a hip-hop artist, and my fans follow me like they would a president.
No feedback on R&B scams motivate me
I'm not interested in R&B scams, and it doesn't motivate me.
With stretch marks around your gut plus I know you hate me
You're an overweight critic who doesn't like me, but I don't care.
Guard your feet, lose cellulite, I'm a come complete
Watch your weight and appearance because I always complete my work at its highest level.
Work off your stomach pounds with super sonic stomach sounds
My music will motivate you to work out and lose weight.
That's word to hoss, animal heads, stupid fly gorilla
This is the truth, and I'm the king of the jungle.
I get pros vexed, on ghetto clicks I get iller
I impress professionals and get better with each ghetto crowd.
Guard your rab mics, my style shine like zebra stripes
Protect your microphones from the shine of my unique style.
Right in your forehead, my word becomes a real missile
My words are powerful and hit people like a missile in the forehead.
I be hanging in back doors like Rose's toilet tissue
I'm always in the shadows like a roll of toilet paper.
Hydrolic engines blow flies out your left window
My music is so powerful it will blow the flies out your open window.
Your rap is catnip with slob dropping on the pillow
Your rap is boring and puts people to sleep like a cat does with catnip.
Shut your face, shut your mouth like pigeons floying south
Be silent, just like the pigeons flying south for the winter.
I'm rolling rampart, the bottom kids where you start
I'm making moves and paving the way for the up and coming artists.
Get off my two sacks, light your pipes, load your cracks
Leave my possessions alone, and smoke your drugs elsewhere.
You're rapping wackey, your whole wardrobe, your colored food stamps
Your rap is terrible, your clothes are terrible, and you're likely living off food stamps.
Department of agriculture scheming like a vulture
The government is taking advantage of the poor like a vulture takes advantage of the dead.
I burn your sideburns off on tracks like John Shaft
My music is so hot it will burn off your sideburns like a character from a popular movie.
You be counting your pubic hairs trying to do the math
You're so bad at math that you have to count your pubic hairs to make sense of it.
Like mascot, you front your ashy face and black beat
You try to act like a mascot, reminiscent of a black stereotype.
Studio plastic melts panties sweating street heat
The music is so good that it makes girls sweat and their panties melt.
I'll be there like Vladimir packing in your ear
I'll always be present, like a Soviet leader.
Dr. Smith, Will Robinson make you say "Oh dear"
I'm like a character from a popular TV show, and I'll make you go "Oh dear."
I take your tour bus, treat you like infested puss
I'll take your tour bus and deal with you harshly, like a festering wound.
Lima beans drop down and grease your dirty jeans
Lima beans fall out of your clothes, making them greasy and dirty.
National thunderstorms, step up and find your power
There will be challenges, but you have the power to overcome them.
Your records hot melt like yogurt and you smell sour
Your records are so bad they melt like yogurt, and you have a bad scent.
Get my reels, Ampex, a-DAT system flex
Make sure you get all the recording equipment ready for me.
You got polio knees, lock fell on Soul Train
Your legs are bad like someone with polio, and you stumbled like the Soul Train dancers.
The answer is Anorex, punks I'll flip your brain
The solution is Anorex, I'll help you flip your brain so you can figure it out.
Like Don Cornelius, I hide behind the scenes
I'm like a behind the scenes figure, most people don't even notice me.
Make you lick my hot dogs with ketchup on two beans
I'll make you do something you don't want to do, like eat a hot dog with ketchup on two beans.
I censorship real quick and feed your family cabbage
I'll censor you and punish your family, making them eat cabbage instead of anything else.
Make you thought eat ham hocks, tuna out the garbage
I'll force you to eat ham hocks or even tuna that was pulled out of the garbage.
Blind your range with tones, your radio sounds strange
I'll mess up your hearing and make it difficult to listen to music normally.
Eat out your rear bag, snatch ribs out your wild coyote
I'll eat from your rear bag of belongings and take the ribs from your wild coyote.
Tell Bob to pay me, the company boss still owe me
Tell Bob to pay me because the company still owes me money.
But Capitol built walls, built fences
The record label built walls between us and caused problems.
I come for my check, don't lower your defenses
I'm coming to collect my money, and I won't let my guard down.
Elevation, I want elevation beyond elevation yes!
I want to rise to the top and have more and more success.
Elevation, elevation, past elevation
Higher and higher.
Elevation, elevators elevating elevation
Elevators lifting us up in life.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEITH THORNTON, KURT MATLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danscott3880
The most abstract. Dude from the South Bronx..hes still FUNKY...
@TheReFlexin
only jus started listening to sum of kool keiths music, and i gotta admit hes got alot of skill. lyrically shits on 90% of all rappers today.
@timstadlmueller58
Keith's flow is absurd.
@travellerjones8005
Yeah .... especially his Dr octagon shit . The song no awareness turned my brain inside out
@lroy74
Insane! 96-03 was the best in the world!!!
@realzneedle2602
Keith is not from this world
@thirdlegstalliano
Kool Keith goes hard
@NealLum
and then i told them, If they move desk one more time, ill burn this place down.
@SecretCh0rd
Did they take your swingline too?
@josephblanchard6248
Office Space>>>>>>>