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)
Star Struck
Kool Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Red carpet, take your pictures motherfucker
(Take yo' picture motherfucker) That's right
Motherfuckin chaffeur (motherfucker)
Drivin a motherfuckin Rolls Royce (Rolls Royce)
Star struck (star struck) take your pictures motherfucker
Star struck (starrrrr) take your pictures motherfucker (starrrrr)
The all-star game, I laugh like the mayor
A lot of jackasses went out there
You couldn't name a fuckin basketball player
Sideline Max lookin for asscracks
Stay in your Super 8 room bastards
Y'all watch the cameras zoom, my funk contest sizzle
Your ass didn't even go to the dunk contest
Freaks had they mindset over 6 foot 1 niggaz
Ended up with 6 foot 1 dumb niggaz
I hear they shot up Sunset and got one
It was on the news, what's gonna run niggaz
Star struck and mad, you didn't get no Bryan Shore pictures
Left your kids with the fuckin babysitters
Mad depressed, fuck, that's right
Look at your babyspitter, complainin like you're baby shitters
Star struck (starrrrr) take your pictures motherfucker (star)
Star struck, take your pictures motherfucker (starrrrr)
Star struck
Six thousand motherfuckers lined up in front of Roscoe's
For what I don't know (where's the afterparty?)
Bitch suck my dick, you still sniffin blow
Youse a Vanessa Williams look-a-like, youse a sniffin ho
Two o'clock, motherfucker go home
You'd rather stay up and ride in somebody's truck
Lookin for spoke rims and gold chrome
I'm the type of guy to make you change, your God damn tan and tone
Your blonde weave on your baldhead
You fuckin with Steve!
Arrogant monkey, you was a asshole stopped up with cheese
Hollywood star chalker, think you in the limelight
Plastic-ass motherfucker, cut it out PLEASE
All that bullshit chains on your jeans, around your knees
Star struck (starrrrr) take your pictures motherfucker (struck)
Star struck (star struck) take your pictures motherfucker (starrrrr)
Star struck (star struck, star STRUCK, starrrrrr struck)
(Star struck, fuck, star struck, star struck... you so fuckin star struck)
Starrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr STAR STRUCK!
In the song "Star Struck" by Kool Keith, the rapper critiques the obsession with fame and celebrity culture. He opens the song by portraying the luxurious lifestyle that comes with being a celebrity, emphasizing that the fame is the goal and not the talent required to achieve it. Keith then goes on to describe the hyped-up All-Star basketball game and how people who have no interest or knowledge about the sport attend the event only to be seen by the cameras. He mocks the people who are obsessed with taking pictures with celebrities, highlighting that they are not interested in knowing the person beyond their status.
Keith's criticism of Hollywood star culture and the obsession with fame continues as he describes a scene where thousands of people are waiting outside Roscoe's restaurant with no apparent reason, and women who resemble the famous Vanessa Williams are in attendance. He also confronts the Kardashians and their reality TV show culture, which is consistently focused on "being seen" and obsessed with appearances. Keith ends the song by criticizing people who wear chains that drag on the ground, which is a reflection of their desire to be noticed and appear more prominent. The song's message is clear: while there is nothing wrong with notoriety, blind obsession with it can lead to a shallow existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Red carpet, take your pictures motherfucker
I am walking on the red carpet and I want you to take a picture of me, so don't hesitate you son-of-a-bitch
(Take yo' picture motherfucker) That's right
Yes, take my picture, you heard me right
Motherfuckin chaffeur (motherfucker)
My driver is a motherfucker and he knows it
Drivin a motherfuckin Rolls Royce (Rolls Royce)
He is driving a Rolls Royce, but you already knew that
Star struck (star struck) take your pictures motherfucker
You are star struck and you should take a picture of me, you son-of-a-bitch
Star struck (starrrrr) take your pictures motherfucker (starrrrr)
You are completely star struck and can't stop taking my pictures, can you?
The all-star game, I laugh like the mayor
The All-Star game makes me laugh like the mayor of the town
A lot of jackasses went out there
Many fools went out there
You couldn't name a fuckin basketball player
You can't even name a basketball player
Sideline Max lookin for asscracks
Some jerk on the sidelines is looking for asscracks
Stay in your Super 8 room bastards
You fools should remain in your Super 8 motel rooms
Y'all watch the cameras zoom, my funk contest sizzle
You're all watching as the cameras zoom in, while my funk contest sizzles
Your ass didn't even go to the dunk contest
You didn't even go to the dunk contest, so what do you know about competition?
Freaks had they mindset over 6 foot 1 niggaz
Some people were obsessing over guys who were 6 feet 1 inch tall
Ended up with 6 foot 1 dumb niggaz
They ended up with guys who were 6 feet 1 inch tall, but not very intelligent
I hear they shot up Sunset and got one
I heard that someone was shot on Sunset Boulevard
It was on the news, what's gonna run niggaz
It was on TV, what else do you need to see?
Star struck and mad, you didn't get no Bryan Shore pictures
You are still star struck and angry because you didn't get any pictures with Bryan Shore
Left your kids with the fuckin babysitters
You left your children with the babysitters so you could come and see me, you neglectful fool
Mad depressed, fuck, that's right
You are angry and depressed, and that's just right, isn't it?
Look at your babyspitter, complainin like you're baby shitters
Look at you complaining like you are the babysitters
Six thousand motherfuckers lined up in front of Roscoe's
Six thousand fools are lined up in front of Roscoe's, doing what I don't know
For what I don't know (where's the afterparty?)
I don't know why they are lined up there, maybe looking for the afterparty?
Bitch suck my dick, you still sniffin blow
You should suck my dick because you are still sniffing cocaine
Youse a Vanessa Williams look-a-like, youse a sniffin ho
You look like Vanessa Williams and you are also a whore
Two o'clock, motherfucker go home
It's already two in the morning, so go home, you idiot
You'd rather stay up and ride in somebody's truck
You prefer to stay up and ride in someone else's truck, rather than go home and get some sleep
Lookin for spoke rims and gold chrome
You are looking for rims with spokes and gold chrome
I'm the type of guy to make you change, your God damn tan and tone
I am the kind of person who can make you want to change your skin tone and color
Your blonde weave on your baldhead
You have a blonde weave on your bald head
You fuckin with Steve!
You are messing with Steve, so be careful
Arrogant monkey, you was a asshole stopped up with cheese
You are an arrogant monkey, and you were a jerk with constipation
Hollywood star chalker, think you in the limelight
You are a Hollywood star, but you think you are in the limelight
Plastic-ass motherfucker, cut it out PLEASE
You are a phony and need to stop it, ASAP
All that bullshit chains on your jeans, around your knees
All those chains on your jeans, hanging around your knees, is bullshit
Star struck (starrrrr) take your pictures motherfucker (struck)
You are still star struck and should take more pictures of me
Star struck (star struck) take your pictures motherfucker (starrrrr)
You are completely star struck and can't stop taking my picture
Star struck (star struck, star STRUCK, starrrrrr struck)
You are so star struck that you can't even handle it
(Star struck, fuck, star struck, star struck... you so fuckin star struck)
You are so fucking star struck that I can't even believe it
Starrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr STAR STRUCK!
You are star struck beyond belief
Contributed by Benjamin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.