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)
Ultra Reunion Feat Ultramagnetic Mc's
Kool Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Example one - master magical magician
Hold position, enter the club with competition
The Great Bartholomew, my spirit follow you
Hand back the track, smellin smoke off the vinyl wax
My approach is silent, quiet like a roach
My solo voodoo is here, Zapp with kazoo
What can you do when the funk comes behind your crew
Cool Keith with Indian Chief Sahara
Holdin the flashlight, shavin cream in the mirror
Like Yogi Berra, big Yank count bank
Movin work out the country, you think I'm Big Hank
Forty-eight waist with bass, all in your face
I be there, in the atmosphere, super underwear
My cape aluminum, light up crews when I'm booin em
Feedback, mistaken, like Crazy Legs
I be breakin, rap on my back, you caught the steam
While you smoke crack, that song word P
Chorus: repeat 4X
We know how to win, Ultra again
Ced Gee, cool Keith, re-un-ion
We know how to win..
[Ced Gee]
Check it
I bring light to every order
I'm smooth as hell, my record sells cross the border
So don't you tell me what I need
Cause I like to be, all that I see
However you take it, it could be arranged simplistic
Mad beats son, I know that you with it
Plus you know I'm spittin cheeba
You can quote that son, while I go call Anita
I'm like the high setter, the ready to buy getter
I like the fly sweaters, honey lips is wetter
I cruise around the world, uhh
Collectin fancy pearls and sexy girls
The umm, the ahh, umm the ahh
Ahh yeah son, I originated that
And that's a fact, product skills mad fat
The black on wax need to be brought back
The right way, the hype way
The way that MC's used to rip the mic way
Chorus
[C.Gee] So won't you kick that son?
[Keith] Yeah..
[Kool Keith]
Even compressed, I snap back like Aquaman
The Boogieman, lookin down at the city
Nuclear bombs, Band-Aids, hurt your arms with quickness
[Ced Gee]
Check, check.. check
Up in the ghetto I rip up mad parties
I rock the bells, lyrics kick like Bacardi
[Kool Keith]
Witness ill, reel to reel, change like weather
Penetratin plether, for goose feather
Acrobats get waxed, we run road like Mad Max
Security, Wells Fargo, I go
Loco, express best, who stress test me
Let's move on him
Chorus (fades)
[Kool Keith]
Yeah, feel my bassline..
In the song "Ultra Reunion" by Kool Keith featuring Ultramagnetic Mc's, Keith begins by boasting about his skills as a rapper, calling himself a "master magical magician" and suggesting that his competition cannot keep up with him. He references The Great Bartholomew, a fictional magician from a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and talks about his own "solo voodoo" approach to music. Keith then switches to describing himself as a superhero, with a cape made of aluminum and "super underwear." He also makes reference to Yogi Berra, a famous baseball player, and Skeletor, a villain from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon. Throughout the song, Keith's lyrics are full of references to popular culture and his own persona as a larger-than-life figure.
In the chorus, Keith and Ced Gee declare that they know how to win and can reunite to create the "Ultra" sound that made Ultramagnetic Mc's famous. Ced Gee's verse is a continuation of Keith's bravado, with him describing his smoothness, success in selling records, and love of fancy clothes and women. He also references his ability to write great lyrics while smoking marijuana and namechecks Anita, a possible love interest or friend. The song ends with Keith and Ced Gee taking turns rapping about their skills on the mic, with Keith comparing himself to Aquaman and describing a chaotic scene with nuclear bombs and quick-acting Band-Aids.
Line by Line Meaning
Example one - master magical magician
Kool Keith introduces himself as a master magical musician
Hold position, enter the club with competition
Kool Keith orders to hold position and enter the club to compete with other rappers
The Great Bartholomew, my spirit follow you
Kool Keith invokes the spirit of Great Bartholomew to follow him and help him rap
Hand back the track, smellin smoke off the vinyl wax
Kool Keith returns the track to the DJ and smells the smoke of the scratched vinyl
My approach is silent, quiet like a roach
Kool Keith describes his approach to rap as silent and subtle, like a roach
My solo voodoo is here, Zapp with kazoo
Kool Keith boasts about his solo rap style being unique and funky, like Zapp with a kazoo
What can you do when the funk comes behind your crew
Kool Keith asks what others can do when his funky rap style comes behind their rap crew
Like Greyskull, Skeletor the bus is on tour
Kool Keith references the Masters of the Universe cartoon and compares his touring bus to Skeletor
Cool Keith with Indian Chief Sahara
Kool Keith introduces himself with a new name, Indian Chief Sahara
Holdin the flashlight, shavin cream in the mirror
Kool Keith describes himself holding a flashlight and shaving cream, possibly getting ready for a show or a video shoot
Like Yogi Berra, big Yank count bank
Kool Keith references Yogi Berra and boasts about his ability to count money like 'big Yank'
Movin work out the country, you think I'm Big Hank
Kool Keith brags about moving drugs out of the country, comparing himself to Big Hank
Forty-eight waist with bass, all in your face
Kool Keith boasts about his large 48-inch waist and bass-heavy rap style
I be there, in the atmosphere, super underwear
Kool Keith claims he is present in the rap scene, floating like an atmosphere, and wearing superhero-like underwear
My cape aluminum, light up crews when I'm booin em
Kool Keith says his cape is made of aluminum and has the power to light up the rap crews that he 'boo's'
Feedback, mistaken, like Crazy Legs
Kool Keith claims that his 'feedback' is often mistaken for the breakdancing of Crazy Legs
I be breakin, rap on my back, you caught the steam
Kool Keith says he's breaking barriers and carrying rap on his back, while his critics are still catching up
While you smoke crack, that song word P
Kool Keith disses his critics who indulge in smoking crack while he makes hit songs
We know how to win, Ultra again Ced Gee, cool Keith, re-un-ion
The chorus repeats Kool Keith's and Ced Gee's winning formula for the Ultra reunion, a collaborative rap group
I bring light to every order
Ced Gee claims to bring creative light to every rap order he gets
I'm smooth as hell, my record sells cross the border
Ced Gee says his flow is smooth, and his music sells well even in other countries
So don't you tell me what I need
Ced Gee dismisses any unsolicited advice in what he needs to rap
Cause I like to be, all that I see
Ced Gee prefers to rap the way he envisions it, with satisfying results
However you take it, it could be arranged simplistic
Ced Gee is flexible how his music is taken, as it can be simplified to suit different tastes
Mad beats son, I know that you with it
Ced Gee knows his fans love his mad beats, and the audience agrees
Plus you know I'm spittin cheeba
Ced Gee boasts about his rapping style, calling it 'spitting cheeba'
You can quote that son, while I go call Anita
Ced Gee says fans can quote his rhymes while he takes a break to call Anita
I'm like the high setter, the ready to buy getter
Ced Gee says he is always on the lookout for the latest high-end music gear, and is willing to pay for it
I like the fly sweaters, honey lips is wetter
Ced Gee has a taste for fashionable sweaters and attractive women
I cruise around the world
Ced Gee has traveled worldwide for his rap career
Collectin fancy pearls and sexy girls
Ced Gee has a love for beautiful women and expensive jewelry
The umm, the ahh, umm the ahh
Ced Gee samples and repeats a classic rap chorus staple
Ahh yeah son, I originated that
Ced Gee brags that he originated the famous rap adlib
And that's a fact, product skills mad fat
Ced Gee claims that his skill is undeniable and his rap product is popular
The black on wax need to be brought back
Ced Gee believes that black musicians need to be recognized for their contributions to music history
The right way, the hype way
Ced Gee advocates for black music to be celebrated in its true form, with excitement and hype
The way that MC's used to rip the mic way
Ced Gee appeals to the classic style of rapping, where MC's would have intense mic battles
Even compressed, I snap back like Aquaman
Kool Keith claims to be resilient and come back strong, like the superhero Aquaman
The Boogieman, lookin down at the city
Kool Keith introduces himself as the Boogieman, overlooking the city with power and influence
Nuclear bombs, Band-Aids, hurt your arms with quickness
Kool Keith mentions nuclear bombs and Band-Aids, describing how they hurt your arms when applied quickly
Check, check.. check
Ced Gee repeats his sound check before he continues rapping
Up in the ghetto I rip up mad parties
Ced Gee reminisces of parties he's performed at in the ghetto where he was the center of attention
I rock the bells, lyrics kick like Bacardi
Ced Gee boasts about rocking the bells in his music and lyrics that hit hard, like Bacardi
Witness ill, reel to reel, change like weather
Kool Keith claims his unique rap style and creative process is 'witnessing' the illness (craze) of his era and changing with time
Penetratin plether, for goose feather
Kool Keith creates a surreal description of his unique rap style that can penetrate leather and capture goose feathers
Acrobats get waxed, we run road like Mad Max
Kool Keith claims his rap style destroys acrobats and dominates like the movie character 'Mad Max' on the road
Security, Wells Fargo, I go
Kool Keith references professional services (security and Wells Fargo) and says he goes there frequently
Loco, express best, who stress test me
Kool Keith claims to be crazy (loco), and the best at expressing his raps, asking who can test his skills
Let's move on him
Kool Keith urges his crew to move and take action
Yeah, feel my bassline..
Kool Keith leaves off with a final request to feel his signature rap bassline
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CEDRIC ULMONT MILLER, KEITH THORNTON, WILLIAM PATTERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind