Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith,
is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York. A founding member
of Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as
a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is the self-proclaimed
inventor of horrorcore.
Kool Keith began his rap career with the group Ultramagnetic MCs.
After the release of Critical Beatdown, Thornton was reportedly institutionalized
in Bellevue Hospital Center.[2][3] However, he admitted later that
the idea that he was institutionalized came from a flippant remark
made during a stressful interview and he never expected the story
to become so well-known.[4]
Thornton released his first notable solo single, "Earth People," in
1995, under the name Dr. Octagon, followed by the release of Dr.
Octagonecologyst the following year. The album's production by Dan
the Automator and Kutmasta Kurt, with scratching by DJ Qbert was
acclaimed by critics, and the album was released nationally by DreamWorks
Records, who also issued an instrumental version of the album, titled
Instrumentalyst (Octagon Beats).[2][3] Thornton followed the album
with Sex Style in 1997 under the name Kool Keith.
In 1998, Thornton collaborated with Tim Dog for the single "The
Industry is Wack," performing under the name Ultra.[2][3] The
following year, he released the album First Come, First Served under
the name "Dr. Dooom", in which the album's main character
killed off Dr. Octagon on the album's opening track. On August 10,
1999, Thornton released Black Elvis/Lost in Space. It peaked at #10
on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #74 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop
Albums chart, and #180 on the Billboard 200.[5] On July 25, 2000,
Thornton released the album Matthew. It peaked at #47 on the Billboard
Heatseekers chart.[6] The same year, Thornton collaborated with Ice-T,
Marc Live, Black Silver and Pimp Rex for the album Pimp to Eat, under
the group name Analog Brothers, with Keith performing as Keith Korg
and Ice-T as Ice Oscillator.[2]
On June 5, 2001, Thornton released the album Spankmaster on Esham's
Gothom Records.[7] It peaked at #16 on the Billboard Heatseekers
chart, #11 on the Top Independent Albums chart and #48 on the Top
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[8]
In 2002, Thornton began recording The Resurrection of Dr. Octagon
with producer Fanatik J,[9][10] signing a contract with CMH Records
to release the album, which was eventually completed without much
input from Thornton, due to a falling out over contractual terms.[10]
Thornton, Marc Live and H-Bomb formed the group KHM, releasing the
album Game on November 19, 2002, changing their name to "The
Clayborne Family" by the release of their second album.[3]
On October 12, 2004, Real Talk Entertainment issued the unauthorized
release Dr. Octagon Part 2. The album was discontinued by court order.[3]
On April 25, 2006, Thornton released the album Nogatco Rd. under
the name Mr. Nogatco.[3] On June 27, The Return of Dr. Octagon was
released by OCD International, an imprint of CMH, advertised as the
official follow-up to Dr. Octagonecologyst.[10] Some critics felt
that it was not as good as its predecessor.[11][12] Thornton stated
that he liked the album, but felt that it hurt his reputation as
a musician.[10] In August, Thornton performed under the Dr. Octagon
billing, but did not acknowledge the release of the OCD album.[13]
In 2007, Ultramagnetic MCs released the reunion album The Best Kept
Secret.[3] In 2009, Kool Keith released the concept album Tashan
Dorrsett; a follow-up, The Legend of Tashan Dorrsett, followed two
years later.[3]
[edit] Lyrical and performance style
Thornton's lyrics are often abstract,[14] surreal,[15] and filled
with non-sequiturs and juvenile humor.[16] Thornton is also known
for an explicit style focusing on sexual themes, which Thornton has
referred to as "pornocore".[17][18] In a 2007 interview,
Thornton claims to have "invented horrorcore".[1]
[edit] Discography
Main article: Kool Keith discography
Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996)
Sex Style (1997)
First Come, First Served (1999)
Black Elvis/Lost in Space (1999)
Matthew (2000)
Spankmaster (2001)
Diesel Truckers (2004)
Nogatco Rd. (2006)
The Return of Dr. Octagon (2006)
Dr. Dooom 2 (2008)
Tashan Dorrsett (2009)