August 26–September 2, 1999

critical mass

The Thin Black Duke

A conversation with hip-hop’s Kool Keith, this generation’s Space Oddity.

by a.d. amorosi

What David Bowie was to ’70s rock, Keith Thornton is to ’90s hip-hop. The rapper who’s alternately known as Kool Keith, Dr. Dooom, Dr. Octagon, Big Willie Smith and Black Elvis is a beguiling, chameleon-like presence. As a member of the mid-’80s electrofunk quartet Ultramagnetic MCs, he co-wrote "Ego Trippin’," a debut single that displayed a predilection for hardy, electronic funk. Over the years, Keith’s changed his identity innumerable times, making faces with Tim Dog (under the group name Ultra), Godfather Don ’n’ Bobbito (for Cenubites), Prodigy (whose "Smack My Bitch Up" samples Keith), Prince Paul and DJ Spooky. Still, he’s probably best known for his mid-’90s work with Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, as Dr. Octagon. The ’97 albums Dr. Octagonecologyst and Instrumentalyst (Dreamworks) are visionary techno-hop and dark, cinematic visions.

This year Keith created Dr. Dooom for the release First Come, First Served (Funky Ass Records). On it, the savage mechanical killer obliterated Dr. Octagon. On the new Black Elvis/Lost In Space (Ruffhouse), Keith, in Devo-esque plastic pompadour, is silly, sexy and ready to point fingers at hip-hop’s thieves and poseurs. The spare beats and turbulent space soundtrack sound like Sun Ra-meets-Zapp. (Zapp’s Roger Troutman appears as co-conspirator on the album.) Yet for all of the influences and nuances, Kool Keith is a one-of-a-kind who has a reputation for being unreliable and moody. To the contrary, however, he chatted happily about himself and the state of hip-hop during a recent phone call from Manhattan.

What were you into growing up?

I was weird. I was into the Dazz Band, Undisputed Truth, Earth, Wind & Fire, Cameo, Slave, Con Funk Shun and Mandrill – those groups and the galactic wear they had on. Bands who had distinct visual representation, a sound to go with it and knew how to market it. You bought Midnight Star, Chic or Cameo, you knew what were you’re getting. Having a signature sound, no matter how many changes you make, is important. Even when I was in Ultramagnetic MCs, I think we had a sound. And the industry and the audiences went along with that singular vision. Now the industry and audience expectations go the other way: If you don’t have 40 guest stars on each song, people are disappointed. Ya gotta have Mary J. Blige on the chorus, Deborah Cox has gotta sing a verse, Faith busts a verse, you gotta have your Tupac reels and your Biggie reels, you bring in the Trackmasters, then Ice Cube drops his two cents, the Winans family drops by for the big finish. Now these are all talented people. But what you’ve done is handicap the guy in the middle, the possibly untalented guy whose record it is. That guy in the middle is not given a chance to evolve and develop on his own. There are no more pure artists. All you get is a collage. When you used to buy Prince you got Prince music, Prince image. Now you buy somebody, it’s what everybody’s about.

Does music guide persona or do you come up with a theme first and then base music and lyrics around it?

I create the character first then I put the mood of the music behind him. Like Curtis Mayfield did with Superfly. Like James Brown did with Black Caesar. The movies match the music and match the characters. Ron O’Neal and Fred Williamson matched what Mayfield and Brown were thinking. Even today’s movies are all about consumer hustling, by the way. It’s not about the art of the movie. It’s all just to sell more product.

Why Black Elvis?

I did Elvis cuz it’s way beyond rap. My influence over rap is so phenomenal that I had to take a stand even larger than hip-hop. I’ve done everything a rapper can do: wear a baseball cap backwards and frontwards, wear scarves and headbands with the rags tied up, did the Fuck Compton head-stocking cap thing, straitjackets, doo rags and Nu Nile grease, the big goggles, the masks. I wore suits back in the Big Daddy Kane days. Carrying champagne bottles and riding in limos. It’s been done. Urban images have nowhere to go. Rap’s at a standstill [wearing] hats backward now? That’s so corny. I wear baseball caps to do my laundry in.

Was Black Elvis at all about reclaiming African-American music from Caucasians who stole R&B in the ’50s?

No, I respect Elvis. Blacks don’t really have an Elvis. We’re all alike. We speak the same language. There are no heroes. Not even in comic books. All of our heroes are fucked up – basketball guys, Tyson – they’re all fucked, at least in the media. Elvis, to me, has got the best image. Along with Michael Jackson, their images are most powerful. Rappers don’t have the decor or aura of Elvis. I wanted people to see me as Elvis, like he was in Vegas, lighting up the town.

What do you think of hip-hop actors such as Master P, LL Cool J and Pras? Does acting interest you?

Yeah, I did a film called Champions with Danny Trejo and Ken Shamrock. It was about cage-fight clubs in Mexico sanctioned by the government. The loser loses by death. I’ve done Sprite commercials. Acting makes me feel that I’m special to the visual world. I know I’m not the average Joe Neckbone rapper, so it was cool. It also makes you aware of your product-ness. But if you’re gonna be out there, ya gotta learn how to talk. And I think it’s great that there are rappers who have humor and can talk and be professional and blab next to Jay Leno or Dick Cavett. Let’s face it. You’ve got a lot of rappers with no presentation, vocal training or dictation and those who stole their whole image from other people. I hate rappers on talk shows who go with "yaknowhatamsaying" over and over.

You worked extensively with the late Roger Troutman [of Zapp] on this record. Few people give him props for making the unique music he did.

Roger’s the same type of guy I am. People have stolen their whole careers from him. People were jealous of him and his Vocoder. I was with him one time and he was on the phone with Warners. They were trying to get him to work with some young nobodies. They were diluting him, using him. Just like the majors did with the Gap Band and Cameo. It’s all politics. Here’s a man who made great records like "Computer Love" who was ready to dilute Zapp, use his sound for all these new fad artists.

How do you, as you say on your album, avoid the "Lexus/cell phone/ fake Muslim/fake Versace-wearing" pitfalls of the biz??

I’m not infatuated with materialism. I came up in hip-hop. I’m not a first-timer. I’ve been to clubs. I’ve drunk champagne. I’ve been in Benzes. I’ve experienced life. These new guys dig the material world. They get their first check and don’t know how to handle it. So they spend and hang with women who are programmed to want this. None of them are mature. These people are behind the times with wealth proving. All this exaggeration and pain is hurting people.

When Dr. Octagon opted out of Lollapalooza, the rumor flew around that you were undependable, kooky.

That was a thing I handled professionally. The tour got put together two minutes before stage time with a band I had never met. I don’t do things that way. They didn’t care about me. I was the third man, the last guy to get the newspaper. It wasn’t Dreamworks’ fault. It wasn’t even Automator’s problem. It was something in between. They figured I was this happy young kid just happy to be on stage. I wasn’t.

All over Lost In Space you mention Philly, Cherry Hill, Korman Suites and Tony Luke’s.

I lived here for a little while, on Spring Garden. I used to hang down on South Street sometimes, go to the Gallery. That’s when Philly was more laid-back. But it ain’t a night city. No place to go late night. No clubs open on weekdays. But it’s cool.

Kool Keith and DJ Spooky, Mon., Aug. 30, 8 p.m. at TLA, 334 South St., 215-336-2000.