IPOD
RADIO
Kool Keith
By Daniel Robert Epstein
Aug 8, 2006
Kool Keith is legally insane. If this interview doesn’t prove that to you, just go out and grab his latest album, The Return of Dr. Octagon. Dr. Octagon is a persona that Kool first used ten years ago and since then he’s gotten his degree in crazy so it was time to kick it up a notch.
Buy The Return of Dr. Octagon
Daniel Robert Epstein: So what do you like so much about Dr. Octagon that you brought him back after ten years?
Kool Keith: I wrote the lyrics a while ago. I’ve been finished with my lyrics and just worked with the producing part of it.
DRE:
What do you like so much about the persona of Dr. Octagon?
KK:
It’s just something different in my head.
DRE:
Is a lot of your work broken up into who you like to call yourself that day?
KK:
Yeah, yeah. Some days I try different things, I wake up and go “you know what, today I’m just going to be somebody different.”
DRE:
You think kind of hip-hop has lost that sense of humor?
KK:
Kind of, yeah. Everybody’s too serious.
DRE:
Do you sit down and say “today I’m writing a Dr. Octagon song?”
KK:
Yeah, because it fits what it is.
DRE:
What is your writing process?
KK:
I got different levels of writing. I’ve got stuff where I write at Ultra Magnetic level, I’ve got Kool Keith level. I’ve got sci-fi level, I’ve got different things, I’ve got UFO level stuff. I’ve got fetish level, I’ve got sex level, so I can part all these things apart and I can do all these things so I’ve got different levels of songs I write. I record about 6000 records a month. I just put them up into files, this goes into that file, this goes into that file.
DRE:
What’s the sex level like?
KK:
I’ve got songs about girls, strip clubs, different shit, naked, ass, titties, panties, songs, intimate records, moaning and I’ve got my freestyle shit, I’ve got my curse level. The critics always think different things but I like a lot of stuff. I like a lot of my cursing records. I’ve got my extreme pissing on you level and my urination defecation songs and a lot of shit that’s different. I like a lot of songs that are different. I plan to put out the album called Shit, just straight Shit, I’m going to call it Straight Shit. I just want to have me on the cover with two German Shepherds just shitting everywhere and just call the album Straight Shit. Just talk about shit the whole album, shitting on everything, shit is everywhere. I created a new album, Shit-o-mania. [laughs]
DRE:
Is that going to come out on a German label?
KK:
People know my vocab is like the original vocab. The lyrics I like are pee, urine, those words are very shocking. Like they scare people, piss, just regular shit and piss, they don’t like those words. Like if I use big supersonic Megatron, Optimus Prime, that’s cool, but they don’t like when I use my fetish lyrics like shit, piss and my urination. It is different levels, but I like that, I love it. That’s my main artistic thing right there. It’s just like other rappers, you’ve got a lot of rappers that use their cliché words and stuff. So why people want to take my cliché words away? You’ve got many rappers out there that say cliché words, you got rappers that keep saying a certain word all the time like Cristal or making that money. Using pimpin’ and if I say my words my urination and pee and all that then people feel like I’m going back into something.
DRE:
I think you should do it.
KK:
They shouldn’t mess with me in that department.
DRE:
Do you really believe in aliens?
KK:
Yeah, there are aliens out there.
DRE:
Why haven’t they shown themselves yet?
KK:
I don’t know. I’ve seen actual specimens, debris and stuff.
You don’t believe in aliens?
DRE:
I probably do. I just wonder why they don’t just come down here and hang out.
KK:
Where do you live at?
DRE:
In Astoria, Queens.
KK:
Oh they got aliens in Astoria.
DRE:
Where?
KK:
They just don’t come out. They come out at night. You don’t ever see them coming off the N train?
DRE:
[laughs] I read that you decided that you don’t want to work with any major labels anymore.
KK:
They’ve got a format and they’re dudes that tell you how to dress and they send some uncoordinated person to bring you some crazy shit to put on. Majors like to get into your clothing. They got a lot of ideas that are way out too far, they’re like, “hey, we need you to put this garbage can on.” [laughs]
DRE:
[laughs] You wouldn’t want to wear a garbage can?
KK:
No, I think I can do the majors, I can help them though. I can help them with ideas. Right now they need to give me offices and stuff so I can come by and listen to the wack shit that they’re signing and tell them, “hey let’s chill the fuck out and go to lunch or something.”
DRE:
Is there music that plays on the radio that you like?
KK:
Not really. Everything is basically the same. There are about 10,000 R&B groups that sound the same and 20,000 rappers that rap the same subjects. It is the same basic format, do my video, introduce the video, the same stuff. Nothing that much different.
DRE:
I read you’re working with a Spanish band now.
KK:
Yeah I’ve got a Spanish band I’m working with. I’ve got a couple of Spanish things I’m doing.
DRE:
What do you like about Spanish music?
KK:
I like the Spanish music. I’ve got a group coming out rapping some different stuff, so it’s going to surprise you, it’s going to be a different thing.
DRE:
Are you going to be singing or producing?
KK:
I’m producing.
DRE:
What kind of Spanish music is it?
KK:
I’m doing salsa. So you and your girl can come in and salsa to the record. When I do the record release party, you can put on your salsa shoes and do the merengue.
DRE:
Can you merengue too?
KK:
Yeah I do a little cha-cha, but the album will be called UFO Cha-Cha.
DRE:
[laughs] So the aliens come down to Spain.
What do you like about ethnic music now?
KK:
It’s sexy, the women are sexy, the girls look good. They’re so beautiful and it matches. When they get to UFO Cha-Cha it’s going to really take them out there.
DRE:
[laughs] What else are you working on?
KK:
I’m working on my solo album.
DRE:
What persona are you going to be using?
KK:
My new solo album is going to be different. It’s called Three the God Way. It’s just me coming straight out and it’s just going to be different.
DRE:
Have you ever heard of SuicideGirls?
KK:
SuicideGirls? What do they do?
DRE:
It’s like Playboy for punks. I think you’d like them.
KK:
Oh yeah? How do they look?
DRE:
They’re like tattooed and pierced and stuff.
KK:
They’re girls?
DRE:
Yeah man.
KK:
What are they doing? Where are they going to be at?
DRE:
They have a burlesque tour but mostly it’s a website.
KK:
Oh yeah. I got to check them out. They pretty?
DRE:
Hell yeah they are.
KK:
Kool Keith is legally insane. If this interview doesn’t prove that to you, just go out and grab his latest album, The Return of Dr. Octagon. Dr. Octagon is a persona that Kool first used ten years ago and since then he’s gotten his degree in crazy so it was time to kick it up a notch.
Buy The Return of Dr. Octagon
Daniel Robert Epstein: So what do you like so much about Dr. Octagon that you brought him back after ten years?
Kool Keith: I wrote the lyrics a while ago. I’ve been finished with my lyrics and just worked with the producing part of it.
DRE:
What do you like so much about the persona of Dr. Octagon?
KK:
It’s just something different in my head.
DRE:
Is a lot of your work broken up into who you like to call yourself that day?
KK:
Yeah, yeah. Some days I try different things, I wake up and go “you know what, today I’m just going to be somebody different.”
DRE:
You think kind of hip-hop has lost that sense of humor?
KK:
Kind of, yeah. Everybody’s too serious.
DRE:
Do you sit down and say “today I’m writing a Dr. Octagon song?”
KK:
Yeah, because it fits what it is.
DRE:
What is your writing process?
KK:
I got different levels of writing. I’ve got stuff where I write at Ultra Magnetic level, I’ve got Kool Keith level. I’ve got sci-fi level, I’ve got different things, I’ve got UFO level stuff. I’ve got fetish level, I’ve got sex level, so I can part all these things apart and I can do all these things so I’ve got different levels of songs I write. I record about 6000 records a month. I just put them up into files, this goes into that file, this goes into that file.
DRE:
What’s the sex level like?
KK:
I’ve got songs about girls, strip clubs, different shit, naked, ass, titties, panties, songs, intimate records, moaning and I’ve got my freestyle shit, I’ve got my curse level. The critics always think different things but I like a lot of stuff. I like a lot of my cursing records. I’ve got my extreme pissing on you level and my urination defecation songs and a lot of shit that’s different. I like a lot of songs that are different. I plan to put out the album called Shit, just straight Shit, I’m going to call it Straight Shit. I just want to have me on the cover with two German Shepherds just shitting everywhere and just call the album Straight Shit. Just talk about shit the whole album, shitting on everything, shit is everywhere. I created a new album, Shit-o-mania. [laughs]
DRE:
Is that going to come out on a German label?
KK:
People know my vocab is like the original vocab. The lyrics I like are pee, urine, those words are very shocking. Like they scare people, piss, just regular shit and piss, they don’t like those words. Like if I use big supersonic Megatron, Optimus Prime, that’s cool, but they don’t like when I use my fetish lyrics like shit, piss and my urination. It is different levels, but I like that, I love it. That’s my main artistic thing right there. It’s just like other rappers, you’ve got a lot of rappers that use their cliché words and stuff. So why people want to take my cliché words away? You’ve got many rappers out there that say cliché words, you got rappers that keep saying a certain word all the time like Cristal or making that money. Using pimpin’ and if I say my words my urination and pee and all that then people feel like I’m going back into something.
DRE:
I think you should do it.
KK:
They shouldn’t mess with me in that department.
DRE:
Do you really believe in aliens?
KK:
Yeah, there are aliens out there.
DRE:
Why haven’t they shown themselves yet?
KK:
I don’t know. I’ve seen actual specimens, debris and stuff.
You don’t believe in aliens?
You don’t believe in aliens?
DRE:
I probably do. I just wonder why they don’t just come down here and hang out.
KK:
Where do you live at?
DRE:
In Astoria, Queens.
KK:
Oh they got aliens in Astoria.
DRE:
Where?
KK:
They just don’t come out. They come out at night. You don’t ever see them coming off the N train?
DRE:
[laughs] I read that you decided that you don’t want to work with any major labels anymore.
KK:
They’ve got a format and they’re dudes that tell you how to dress and they send some uncoordinated person to bring you some crazy shit to put on. Majors like to get into your clothing. They got a lot of ideas that are way out too far, they’re like, “hey, we need you to put this garbage can on.” [laughs]
DRE:
[laughs] You wouldn’t want to wear a garbage can?
KK:
No, I think I can do the majors, I can help them though. I can help them with ideas. Right now they need to give me offices and stuff so I can come by and listen to the wack shit that they’re signing and tell them, “hey let’s chill the fuck out and go to lunch or something.”
DRE:
Is there music that plays on the radio that you like?
KK:
Not really. Everything is basically the same. There are about 10,000 R&B groups that sound the same and 20,000 rappers that rap the same subjects. It is the same basic format, do my video, introduce the video, the same stuff. Nothing that much different.
DRE:
I read you’re working with a Spanish band now.
KK:
Yeah I’ve got a Spanish band I’m working with. I’ve got a couple of Spanish things I’m doing.
DRE:
What do you like about Spanish music?
KK:
I like the Spanish music. I’ve got a group coming out rapping some different stuff, so it’s going to surprise you, it’s going to be a different thing.
DRE:
Are you going to be singing or producing?
KK:
I’m producing.
DRE:
What kind of Spanish music is it?
KK:
I’m doing salsa. So you and your girl can come in and salsa to the record. When I do the record release party, you can put on your salsa shoes and do the merengue.
DRE:
Can you merengue too?
KK:
Yeah I do a little cha-cha, but the album will be called UFO Cha-Cha.
DRE:
[laughs] So the aliens come down to Spain.
What do you like about ethnic music now?
What do you like about ethnic music now?
KK:
It’s sexy, the women are sexy, the girls look good. They’re so beautiful and it matches. When they get to UFO Cha-Cha it’s going to really take them out there.
DRE:
[laughs] What else are you working on?
KK:
I’m working on my solo album.
DRE:
What persona are you going to be using?
KK:
My new solo album is going to be different. It’s called Three the God Way. It’s just me coming straight out and it’s just going to be different.
DRE:
Have you ever heard of SuicideGirls?
KK:
SuicideGirls? What do they do?
DRE:
It’s like Playboy for punks. I think you’d like them.
KK:
Oh yeah? How do they look?
DRE:
They’re like tattooed and pierced and stuff.
KK:
They’re girls?
DRE:
Yeah man.
KK:
What are they doing? Where are they going to be at?
DRE:
They have a burlesque tour but mostly it’s a website.
KK:
Oh yeah. I got to check them out. They pretty?
DRE:
Hell yeah they are.
KK:
