Kool Keith is legally insane. If this interview doesnt 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 hes 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. Ive 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: Its 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 Im just going to be somebody different.
DRE: You think kind of hip-hop has lost that sense of humor?
KK: Kind of, yeah. Everybodys too serious.
DRE: Do you sit down and say today Im 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. Ive got stuff where I write at Ultra Magnetic level, Ive got Kool Keith level. Ive got sci-fi level, Ive got different things, Ive got UFO level stuff. Ive got fetish level, Ive got sex level, so I can part all these things apart and I can do all these things so Ive 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: Whats the sex level like?
KK: Ive got songs about girls, strip clubs, different shit, naked, ass, titties, panties, songs, intimate records, moaning and Ive got my freestyle shit, Ive 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. Ive got my extreme pissing on you level and my urination defecation songs and a lot of shit thats different. I like a lot of songs that are different. I plan to put out the album called Shit, just straight Shit, Im 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 dont like those words. Like if I use big supersonic Megatron, Optimus Prime, thats cool, but they dont like when I use my fetish lyrics like shit, piss and my urination. It is different levels, but I like that, I love it. Thats my main artistic thing right there. Its just like other rappers, youve got a lot of rappers that use their clich words and stuff. So why people want to take my clich words away? Youve got many rappers out there that say clich 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 Im going back into something.
DRE: I think you should do it.
KK: They shouldnt mess with me in that department.
DRE: Do you really believe in aliens?
KK: Yeah, there are aliens out there.
DRE: Why havent they shown themselves yet?
KK: I dont know. Ive seen actual specimens, debris and stuff.
You dont believe in aliens?
DRE: I probably do. I just wonder why they dont 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 dont come out. They come out at night. You dont ever see them coming off the N train?
DRE: [laughs] I read that you decided that you dont want to work with any major labels anymore.
KK: Theyve got a format and theyre 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, theyre like, hey, we need you to put this garbage can on. [laughs]
DRE: [laughs] You wouldnt 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 theyre signing and tell them, hey lets 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 youre working with a Spanish band now.
KK: Yeah Ive got a Spanish band Im working with. Ive got a couple of Spanish things Im doing.
DRE: What do you like about Spanish music?
KK: I like the Spanish music. Ive got a group coming out rapping some different stuff, so its going to surprise you, its going to be a different thing.
DRE: Are you going to be singing or producing?
KK: Im producing.
DRE: What kind of Spanish music is it?
KK: Im 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: Its sexy, the women are sexy, the girls look good. Theyre so beautiful and it matches. When they get to UFO Cha-Cha its going to really take them out there.
DRE: [laughs] What else are you working on?
KK: Im working on my solo album.
DRE: What persona are you going to be using?
KK: My new solo album is going to be different. Its called Three the God Way. Its just me coming straight out and its just going to be different.
DRE: Have you ever heard of SuicideGirls?
KK: SuicideGirls? What do they do?
DRE: Its like Playboy for punks. I think youd like them.
KK: Oh yeah? How do they look?
DRE: Theyre like tattooed and pierced and stuff.
KK: Theyre girls?
DRE: Yeah man.
KK: What are they doing? Where are they going to be at?
DRE: They have a burlesque tour but mostly its a website.
KK: Oh yeah. I got to check them out. They pretty?
DRE: Hell yeah they are.
KK: Oh well, tell them to masturbate to my record.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
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. Ive 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: Its 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 Im just going to be somebody different.
DRE: You think kind of hip-hop has lost that sense of humor?
KK: Kind of, yeah. Everybodys too serious.
DRE: Do you sit down and say today Im 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. Ive got stuff where I write at Ultra Magnetic level, Ive got Kool Keith level. Ive got sci-fi level, Ive got different things, Ive got UFO level stuff. Ive got fetish level, Ive got sex level, so I can part all these things apart and I can do all these things so Ive 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: Whats the sex level like?
KK: Ive got songs about girls, strip clubs, different shit, naked, ass, titties, panties, songs, intimate records, moaning and Ive got my freestyle shit, Ive 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. Ive got my extreme pissing on you level and my urination defecation songs and a lot of shit thats different. I like a lot of songs that are different. I plan to put out the album called Shit, just straight Shit, Im 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 dont like those words. Like if I use big supersonic Megatron, Optimus Prime, thats cool, but they dont like when I use my fetish lyrics like shit, piss and my urination. It is different levels, but I like that, I love it. Thats my main artistic thing right there. Its just like other rappers, youve got a lot of rappers that use their clich words and stuff. So why people want to take my clich words away? Youve got many rappers out there that say clich 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 Im going back into something.
DRE: I think you should do it.
KK: They shouldnt mess with me in that department.
DRE: Do you really believe in aliens?
KK: Yeah, there are aliens out there.
DRE: Why havent they shown themselves yet?
KK: I dont know. Ive seen actual specimens, debris and stuff.
You dont believe in aliens?
DRE: I probably do. I just wonder why they dont 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 dont come out. They come out at night. You dont ever see them coming off the N train?
DRE: [laughs] I read that you decided that you dont want to work with any major labels anymore.
KK: Theyve got a format and theyre 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, theyre like, hey, we need you to put this garbage can on. [laughs]
DRE: [laughs] You wouldnt 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 theyre signing and tell them, hey lets 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 youre working with a Spanish band now.
KK: Yeah Ive got a Spanish band Im working with. Ive got a couple of Spanish things Im doing.
DRE: What do you like about Spanish music?
KK: I like the Spanish music. Ive got a group coming out rapping some different stuff, so its going to surprise you, its going to be a different thing.
DRE: Are you going to be singing or producing?
KK: Im producing.
DRE: What kind of Spanish music is it?
KK: Im 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: Its sexy, the women are sexy, the girls look good. Theyre so beautiful and it matches. When they get to UFO Cha-Cha its going to really take them out there.
DRE: [laughs] What else are you working on?
KK: Im working on my solo album.
DRE: What persona are you going to be using?
KK: My new solo album is going to be different. Its called Three the God Way. Its just me coming straight out and its just going to be different.
DRE: Have you ever heard of SuicideGirls?
KK: SuicideGirls? What do they do?
DRE: Its like Playboy for punks. I think youd like them.
KK: Oh yeah? How do they look?
DRE: Theyre like tattooed and pierced and stuff.
KK: Theyre girls?
DRE: Yeah man.
KK: What are they doing? Where are they going to be at?
DRE: They have a burlesque tour but mostly its a website.
KK: Oh yeah. I got to check them out. They pretty?
DRE: Hell yeah they are.
KK: Oh well, tell them to masturbate to my record.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 23 of 23 COMMENTS
adam_vincent:
kool keith rules. no one else throws fried chicken and porn into the crowd at shows. . .
jaime:
He is my hero.