Kool Keith - Black Elvis/Lost in Space

Kool Keith

Black Elvis/Lost in Space

Kool Keith is different. Different in a perplexing way. The former Ultramagnetic MC has never been conventional, and this album is no exception; a buzzing, funky, off-kilter, satire laden effort that starts itself off with a three minute intro piece of boasting and hazing, and spends the next hour running through a collection of alternating goofy and serious narratives that only Kool Keith could pull off.

The sounds of the album itself maps itself to a landscape of P-Funk groove, Kraftwerk sci-fi, and hints of 80's retro R&B kitsch. This is prevalent on several tracks, including Lost in Space, Supergalactic Lover, and I'm Seein' Robots.

Rockets on the Battlefield is a theme song for a ghetto-fabulous Star Trek spin-off show. Master of the Game harkens back to Zapp and Sugar Hill (complete with vocoder). High tech sound effects aremixed with horn samples, snapping snares and sludge-thick basslines for a slick and catchy concoction.

There are some more pedestrian tracks, but only in terms of the music, not the rhymes; Static just kinds of dials in a standard hip-hop backdrop. Maxi Curls sports one of the most annoying choruses I have heard in ages, and Clifton is just kind of a snoozer. But these do not put too much downward pressure on an otherwise stellar release.

If you like your hip hop a little off the beaten track, and more classic b-boy than thug, this may be for you.