"Every morning I wake up, lookin in the mirror
I am, the original Black Elvis
That's right. When you see me, with my wig to the side,
wearin my short leather jacket,
Marilyn Monroe on my back,
I'm livin that life,
I'm for real with this."
Kool Keith has been making fun of hip hop for more than 20 years now. Never taking himself or hip hop seriously, he has nevertheless proven himself time and time again to be one of the most gifted and unique rappers to ever pick up a microphone. Kool Keith's rapping style is one of the only in the history hip hop to never be successfully jacked by anyone. He often raps off-beat, forming his own metronome which is somehow still complimentary to the drum pattern he's rapping over. His rhyme-schemes vary abruptly and erratically but somehow manage to never sound awkward. In short: Kool Keith has the most dynamic flow of any rapper alive (I specify alive only because the Ol' Dirty Bastard might still hold the title overall).
Though Keith is incredibly prolific, his output is notoriously uneven. The downfall of Keith's many bad albums usually hinges on one fact: Keith has a terrible ear for beats. And while an amazing beat can save a lame verse (see: Group Home - Supa Star), an awful beat always makes a rap song unlistenable. And since Keith is too cheap to pay for beats and is no brilliant producer himself, well, there are a LOT of bad Kool Keith songs.
But on Black Elvis Lost in Space, Kool Keith got it mostly right. The beats are sparse and minimalist and don't distract from Keith's esoteric hilarity: synthesized bass samples with some spaced out sound effects over straightforward 808 drum programming by Motion Man. They're not great beats, don't get me wrong, but they do the trick.
Black Elvis/Lost in Space is actually two albums. The first half is Keith Turbo in space and the second half is Black Elvis on earth. But they’re both just different characters that Keith uses to do what he does best: calling out bullshit rappers for their unoriginality (“Youse a first year rookie, duplicatin Method Man”) as well as mocking their lack of funds (“Livin with roommates, you camp out, with paper plates/Broke Panasonic speakers missin, playin Puff and Mase”) and bragging about things that no one but Keith would think to brag about. On one song he takes over a record label and revels in being a millionaire CEO:
“Me and Al Sharpton was talkin about real estate in Compton
With a loan from General Mills
I would start a new NBA team in Baldwin Hills
The Baldwin Hills Spacemen
Lime green uniforms with a orange basketball logo
coach the group solo, that's right, dolo.”
Keith’s adlibs are damn funny too. On The Girls Don’t Like The Job, he gives his secretary some pretty hilarious instructions at the end of his verse: “I want you to fax yourself to China OK? Do this now.” He starts every song with tongue-in-cheek hip-hop cliché’s like “YEAH, FOR THE 2000, WORD UP! NEW YORK! ALL THE WAY LIVE! YouknowhatI'msayin?” You can’t help but smile because of how seriously the people he’s mocking take themselves.
Some people are put-off by this album because of how stupid and nonsensical the choruses are (I see maxi curls! Yeah! Players, activator/I see maxi curls! Yeah! Remote control alligators [and repeat]) but this too is intentional, he wants to show us just how silly rap really is.
This is a hilarious album and one that showcases the skills of one of the most talented rappers of all time, but it’s not for everyone. If you want an album to put on at a party, look elsewhere. If you only have a passing interest in lyrics and are more attuned to beats, look elsewhere. But if you want to put on your headphones and listen to a jester virtuoso poke fun at the absurdity of rapper egos, this is your album. "I'm doin it well! I'm doin it swell!"
Whether or not you cop the album though, everyone should check out the video below. Funny as hell.
Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Lost In Space
3. Rockets on the Battlefield
4. Livin Astro
5. Supergalactic Lover
6. Master of the Game
7. I'm Seein Robots
8. Static
9. Intro 2
10. Black Elvis
11. Maxi Curls
12. Keith Turbo
13. Fine Girls
14. The Girls Don't Like The Job
15. Clifton
16. All The Time
17. I Don't Play
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