The Brag

Dr. Octagon
Forward Motion
By Andrew ‘Hazard’ Hickey

He is the man and myth behind albums like the 1996 masterwork Dr. Octagonecologyst; he has penned such lyrics as “In my real world, orangutans dance for Thanksgiving / with skeleton bones and skunk tails”; but the Kool Keith we spoke to, once we finally tracked him down, was one who spoke in serious tones about his inspiration, and where he wants to go in the next chapter of his career.

Fresh from a recent trek to Europe, the veteran MC (and self-proclaimed creator of horrorcore) is gearing up to hit Australia to perform his aforementioned classic 1996 album in full, bringing back to life one of the most oddball personas in hip hop history. The upcoming shows Down Under actually mark the first time Dr. Octagon has ever performed the album live. “Fans can expect something that draws a line in the sand. They won’t hear or see anything this like again.” First order of business for Keith, though, is finding out whether he should pack his thermal underwear and a bubble goose jacket. “I love Australia, it’s like a second home,” he says in his trademark drawl. Taking a break from promoting his new album Love & Danger, which dropped last month, he’s clearly looking forward to the visit. “I’m always happy to go where I feel welcome, and Australians are the coolest people I’ve met travelling.”

As with everything he does, Dr. Octagonecologyst was a result of Keith’s environment. Recorded in California alongside Dan The Automator, he believes that such a concept-driven album could never have been made in his native New York. “There’s too much going on – you might see a fight in the street and it’ll change your whole vibe.” But the intensity of New York can work in his favour too, as it did with the suitably graphic follow-up album, Sex Style. And even with his reputation as hip hop’s concept album king, the rapper, real name Keith Thornton, is looking to head in a different direction next time. “My two last albums I was in jail, I was in prison lyrically,” he says with conviction (pun intended). “I’m getting into a variety of new beats, doing my own production. I like to move forward and not focus on the same thing.”

Indeed, Kool Keith has never stuck to formula since his solo career kicked off; adding to the Dr. Octagon project, he’s also recorded under the pseudonyms Dr. Dooom and Black Elvis. But while his creativity has never been in question, he believes he became somewhat pigeonholed with this musical schizophrenia – as contradictory as that may seem. “I opened up Pandora’s box in the wrong way. I’ve met people that want me to write a whole song about a hat, or a rapper that wants me to write about [baseball player] Derek Jeter for three verses…” He’s also looking to cut down on collaborations. “Everyone that works with me gets more recognition than me,” he says. “I made them stars.” Concept albums do have a place, however, and Keith believes many of today’s rappers are following in his footsteps. “They’re making music that is conceptual and characterised. With movies today, people wanna see concepts like Batman and The Avengers. It’s the same with music: you damn near gotta put a movie poster out for your album.”

With no one to appease, Keith is excited about the idea of switching things up and doing it for himself. “I rapped for other people, I rapped for mass appeal. I never wrote anything for myself.” Ultimately, he says, it’s all about continuing to grow as an artist. “You stop moving and evolving, you die. If you want to be a shark, you got to keep moving.”

What: Dr. Octagon performing Dr.Octagonecologyst live
With: True Vibenation (live), Roleo (live), Frenzie, Preacha
Where: Oxford Art Factory