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Artist: Dr. Octagon

Album: Dr. Octagonecologyst

Genre: Extremely Innovative and "Out-There" (at times bordering on just plain sick) Hip-Hop with some weird, trippy production.

Producers: The Automator produces the majority of these tracks, with Kut Master Kurt also producing one. All scratching by DJ Q-Bert (of Invisibl Skratch Piklz fame).

Tracks: 20 tracks @ 65:39.

Label: Dreamworks

For fans of: Ultramagnetic MC's, Prince Paul.

Year of Release: 1997

Date of Review: March 8, 1998

LYRICS: 9

FLOW: 10

MESSAGE: 4

BEATS: 9

ORIGINALITY: 10

HYPE: 4

CONSISTENCY: 8

SCORE: 85%

Information on my ratings system.

This album has been out for quite some time, but I figured that a lot of people either haven't heard of Dr. Octagon or haven't heard enough about him to decide whether to pick this up or not. Well, it goes like this. . . Dr. Octagon is one of many aliases of South Bronx rapper Kool Keith (which, in itself, is actually an alias of Keith Thornton). Kool Keith was in a group in the late-80's and early-90's called the Ultramagnetic MC's. These guys were just out there. Their producer, Ced Gee (who was rumored to have produced much of Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions, although he received no real credit for it) brought crazy beats, and Kool Keith had a rapping style unlike anyone before him. Heads just weren't ready for them. That was probably Ultramagnetic's biggest problem. Although their album Critical Beatdown, released in 1988 (which I might have to review one of these days), is considered a Hip-Hop classic by many (myself included), Ultramagnetic never sold many albums. They were simply too far ahead of their time to make a big enough splash in a commercial rap world where most fans are only concerned on what the trend happens to be that month. Ultramagnetic stayed together for a couple more albums, then broke up. Kool Keith and Tim Dog formed a duo called "Ultra," whose album I haven't heard, but seemed to be critically well-received. Meanwhile, Kool Keith did quite a few guest appearances, most notably, in my mind, a song with Guru on the Jazzmatazz Volume II album. Still, he was unknown to all but the most extreme Hip-Hop fans.

This all changed when an English techno group called The Prodigy (heard of 'em?) released a song called "Smack My B*tch Up."

The song used one of Kool Keith's lines from the classic Ultramagnetic MC's song "Give the Drummer Some":

	"Change my pitch up
         Smack my b*tch up"

The Prodigy song featured extensive sampling of this line (it was repeated over and over), and suddenly, Kool Keith was no longer a nobody but emerged as a recognizable figure to fans of the new "electronica" movement everywhere.

That's where Dr. Octagon comes in. Kool Keith originally released an independent album titled Dr. Octagon. Of course, it didn't sell any records at all (in fact, only 30,000 copies were even pressed), but got its due in critical praise, making Spin Magazine's "Top Ten Albums You Didn't Hear in 1996" list and the New York Times' "Top Ten Albums of 1996" list. After the Prodigy track, however, Kool Keith had enough recognition to re-release the album, this time with Dreamworks Records and now titled Dr. Octagonecologyst, to true Hip-Hop heads everywhere. And what an album this is. With his producer, The Automator, Keith creates an alter-ego by the name of Dr. Octagon, a seemingly extraterrestrial doctor with a fondness for hard-core sex and a deranged sense of humor. Not only are the lyrics just crazy, but the production on this album follows key, as well, with samples of Classical music, use of Moog synthesizers, and incredibly cool special effects everywhere.

Dr. Octagonecologyst begins with an intro track titled. . . *sigh* "Intro." But don't let the unoriginal title fool you. This track (and album) is anything but normal. "Intro" is sorta like a conversation between a doctor with pent-up sexual frustration and a nurse that wants him to let it out.

"Scientific detachment, ha! Professional ethics. . . 
 I am not just a doctor, I am a man. . . I have decided, that I have needs."

            "I know you have needs, and I know that you have desires."

"It gets bigger and bigger inside of me until I feel like it explodes 
 and I splurt myself all over the wall."

            "I like it when you get bigger and bigger, but I don't want you 
             to explode all over the wall!"

I don't know where Keith and the Automator sampled this from, but it sounds like dialogue from some extremely cheesy porn film. And so the tone is set for an incredibly weird, yet fonke, album.

Now we move on to "3000." Doc Ock is pretty much saying how Hip-Hop will go on until the year 3000. There's a nice bassline here.

	  "I crank up lyrical flows, spit spats, what's that
           The pattern records, don't touch the DATs, yo
           Check out the pro skills, metaphor filled
           Contact react to style, I'm back, you lack"

"Scratches in matress 
 Business money reattaches 
 Worldwide
 Deep inside 
 Stops the diamond rocks
 In a million world, billion world, quitrillion world
 Rap moves on to the year 3000"

Something that those that weren't fans of Ultramagnetic will notice right away is Kool Keith's unorthodox rhyming style. See how I seperated that second set of lyrics into different lines? Well, that's not how he raps them. . . in fact, there are quite a few times on this album where Keith just raps a whole verse, rhyming wherever he wants it to rhyme, without really seperating his words into any types of lines whatsoever. It's really hard to describe, and you really have to hear it yourself to know what I'm talking about.

                   "As studies have shown
		    Participating acts walk up, clog up, and mess up 
		    Water down the sound that comes from the ghetto
		    In the middle, the core, you tour, explore
		    Experience, what is real, you feel
		    Changing ways, commercial rap's in the grave
  		    Stuff on disc that's very wack that you save
		    You think it's good, won't go platinum or even turn wood
		    Sell the cassette, your homey's tape deck gets wet
		    You my pet, my poodle, shakin noodles on the rise
		    Open your eyes and see my light
		    Rap moves on to the year 3000"

Someone that hasn't heard him before might say that his weird style is wack, but I prefer an innovative emcee like this than someone that just spoon-feeds lyrics to the listener with an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme over and over again. Listening to Kool Keith, it's almost hard to really consider what he does as "rapping". . . it's like he has absolutely no influences on his style whatsoever and just completely created it on his own. Very dope, indeed.

Next up is an extremely strange interlude entitled "I Got To Tell You." Sort of a mock commercial advertising the services of one Dr. Octagon (which include help for "rectal rebuilding," "relocated saliva glands," and "chimpanzee acne"), it has a phat Classical sample running through it (I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but I've heard it a million times), with record scratches and a Hip-Hop drum beat backing it up.

Now, on "Earth People," we get to find out where Kool Keith is really coming from.

	 "First patient
          Pull off the skull, remove the cancer
	  Takin us back, chisel-necks for the answer
	  Supersonic, bionic, robot voodoo power
	  Equator-X, my chance to flex skills on ampex
	  With power meters and heaters, gauge antifreeze
	  Octagon, oxygen, and luminant intoxicants
	  More ways to blow blood cells in your face
	  React with four bombs and six fire missiles
	  Armed with seven rounds of space doo-doo pistols
	  You may not believe livin on the Earth planet
	  My skin is green and silver"

The track to this one is just fonke as hell, with a Moog synthesizer (I don't feel like explaining what that is, just look it up) providing some spacey sound effects.

	      "Now my helmet's on, you can't tell me I'm not in space
	       With the national guard, United States Enterprise
	       Diplomat of swing with aliens at my feet"

			     "Identification code: unidentified
			      I got cosmophonic, press a button, change my face
			      You recognize, so what? I turn invisible
			      Make my self clear, reappear to you visual
			      Disappear again, zap like an android
			      Face the fact, I fly planets everyday"

Sure, the lyrics aren't making much sense, but then again, did "I am the Walrus" by The Beatles make much sense, either?

		      "Earth People, New York and California
		       Earth People, I was born on Jupiter"

Hmmmmmm. . . could Keith be saying here that he transcends the whole East/West beef (which was still a big thing when this album came out) and that he is a part of something much bigger? Could be. . .

This leads us to "No Awareness." This was probably one of my least favorite tracks on the album. It's not bad, but I just didn't get into it as much as some of the other ones on here.

 "Your organic medical talk
  Propels off my arm, the atom bomb"

              "Ask Copernicus about pushing limits"

"Real Raw" is up next.

                   "With yellow eyes, my green face, my pink and white afro
                    I'm no toy, kid, your style is made by Hasbro"

	"Lifting horses 
 	 Throwing cows at your fake forces
         You know my old style 
	 Rabbit fur coat style
         You be freezin with the flu
	 Watch you keep sneezin"

"I break you off like Richard Gere"

This one, like "No Awareness," was not one of my favorites on the album. It's still cool, though. The lyrics were kinda hard to make out sometimes, but the beat was nice enough.

                     "Dr. Octo: mental disorder, person and alias
   	 	      Fifty-five six computer tracks"

The next track is a skit of sorts entitled "General Hospital." In this one, Dr. Octagon is called to see a patient suffering from "cirrhosis of the eye," who then dies of this odd condition, and a horse ends up in the hospital. . . hmmmmm. . .

Anyway, this brings us to "Blue Flowers." The Automator hooked up a violin sample here. . . it, along with the rest of the samples, fits really nicely with Dr. O's demented lyrics. . . here, he's talking about walking around in a mental hospital, I believe. Whatever he's talking about. . . it sure it dope.

"Dr. Octagon, paramedic fetus of the East
 With priests I'm from the church of the operating room
 With the strike support, scalpels since the holocaust
 I do indeed in greed explore meet the patients
 Back to brooms with the nurse with the voodoo curse
 Holding up office lights, standing at huge heights
 Back and forth, left wing swing to North
 East and South with blood pouring down your mouth
 I come prepared with the white suit and stethascope
 Listen to your heartbeat, delete beep beep beep
 Your insurance is high, but my price is cheap"

One thing that I've failed to note so far in this review is the "turntablism" by DJ Q-Bert. As one of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, this guy is considered one of the best DJ's in the world, and he definitely shows off some skills on Dr. Octagonecologyst. It's pretty hard to describe what he does (especially since I'm no expert on the art of deejaying), but I rarely hear scratching that sounds this good.

"Technical Difficulties" isn't quite as amazing as "Blue Flowers," but is definitely extremely dope. It features "Whoolio E. Glacias," some guy speaking in Spanish between verses. . . whatever, it's Keith's lyrics that make this song great.

	   "Chewbacca's not here, I'm gonna do it  
 	    For you circumcised niggas don't realize"

"Kurt Cobain was here 
 But Doc Ock has novacaine
 Theoretically keeping puppies in a pedigree
 Small fetus brought Santa Claus to greet us
 Rappers know that I'm equipped with Clorox
 And chemicals that'll burn off your lip
 Intestines, investments, hide money in your stomach"

		                 "As Dr. Octagonecologyst
			          Girls open legs for beer kegs
			          French toast and herbs were covered with giant eggs"

	  "Kissing Mary J. Blige on the Earth was quite normal
	   As Dr. Octagon, walking through a polygon
	   My first impression was to give patients a lesson
	   Who's the best to put me to the test?
	   I'll battle Ultramagnetic
	   My own self, as well"

. . . okay.

There's another skit next called "A Vist to The Gynecologyst." This track is just. . . creepy. . . I don't even want to talk about it. I skip over this everytime I listen to the album. . . Let me just say one thing: Kool Keith is one sick bastard. This is just. . . sick. It has to be one of the most disturbing songs I own (up there with "Beautiful Night" by Prince Paul).

Well, after that unpleasant interlude, there's "Bear Witness," an intrumental track, with scratches provided by Q-Bert. There's not really too much to say about it. It's cool, as it has the same production style as the rest of the album, but it's in no way one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's nice for a few listens, though.

"Dr. Octagon" features Rawkus emcee Sir Menelik, although this isn't noted anywhere in the disc's booklet. . . let me just say that the lyrics here are a bit, well, messed up. But would you expect anything less from the Good Doctor?

    			   "Ex-experts baffled they could survive the caustic exposure
			    To laser scalpels, green berets
		  	    Flowing cold heads in mechanical wombs
		   	    Radioactive constant temperature circular appendages
			    Cripples start shaking sending distress signals
			    We're not alone in the Twilight Zone"

 "Back in spiral, I roast humans like a gyro
  New York, Atlanta, Africa to Cairo
  Diplomat, King, Presidential offspring"

	 "I drop particle X when having rhythm sex
	  Voodoo arrangers with the kids' Power Rangers
	  Make me see other men, gorillas masturbating with human strangers
	  Legally through court, you're stung by a genital wart
	  Chlamydia, through the city-uh"

I told you it was messed up.

Speaking of messed up, the title to the next song is "Girl Let Me Touch You." As you can guess, this is pretty much a song about sex. Dr. Octagon does it in such a weird style that it keeps your interest, even though there are only 4,500 other rap songs about the topic.

		 "You're lookin pretty and fine
 		  Go ahead, blow my mind
 		  Girl, what's wrong? 
 	       	  Come here, let me take a look
 		  You say you got burnt? 
 		  Your man should've worn a rubber
 		  What type of partners you havin?
 		  Who was your first lover?
 		  He never turned you around,
 		  Showed you doggystyle?
 		  We got some things in common 
 		  Honey, let's talk a while
 		  Did he lick you there? 
 		  Percalate your atmosphere
 		  I got a mask at home
 		  Boots and some leather gear"

    	   "Your panties are wet
	    Take it easy, don't sweat
	    You want some birth control? 
	    You can smoke a cigarette"

"I'm Destructive," the next track on Dr. Octagonecologyst, begins with another surgery scene in the hospital (this particular skit ends with Dr. Octagon saying "here's some bread"). After that, it moves into the song. . . this one is one of my favorites on the album. It has a great guitar sample running through it, and Keith's lyrics are pretty much just about going into someone's house and breaking stuff, of all things.

"Think about it, if you was there standing looking at me
 What would you do, if I hit your face with dog doodoo?
 Smear purple flies on your forehead
 Spit in your salad, vomit on your brother's breakfast
 Take your ass outside, burn your mother's house
 Bring pet mice, and scare your sister with my gray mouse
 Then drop him under the bed, and leave him there dead
 Take out your parakeet, with scissors, clip his head
 Then get the charcoal, wazzup, burn your dog's legs
 Walk by the barbershop, and hit the glass with eggs
 Then go in the club and dance, mix the alcohol
 Great with roach spray, here's a drink, have a ball
 Dance to the music, watch it party pooper
 Yeah, you know. . . I'm destructive 

	   "Bash in your head with ten full cans of Campbell's soup
	    I'm on the roof, I'm not another pigeon out the chicken coop
	    Stole your checks, and flush money down the toilet bowl
	    Look at the froggy, he's gone too down the commode"

This is all incredibly silly, but unlike, say, Insane Clown Posse, Doc Ock is able to make songs like this that display lyrical skills and have dope beats.

Track #15 is "Wild and Crazy." It's nothing too special, pretty much just an average track compared to some of the better ones on the album.

		        	 "A lot of rappers are wack
				  They cold booty from the butt-crack"

Nice to see Kool Keith takin out the "wack emcees," eh?

"Elective Surgery" is next. . . it's another one of those skits that has Dr. O. in a hospital taking part in a surgery.

  "You have bees flying around your rectum. You need a bad operation."

It makes you glad to know that this guy isn't a real doctor. . .

On the next song, "halfsharkalligatorhalfman," Kool Keith assumes the personality of Mr. Gerbik, the "dangerous 208 year old uncle of Dr. Octagon, half shark, half man, with skin like an alligator." This is just a weird track. . . Again, it makes you wonder: what was this guy on when he wrote these lyrics?

	  "My skin turn orange and green in the limousine
	   People think I'm mixed with shark, drinking gasoline
	   Underwater I breathe and let loose on my sleeve
	   Walking down Hollywood Boulevard with a credit card
	   Three alligators behind me, feel my skin is hard
	   Transvestites, and people watch space parasites
	   I left his head in the store, legs in the street
	   Body in Wilcox, with blood dripping off my feet
	   L.A.P.D. through gray clouds couldn't see me
	   I first turned rainbow, closed my eyes, watch my brain glow
	   People got scared and ran away they think I'm weird
	   I was born this way, halfsharkalligator"

The song continues like that for some time. It's so messed up that you just have to think it's dope.

That brings us to a remix, entitled "Blue Flowers Revisited." I actually like this one a little bit better than the original (it has mostly different lyrics than the original, and the beat is even more phat).

"As I walk through the garden of orange tomatoes, I see. . . blue flowers."

Next we have the DJ Shadow/Automator mix of "Waiting List" (I assume the original was found on the independent-released Dr. Octagon album). I hear that DJ Shadow (who is one of my favorite artists, by the way) and Automator are going to be working together even more in the future. . . that's a very good thing, as this track is beyond dope. . . and you know the lyrics are just plain ill.

	  "I'm the doctor, you wait on the waiting list
 	   Patients been here since this morning, I dismiss"

         	   "Plastic surgery, your lawyer now refer to me
		    Giving you sketches, exquisite pictures of the gill man
		    What's the matter, are you happy? Now you ill, man
		    Standing back, you choose a ticket
		    My spiritual laws of vitamins will turn your face wicked"

The album ends on the old-school tip with "1977." With no real beat other than a drum machine loop, this cut sharply contrasts with the rest of the album, but somehow seems right in place. The lyrics are straight braggadocio.

"Bust them flavors, more rap styles than Lifesavers
 Damage kids with suits with champagne and fake alligators
 I'm for the repercussion, my style is bum-rushin
 Emcees get back, that black brother sound wack"

       "I come real deal, rap style back like Holyfield"

On that note, the album ends.

As you can probably tell from the various lyrics that I posted, this is one tripped-out brother. Kool Keith establishes himself as a truly twisted genius on Dr. Octagonecologyst. The album isn't perfect by any means, with a few tracks that just aren't that groovy, but overall, this one belongs in the collection of anyone that's down with true, creative Hip-Hop (as long as they aren't too squeamish or easily offended). In the tradition of ground-breaking acts such as Public Enemy, De La Soul, and, of course, the Ultramagnetic MC's, Dr. Octagon is pushing rap's limits even further. Dr. Octagonecologyst is simply a work of art. As disturbing as it may be, it's still and album that needs to be heard. Not all of the songs here are winners, but some of them, particularly "Earth People," "I'm Destructive," "halfsharkalligatorhalfman," both versions of "Blue Flowers," and "Waiting List," are some of the best Hip-Hop music to come out in some time. As a whole, Dr. Octagonecologyst is easily one of the best albums that was released in 1997.

Is commercial Rap making you sick? Dr. Octagon surely has the cure. Listening to this disc definitely makes one realize that the creative spirit of Hip-Hop (which has taken quite a pummeling by the Puffy Combs school of Hip-POP as of late) is still alive.

---Steve Clark