Kool Keith
Waterloo Park, Nov. 9Dashing rumors that he was a no-show, Kool Keith took the stage dressed for a blizzard, his face wrapped in a sequined scarf and head covered by a thick hooded overcoat. “I wear my own curtain because I can’t let my energy be revealed,” the wacky wordsmith explained. “It’s my solar energy, an unseen force.” Kool Keith resurrected Ultramagnetic-era classics “Ya Not That Large” and “Ease Back” before morphing into Dr. Octagon for “Blue Flowers” and “Girl Let Me Touch You.” Pornocore classic “Sex Style” was introduced with a series of inquisitions: “How many girls like the Motel 6? Who likes the Holiday Inn? What about the Econo Lodge? Do you like to stay in tents?” Backed by Kutmasta Kurt on the wheels of steel, the N.Y. to Cali MC gave a chorus-only rundown of new album Dr. Dooom 2 and trumpeted his place atop the hip-hop pantheon, rapping, “I’m the god of rap, the lord of music, the man who brought hip-hop back to life.”
This article appears in November 14 • 2008.
