Sunday, September 12, 1999
CONCERT REVIEW
Kool Keith's wild show a thrill while it lasted
BY CHRIS VARIAS
Enquirer contributor
Black Elvis left the building too early.
Kool Keith, the hip-hop eccentric whose stable of alter egos includes the newly minted Black Elvis, stopped his concert at Annie's Thursday night after 40 minutes. There couldn't have been anyone among the crowd of 500 who wasn't disappointed when the lights went up so early, because the quick show was a non-stop thrill.
When Kool Keith (Keith Thornton) took the stage, it was apparent that a night of weirdness was ahead. The New York rapper was dressed in a yellow cape and a fishbowl-style space helmet. He removed both items, revealing a plastic black pompadour wig, fat-Elvis silver shades and an Ohio State football jersey (Michael Wiley's No.5).
From there it was a good 15 minutes of old-school microphone rocking — rhymes about his skill, his toughness and his competition's shortcomings. Despite being championed by fans and the press for his progressiveness, Kool Keith rapped mainly about normal themes. In the live setting, it's his rapid, breathless delivery and scatterbrain phrasing that sets him apart.
Musically, the show was fairly normal, too. Kool Keith had a DJ who basically pressed “play” on a DAT (digital audio tape) machine that played beats and whistles. Three MCs shared the stage, doubling Keith's lyrics and rapping their own.
The show didn't start to feel like one of Kool Keith's until the subject turned to one of his favorites, “ladies.” In the world of hip-hop, only Too Short has verbalized his libido so comprehensively and eloquently. A shower is a must after hearing Keith detail his explicit desires. His musings are so personal and soul-baring, the listener feels like a voyeur by being in the room.
The man can't help himself. He even invited women to the stage for a dance with him and his mates, and about 10 ladies — including local rock musician Bridget Otto — took him up on it.
From there he slipped into the character Dr. Octagon, the galactic gynecologist, before doing “Livin' Astro,” the first and only song from his great new album Black Elvis/Lost in Space.
He also only played one song from his days with the late '80s-early '90s hip-hop crew Ultramagnetic MCs, the show-ending “Poppa Large.”
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