When Hip Hop’s original schizo Kool Keith hooks up with the funky redneck Kutmasta Kurt the results are always stellar. From Ultra‘s Big Time to Sex Style to the brilliantly insane Dr. Dooom album and the excellent Masters of Illusion project; the two have always made a perfect match. Unfortunately, the inevitable clash of egos prevented the two from working together and Keith released several projects suffering from poor production. The production team known as the Diesel Truckers was no more, until now.
Together for the first time in three years, Keith and Kurt have fallen right back into line. In his own unmistakable fashion Keith Thorton lays down his madness over their Bay Area funk meets Jupiter production. When it comes to Kool Keith on the mic, it is his demented rhymes that get all the attention. What is usually overlooked is just how good an emcee he is. Just check the cadence on “Mental Side Effects,” his southern impression on “I Drop Money,” or the conceptual rhyme scheme on “MANE” which he cleverly flips on “GAME” (although both songs get a bit obnoxious). I should point out that it is on “Mental Side Effects” that Keith takes Andre 3000 to task for biting his fashion sense. “Takin’ It Back” is another gem as Keith reminds you just how long he has been around.
Albums like “Sex Style” and “First Come First Served” were produced by both Keith and Kurt, Considering their production work on their own, both albums sounded much more like Kurt producing and Keith just influencing. This LP is a bit different though, it sounds like Keith ran the show more than Kurt. Don’t worry though, there is some great shit such as “I Love You Nancy,” “Break U Off” (which packs CLASSIC Keith rhymes), “Bamboozled” . Speaking of classic rhymes from Mr. Thorton, “Diesel Truckin” is a perfect example of why he is one my all-time favs. That shit is just too funny.
While I liked this album, I didn’t love it, which I expected to do considering the parties involved. I wanted something more like Sex Style or Dr. Dooom and instead this is more comparable to Matthew. But hey, it is still good stuff, and it is still a Kool Keith album.
