Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), better known as Kool Keith, is a New York City-based American rapper and record producer known for his strange, abstract, and frequently vulgar or nonsensical lyrics. Kool Keith has released numerous albums as a solo artist and as part of group collaborations. Kool Keith is widely regarded as one of the hip-most hop’s quirky and odd figures.
Ultramagnetic MCs’ first Critical Beatdown was released in 1988, and Kool Keith was a cofounding member. Kool Keith released his critically praised solo debut album, Dr. Octagonecologyst, under the name Dr. Octagon in 1996, after two additional albums with the trio, Funk Your Head Up and The Four Horsemen. He went on to create a slew of independent hip-hop albums, including Sex Style, First Come, First Served (as Dr. Dooom), and, most recently, Keith.
After only releasing one album on a major label, Black Elvis/Lost in Space, Kool Keith went back to independently publishing music, releasing more as a solo artist and in partnership with groups such as Analog Brothers, Masters of Illusion, Thee Undatakerz, and Project Polaroid. Kool Keith has also collaborated with Peeping Tom and Yeah Yeah Yeahs on songs. He was also featured on the Jurassic 5 album Power in Numbers’ short track DDT. The Prodigy’s single “Smack My Bitch Up” was based on a sample of Kool Keith’s voice stating “Move my pitch up. Smack my bitch up” on Ultramagnetic MC’s’ Give The Drummer Some.