Change is not a thing that flows by itself, but a plant to be cultivated and watered with the care of a wailing soul. This is the freshest, most creative, forward-thinking hip-hop adventure to emerge from the bowls of US minds in years. On the mic is the psychologically unstable Kool Keith ('armed with seven rounds of space-doo-doo crystals') of the Ultramagnetic MCs, while the seemingly poisoned beats come from various underground producers and DMC Battle Champs, like Q-Bert and the Automator. If The Roots and Dr. Octagon aren't the most next millenium hip-hop joints around in mid-1996, I don't know who is. This is one of those albums that takes a long time, open ears and a full pull on a big bong. Who said he could go ahead and break every rule every written on lyrical delivery? And where has Keith been hiding these last three years? Kool Keith at his most off-the-deep-end state in recording history, but like Poppa Large says on "Earth People", I was born on Jupiter, New York and California - so is this fucking record! Intense, creepy, exhilarating and brilliant. A left-field lyrical first in the history of hip-hop. Warning: A frontal lobotomy may be necessary after your first listening. See if you can follow it. - Revisit Kool Keith's off-the-wall classic below...
The above is as accurate today as it was when it was written in 1996.
