Kool Keith Shares His Rap Euphoria

When rapper Kool Keith stormed the stage at the Key Club in West Hollywood on Wednesday sporting a Dracula cape, a plastic Elvis-like wig and green glasses, the packed crowd erupted in jubilation. The theme to the old “Batman” television series was his background music, but to these fans, Kool Keith--who’s also known as Dr. Octagon--is their superhero.

The evening’s euphoria reached its peak almost immediately, as DJ Kut Master Kurt threw on the instrumentation from “Ego Trippin’,” a cut from “Critical Beatdown,” the influential 1988 album by Keith’s old group the Ultramagnetic MC’s. The New York native dazzled his fans with his trademark squeaky voice and nonsensical lyrics from some other Ultramagnetic songs--”Ease Back,” “Funky” and “Poppa Large.”

After this musical high, Keith shifted gears by inviting a number of his lesser-known associates as well as gangsta rap pioneer Ice T to rhyme with him. The crowd didn’t seem to appreciate this act of sharing and quickly lost its energy. When Keith returned to solo selections such as “Sex Style” and “Blue Flowers,” the fans recovered their enthusiasm as they rapped and danced to the thumping beats.

Opening act Five Fingers of Funk, an eight-man hip-hop band from Portland, delivered a jazzy 40-minute opening set that eventually won the crowd over.