Every once in while rap fans are treated to a collaboration
between two established artists that draws attention to how insane it is that
those two artists have never collaborated before. We just got that with the “Spaz”/”Good
Stuff” 7” single by Dr. OctoTron, the sensibly named collaboration between Kool
Keith (in his Dr. Octagon persona) and Del the Funky Homosapien (as Deltron
3030). Had this collaboration happened somewhere between 1997-2001, when both were
at the peak of their sci-fi concept album phases, this would have been a
landmark in the timeline of underground and experimental rap. Coming in 2013,
however, it can’t help but feel late.
On both songs, Kool Keith sounds like Kool Keith in 2013,
which isn’t exactly a good thing. The off-beat spoken rap thing that worked so
well on his great string of nineties albums has devolved into just weak
off-beat rapping, which is why none of Kool Keith’s recent albums have been all
that worth listening to.[1]
He gives the off-beat thing a rest and actually raps like he did in the
Ultamagnetic MC’s days on “Good Stuff,” but he kind of sounds tired and
uninvested in what he’s doing. Del sounds better, but he’s far from his peak
from over a decade ago. A good barometer of how these two sound these days is
that Motion Man probably has the best verse on “Good Stuff.” If Del and Keith
were still at their peak, Motion Man wouldn’t stand a chance. Really though,
neither rapper sounds bad, but when they have albums like Dr. Octagonecologyst and Deltron
3030 under their belts, nothing less than heady, weird greatness will be
satisfying. At least Kutmasta Kurt’s beats are great, but considering that Dan
the Automator held down the boards for both artists’ best albums, it’s a little
disappointing that he isn’t involved in their collaboration. And while his
beats hold up, Kurt mixed the vocals way too low on both of these songs (which
actually kind of helps to obscure the rappers’ slightly lackluster
performances).
Regardless of my reservations and my outright criticisms,
these aren’t bad songs by any stretch, and they’re worth having if you’re a fan
of any of the artists involved. If this single is a harbinger of a full album
to come, I’ll be eagerly awaiting it. I just hope they spend a bit more time
making sure everything is up to the standard they’ve set for themselves. In the
meantime, you can get the “Spaz” 7” or just go back and pick up First Come, First Served or Sex Style over at Threshold Recordings.
[1]
There was some great stuff on Dr. Dooom 2
though.
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