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In 1996, Kool Keith was pissed off about an album of demo tracks and vaulted-for-a-valid-reason songs that was released under the Ultramagnetic MC's name by Ced Gee, who allegedly sold the reels himself in an effort to make some extra dough. In response, Keith enlisted New York rapper Tim Dog, himself a former collaborator with Ultramagnetic, and created a duo, simply named Ultra, whose sole focus was to point out the hypocrisies in the hip hop world while dissing the shit out of as many people as possible (all while curiously refusing to actually name names; Curtis Jackson Keith was not).
I first read about their only album, Big Time, in The Source. In the issue, the magazine sat down with Keith and Time while they tried to justify the existence of Big Time (which I believe they handed three-and-a-half mics), but the only quote I can remember is Tim Dog talking about his follow-up solo album (which, to my knowledge, was never recorded), which would include one hundred songs. When he was confronted with the obvious question as to how he would fit that many tracks onto one compact disc, Tim answered that they would all be two minutes long. Yes, absolutely, because back then you could fit two hundred minutes of material onto one CD. And remember, this was before mp3s.
Okay, that was a bit harsh. Even though I'm a Kool Keith fan, I had never heard this album until 2001, when Kutmasta Kurt re-released the Big Time project on his own Threshold Records (the producer also handled the behind the board work for the majority of the album). I remember running out to Blockbuster Music (when they still existed) to pick up my copy. Back then, Keith Thornton was fond of recording multiple projects at once, so Big Time was birthed at the same time Keith was working on Sex Style (his solo album) and Dr. Octagonecologyst (his project with The Automator and DJ Q-Bert), and some of the themes and players move back and forth between the albums.
So, yeah. I can already tell a lot of you two won't give a fuck about this review. Well, I'll see you tomorrow!
1. SELLING MY DAT'S (INTRO)
Why does Keith sound as if he's on the verge of crying on this answering machine rap album intro? That's not appealing at all. Also, Kool Keith was allegedly cashing checks from the very DAT's that were sold, so I'm not sure what he was complaining about exactly. And I'm a fan of Keith's. Huh.
2. SUPER LUV
It's kind of funny that Tim Dog doesn't appear on the first actual song on Big Time. Keith's rhymes are par-for-the-course shit-talking, but the most annoying aspect of this track is the bullshit framing device with a “journalist” conducting an “interview” that somehow sounds even less credible than those skits from that Game mixtape You Know What It Is Vol. 1.
3. NYC STREET CORNER BATTLE (FEAT ?)
Kutmasta Kurt's clean-sounding production actually makes Tim Dog sound like a much better rapper than he truly is. The guest female rapper, whose identity remains a mystery (the liner notes are absolutely no help whatsoever – I hope she at least received a box lunch for her efforts), was a strange inclusion, and was entirely unnecessary. There isn't anything remotely New York sounding about this street corner battle. Keith's “werewolf” line recalls fond memories of Tracy Jordan's “Werewold Bar Mitzvah": that can't be a good thing.
4. BIG TIME
This was just boring. Tim Dog's rhymes were especially awful over P-I-RE-X's production work. So far, Big Time is sounding much worse than I can remember.
5. BITIN' MY SPACE SHIT (SKIT)
…
6. GET OFF THE DICK
Sounds like it swipes a portion of one of the Dr. Octagon tracks, but for some reason I can't place it. Keith outraps his partner to such a degree that Tim should pick up some extra house at KFC now, as his rap career won't progress much further than this one track. Did Tim just say “hip hop hoo-hoo-ray”? On the plus side, Kurt Matlin's beat is simple and effective in a Kutmasta Kurt kind of way, and Keith sounds extremely comfortable.
7. WHO ROCKS?
This is just embarrassing. Tim Dog attempts to correlate rhyming with fucking, and makes neither sound appealing. Every aspiring male rapper listening to this shit should pack their microphone and their penis away, as you won't want to use either for quite a while. Having someone fake an orgasm underneath the lyrics doesn't automatically give your song a sexy quality, jackass. Also, the female vocalist (whoever the fuck she is) is bad enough to turn you off from music in general. It's telling that even Keith, who usually traffics in this metaphor, is nowhere to be found on this track.
8. PEEPING TOM (SKIT)
…
9. PRIVATE EYES
Seriously, were there ever any good songs on Big Time? I'm having problems fonding the first one. I credit P-I-RE-X's beat with trying something new, though, and Keith is in full-on horny Dr. Octagon mode (perhaps he was channeling the alien gynecologist while he was still an intern). And he apparently sent Tim Dog to pick up a bucket of chicken, or condoms, or possibly a mixture of both, as he doesn't appear again until the next song. Sadly, this is not a cover of the Hall & Oates song.
10. THE INDUSTRY IS WACK
Speaking of fried chicken, it's kind of funny when Tim resorts to stringing together the names of corporate fast food fried chicken shacks for a couple of lines, but then when you realize those are his best rhymes, you stop laughing. He isn't bad enough to ruin Kutmasta Kurt's beat, though, which is nice, and Keith uses the instrumental to further his own weird agenda, attempting to use the word “bumblebee” as a homophobic slur and mentioning the late Michael Jackson, although not in the same sentence. You've been warned.
11. MOVING OUT THE PROJECTS? (SKIT)
…
12. KEEP IT REAL...REPRESENT (FULL ORIGINAL VERSION PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
Yes, that's really the song's title. I've heard at least two other versions of this song (the one from Sex Style and the track from Keith's Big Willie Smith EP project, but then again, they may have both been the same track, I can't remember), so I'm not sure how true the title's claim is, but he rhymes unrestrained on this solo effort, almost stating verbatim that this particular track had nothing to do with the Big Time album. It grows tired after the first verse, but I liked Kurt's beat, although it's the same instrumental from the other versions.
13. AIN'T NOBODY HAPPENIN' (FEAT MOTION MAN)
Keith, Tim, and special guest star Motion Man sound rejuvenated over Kurt's spacey instrumental, making this the finest track Big Time has to offer. More songs like this, and people may actively start seeking out Kool Keith projects again. Keith and Motion Man are a more natural team than Keith and Tim, though, and this song only solidifies that fact.
14. FAT LADY
This weird, elastic-sounding song (on which Keith brings out his Reverend Tom persona) is notable for two things: the backmasked Keith lyrics (I still can't figure out what the fucker was saying) and the fact that his Dr. Octagon partner Dan “The Automator” Nakamura only mixed this track in his studio (The Glue Factory, in San Francisco) while Keith handled the production himself. Otherwise, this is standard issue fare.
15. VISIT TO THE ZOO (SKIT)
…
16. BIZARRE
Kool Keith being fucking eccentric for eccentricity's sake. Tim Dog doesn't appear at all, and neither should your attention span.
17. NO FACE
Verses such as the one that Tim kicks make me question why I liked Penicillin On Wax so goddamn much. But songs like “Fuck Compton” contain a nostalgic value: they're truly a product of their time. Whereas shit like this solo track (with Keith on the hook) shouldn't exist in any dimension.
18. TO THE REAL ULTRA FANS (OUTRO)
Oddly, Keith is the only one from the Ultra duo to speak on this relatively forgettable outro, but I like how he threw in a “Lyrically, y'all can't fuck with me” in a manner that sounds like an afterthought.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I remember Big Time sounding better than this crap I just sat through. Kutmasta Kurt's beats (and not so much P-I-RE-X's or Keith's own “Fat Lady”) sound as potent as they did in 2001 (when I first heard it), but Kool Keith's lyrics are only inspired on, like, every third song, and Tim Dog's weaknesses behind the mic are exposed more so than a celebutante's crotch. It's little wonder that Ultra was one of Keith's pet projects that he felt no need to revisit later. A couple of the songs still sound pretty good today, but there is ultimately no real reason to ever give a damn about Big Time, so you'll probably never get to hear them.
BUY OR BURN? It's pretty bad when the most interesting thing about the album is the back cover, in which Tim Dog and Keith dress up as multiple aliases to create the illusion of them being their own gang. Just download the two songs listed below and move on with your lives. Kool Keith is an acquired taste anyway, and you will not acquire said taste if this was your first serving.
BEST TRACKS: “Ain't Nobody Happening”; “The Industry Is Wack”
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Kool Keith and Tim Dog's respective discographies can be followed by clicking on their names.
I first read about their only album, Big Time, in The Source. In the issue, the magazine sat down with Keith and Time while they tried to justify the existence of Big Time (which I believe they handed three-and-a-half mics), but the only quote I can remember is Tim Dog talking about his follow-up solo album (which, to my knowledge, was never recorded), which would include one hundred songs. When he was confronted with the obvious question as to how he would fit that many tracks onto one compact disc, Tim answered that they would all be two minutes long. Yes, absolutely, because back then you could fit two hundred minutes of material onto one CD. And remember, this was before mp3s.
Okay, that was a bit harsh. Even though I'm a Kool Keith fan, I had never heard this album until 2001, when Kutmasta Kurt re-released the Big Time project on his own Threshold Records (the producer also handled the behind the board work for the majority of the album). I remember running out to Blockbuster Music (when they still existed) to pick up my copy. Back then, Keith Thornton was fond of recording multiple projects at once, so Big Time was birthed at the same time Keith was working on Sex Style (his solo album) and Dr. Octagonecologyst (his project with The Automator and DJ Q-Bert), and some of the themes and players move back and forth between the albums.
So, yeah. I can already tell a lot of you two won't give a fuck about this review. Well, I'll see you tomorrow!
1. SELLING MY DAT'S (INTRO)
Why does Keith sound as if he's on the verge of crying on this answering machine rap album intro? That's not appealing at all. Also, Kool Keith was allegedly cashing checks from the very DAT's that were sold, so I'm not sure what he was complaining about exactly. And I'm a fan of Keith's. Huh.
2. SUPER LUV
It's kind of funny that Tim Dog doesn't appear on the first actual song on Big Time. Keith's rhymes are par-for-the-course shit-talking, but the most annoying aspect of this track is the bullshit framing device with a “journalist” conducting an “interview” that somehow sounds even less credible than those skits from that Game mixtape You Know What It Is Vol. 1.
3. NYC STREET CORNER BATTLE (FEAT ?)
Kutmasta Kurt's clean-sounding production actually makes Tim Dog sound like a much better rapper than he truly is. The guest female rapper, whose identity remains a mystery (the liner notes are absolutely no help whatsoever – I hope she at least received a box lunch for her efforts), was a strange inclusion, and was entirely unnecessary. There isn't anything remotely New York sounding about this street corner battle. Keith's “werewolf” line recalls fond memories of Tracy Jordan's “Werewold Bar Mitzvah": that can't be a good thing.
4. BIG TIME
This was just boring. Tim Dog's rhymes were especially awful over P-I-RE-X's production work. So far, Big Time is sounding much worse than I can remember.
5. BITIN' MY SPACE SHIT (SKIT)
…
6. GET OFF THE DICK
Sounds like it swipes a portion of one of the Dr. Octagon tracks, but for some reason I can't place it. Keith outraps his partner to such a degree that Tim should pick up some extra house at KFC now, as his rap career won't progress much further than this one track. Did Tim just say “hip hop hoo-hoo-ray”? On the plus side, Kurt Matlin's beat is simple and effective in a Kutmasta Kurt kind of way, and Keith sounds extremely comfortable.
7. WHO ROCKS?
This is just embarrassing. Tim Dog attempts to correlate rhyming with fucking, and makes neither sound appealing. Every aspiring male rapper listening to this shit should pack their microphone and their penis away, as you won't want to use either for quite a while. Having someone fake an orgasm underneath the lyrics doesn't automatically give your song a sexy quality, jackass. Also, the female vocalist (whoever the fuck she is) is bad enough to turn you off from music in general. It's telling that even Keith, who usually traffics in this metaphor, is nowhere to be found on this track.
8. PEEPING TOM (SKIT)
…
9. PRIVATE EYES
Seriously, were there ever any good songs on Big Time? I'm having problems fonding the first one. I credit P-I-RE-X's beat with trying something new, though, and Keith is in full-on horny Dr. Octagon mode (perhaps he was channeling the alien gynecologist while he was still an intern). And he apparently sent Tim Dog to pick up a bucket of chicken, or condoms, or possibly a mixture of both, as he doesn't appear again until the next song. Sadly, this is not a cover of the Hall & Oates song.
10. THE INDUSTRY IS WACK
Speaking of fried chicken, it's kind of funny when Tim resorts to stringing together the names of corporate fast food fried chicken shacks for a couple of lines, but then when you realize those are his best rhymes, you stop laughing. He isn't bad enough to ruin Kutmasta Kurt's beat, though, which is nice, and Keith uses the instrumental to further his own weird agenda, attempting to use the word “bumblebee” as a homophobic slur and mentioning the late Michael Jackson, although not in the same sentence. You've been warned.
11. MOVING OUT THE PROJECTS? (SKIT)
…
12. KEEP IT REAL...REPRESENT (FULL ORIGINAL VERSION PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
Yes, that's really the song's title. I've heard at least two other versions of this song (the one from Sex Style and the track from Keith's Big Willie Smith EP project, but then again, they may have both been the same track, I can't remember), so I'm not sure how true the title's claim is, but he rhymes unrestrained on this solo effort, almost stating verbatim that this particular track had nothing to do with the Big Time album. It grows tired after the first verse, but I liked Kurt's beat, although it's the same instrumental from the other versions.
13. AIN'T NOBODY HAPPENIN' (FEAT MOTION MAN)
Keith, Tim, and special guest star Motion Man sound rejuvenated over Kurt's spacey instrumental, making this the finest track Big Time has to offer. More songs like this, and people may actively start seeking out Kool Keith projects again. Keith and Motion Man are a more natural team than Keith and Tim, though, and this song only solidifies that fact.
14. FAT LADY
This weird, elastic-sounding song (on which Keith brings out his Reverend Tom persona) is notable for two things: the backmasked Keith lyrics (I still can't figure out what the fucker was saying) and the fact that his Dr. Octagon partner Dan “The Automator” Nakamura only mixed this track in his studio (The Glue Factory, in San Francisco) while Keith handled the production himself. Otherwise, this is standard issue fare.
15. VISIT TO THE ZOO (SKIT)
…
16. BIZARRE
Kool Keith being fucking eccentric for eccentricity's sake. Tim Dog doesn't appear at all, and neither should your attention span.
17. NO FACE
Verses such as the one that Tim kicks make me question why I liked Penicillin On Wax so goddamn much. But songs like “Fuck Compton” contain a nostalgic value: they're truly a product of their time. Whereas shit like this solo track (with Keith on the hook) shouldn't exist in any dimension.
18. TO THE REAL ULTRA FANS (OUTRO)
Oddly, Keith is the only one from the Ultra duo to speak on this relatively forgettable outro, but I like how he threw in a “Lyrically, y'all can't fuck with me” in a manner that sounds like an afterthought.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I remember Big Time sounding better than this crap I just sat through. Kutmasta Kurt's beats (and not so much P-I-RE-X's or Keith's own “Fat Lady”) sound as potent as they did in 2001 (when I first heard it), but Kool Keith's lyrics are only inspired on, like, every third song, and Tim Dog's weaknesses behind the mic are exposed more so than a celebutante's crotch. It's little wonder that Ultra was one of Keith's pet projects that he felt no need to revisit later. A couple of the songs still sound pretty good today, but there is ultimately no real reason to ever give a damn about Big Time, so you'll probably never get to hear them.
BUY OR BURN? It's pretty bad when the most interesting thing about the album is the back cover, in which Tim Dog and Keith dress up as multiple aliases to create the illusion of them being their own gang. Just download the two songs listed below and move on with your lives. Kool Keith is an acquired taste anyway, and you will not acquire said taste if this was your first serving.
BEST TRACKS: “Ain't Nobody Happening”; “The Industry Is Wack”
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Kool Keith and Tim Dog's respective discographies can be followed by clicking on their names.
i copped this album about 11 years ago, and i was a little disapointed, but i still remained a big fan of the keith and kurt, dog, he should of brought his "fuck compton" anger here
ReplyDeleteshut the fuck up. its not mozarts sonnata but there are some funky joints on there especially big time and the industry is wack. quit yappin
ReplyDeletethis album is GREAT.
ReplyDeleteMAX I usually agree with you on everything but your opinion on this album is wack. This album is the shit. How can a kool keith fan dislike this album!!?
ReplyDelete