Since the announcement yesterday of a return of veteran NYC emcee Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon alias (the alter ego he had killed off years ago) with two surprise California concert dates next month with the former Ultramagnetic MCs emcee along with the Octagon project key collaborators, producer Dan the Automator and fellow San Francisco artist DJ Qbert, there has been quite a buzz.  Tickets for the two CA dates, scheduled for March 6th and 7th at San Francisco's The Independent and Los Angeles' The Teragram Ballroom respectively, have been selling briskly with both the SF and LA dates already sold out (although tix can be still found on StubHub). The in-demand concerts, which act as a primer for the upcoming 20th anniversary, limited edition box set release of the Dr. Octagon project Dr. Octagonecologyst by Traffic and Universal, prove just how popular the mid-nineties Kool Keith alter-ego high-concept character and accompanying project remains even two decades later. Note that the forthcoming 2017 anniversary edition release will be just the latest in a series over an extended period of reissues and variations, including the popular non vocal Instrumentalyst via Octagon Beats, of the nineties Dreamworks release of the  Dr. Octagonecologyst album that was most recently reissued in 2014 by Geffen as the 2LP pressing of Dr. Octagonecologyst.

Today two of hip-hop's most innovative artists, Kool Keith and MF Doom (aka DOOM), published the music video for their excellent collaborative track "Super Hero." The booming bass track, which is produced by Kool Keith under the alias  Number One Producer, is found on his recent Mello Music Group release  Feature Magnetic (also avail in LP/vinyl format). Meantime the brand new accompanying music video above is directed by Kris Merc for Aardman Nathan Love Animation Studio, and interestingly does not include either of the artists in person in the production.  As such it is accurately described by its makers as a non-stop quick-mix cascade of,  "infinite GIFs, incredible models of DOOMs mask and Black Elvis wigs, Doc Oct surgeries, and space flights." The video's futuristic Sci-Fi visuals are the perfect match for Doom's persona and Keith's left-field, stream of consciousness, comic-book inspired lyrics that reference such things as drinking tea with the X-Men watching chicks with D-cups, eating shrimp, and driving monster truck Lamborghini's.

Turns out that all those 'return of the record' stories over the past number of years were quite accurate. Records are back, and in a big way. Between new releases and reissues there's an increasing stream of new vinyl pressings dropping each and every week: from the majors as well as the indie labels who spearheaded this vinyl renaissance. Record Store Day also gets some credit for this resurgence in popularity. Note that this year's Record Store Day (coming up on November 25th) is rumored, as per a Reddit leak this week, to include new RSD vinyl exclusives from such artists as Run-D.M.C., Rudy Ray Moore, The Sugarhill Gang, The Stooges, Prince, Sun Ra, UGK, and The Kinks. But in the six weeks until then, there's no shortage of new vinyl releases getting released every Friday.

Below is the Ryan Calavano directed music video for the new Oddisee track "Brea" from the artist's brand new album The Odd Tape that arrived into Amoeba this week in CD and vinyl versions: regular LP and  Deluxe LP. The 55 minute, twelve track album from the renowned Brooklyn based, Maryland hip-hop artist was released by Mello Music Group yesterday. A day earlier the video, that appears below along with other new videos, was published by director Calavano who described the Oddisee accompanying visual as a "tribute to the unseen soul......a companion piece to living."

This latest Oddisee album that's technically a mixtape comes from the multi-talented emcee and producer who is both a solo artist and member of the hip-hop trio Diamond District. It is his follow up to 2015's The Good Fight. Unlike that last album, The Odd Tape is an all instrumental outing. Also yesterday Mello Music released Oddisee's seven-track EP Alwasta that he had originally posted for free online a few months back. 

Following last week's memorable session sitting in with The Roots on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Kool Keith this week unveils the new music video for "The Green Ray." With atmospheric music production by L'Orange, the time travel-themed track is culled from the duo's highly recommended 2015 collaboration album Time? Astonishing! Available in both CD and vinyl/LP as well as via download formats, the Mello Music Group-released full-length has been a steady seller at Amoeba Music since it arrived in the store over the summer.  While digging in the CD and vinyl bins at Amoeba for the Kool Keith collaborative album, you'll find it's just one of numerous releases from the decades spanning the artist's prolific career. 

The ever-evolving, shape-shifting lyricist born Keith Thornton, was first introduced to most hip-hop fans via his original Bronx hip-hop crew The Ultramagnetic MCs' 1988 landmark debut album Critical Beatdown. But that was just a teaser for what was to come from this truly unique lyricist who, in addition to four albums with his crew, has unleashed a bevy of solo work with a myriad of producers and varying record labels over the past two decades. Rhyming in an out of-this-world, stream of consciousness style flow, Keith has adapted many personas and aliases over the years. His many stage personas have included Dr Octagon, Dr. Dooom, Black Elvis, and Poppa Large.