Dr. Octagon's one and only album, 1996's epic "Dr. Octagonecologyst" is not only a landmark album within underground hip-hop, but one of the best albums of the 90s, period. Octagon's stream-of-consciousness flow yields piece after piece of astonishing wordplay, an endless string of non-sequiturs, and some hilarious fragments of comedy, while Dan Nakamura's sharp, creative production and Q-Bert's squealling turntable scratching propel his deranged lyrics into the stratosphere. Built around the fictional Dr. Octagon character, who is a psychotic gynecologist from Jupiter, this album never loses its focus or sags, with even its skits being mind-blowing and hilarious breaks within the propulsive funk. Songs like "Halfsharkalligatorhalfman" and "Blue Flowers" boast inescapable hooks in addition to their astonishing, sound-over-meaning lyrics, and every song here is memorable in at least some way. Strange, challenging, yet suprisingly hooky, "Dr. Octagonecologyst" is a must-have.

crazy mixed up beats that marry perfectly with crazy mixed up rhymes from doctor oct. i 'on't even know what else to say you just gotta hear this, money.

Now, now. Those of you who gaze upon this last review. Read for a second. I notice that Kool Keith was noticed crazy for this. For one, that was something highly schemed up and taken over by the Sony company in which he himself was totally disappointed about in which he even says himself. For that, Octagon got killed. Nonetheless, the beats are totally worthwhile, in which I would recommend The Instrumentalyst: Octagon Beats which featured some of DJ Q-bert's work, DJ Shadow's, and of course Dan the Automator.

I personally have liked Dr.Octagonecologyst, because this was the first album I heard out of all Kool Keith's solos (but, I heard him w/Jurassic 5 first). If you're a fan and you put down Kool Keith because you were disappointed by Dr.Octagon, listen to his chapter after, his Dr.Dooom's First Come, First Served which if doesn't bomb ya - get out the hip-hop genre.

"You mother f***ers think I'm crazy, right? I know. But, I am."
- Dr.Dooom

I mean what the .... is this, you call this spit hip hop.... I wasted my dollars. I am not feelin or have any comprehension for this style of dark, fake Dr. Funkinstein or whatever. I tried to have an open mind and listened a second time but I could not find a song title, track, beat, rhyme, flow or concept that I could get with and I am an openminded individual, trust.

Wow, how does one describe this album, this experience? Upon first listen through, I was impressed but unsatisfied. I had to listen to it a few times before I really got into it. Dr. Octagon (Kool Keith) just takes you on a trip, that will be hard for you to make it stop. Lyrics are all over the place, don't always rhyme, but are spectacular nonetheless. Please, please listen to a lot of old school hiphop and get "Critical Beatdown" by the Ultramagnetic MC's to understand Kool Keith and to fully appreciate the ride that this album takes you on.
There are some sort-of immature lines and jokes, but they do not dominate the overall music like some reviewers make it out to be. One thing you should realize about old school and true hiphop is that they can say anything, any word, if they are trying to prove a point or make a statement. I've noticed that there are certain words that are never used in mainstream rap, like "crap," for example. Real artists aren't afraid to use any words, big words or slang. Keith knows this, and can excell even when using words like doo-doo (who cares?). Keith proves in this album that spitting random, non-sequitar, incomprehensible rhymes can be more substantial, fulfilling, and timeless than copying the same ol' rhyme style and using familiar gangsta, sex, and party cliches.
Listening to this album was like deja-vu for me. Although I'd never heard any of it before I bought it, it was as if I already had heard it! Just one way to describe how insane this album is. The beats are crazy, most like something you've never heard before. You feel like you're listening to something not of this earth. A couple of the beats weren't that great, however.
Five stars go to Dr. Octagon straight off the top for creativity and uniqueness. I can't stress how import this is and even old-school hiphop will manifest this fact. Some may say Keith's lyrics aren't that great because they don't make any sense at all, but the more you listen, the more things you will pick up. It's a perfect exercise in fresh creativity. The lyrics help to make a musical experience that is similar to nothing else. THIS ALBUM SHOULD BE IN A GENRE OF IT'S OWN! "Earth People" is my favorite and the most memorable track, and many others are up there for nomination. I like how Keith reminds you of his roots on the last track, "1977."
Props to Keith for doing albums with all songs that have the same basic idea and aim. If he were to do just some abstract, off-the-wall songs (which is what this album is entirely made of) and the rest with basic MC slaying rhymes and what-not (not degrading this style) then the album would have not been as memorable and more listeners would not take him seriously. The thing is even though Keith sounds out of his mind most of the time, he is still focused and interesting. The hooks here are not for commercial purpose, I didn't like almost all of them at first, but once you listen over again and accept them for what they are, the hooks are amazing. So to end up this epic review, don't get this album until you have a substantial old school and underground hiphop collection and an understanding of hiphop, and then approach this one with an open mind. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's a perfect example of how diverse hiphop is, and it will knock your socks off- GUARANTEED!