When Ultramagnetic MCs dropped their groundbreaking debut full-length Critical Beatdown in 1988, the hip-hop world was irreparably transformed by the genius of the group’s primary protagonist, Kool Keith. A legendary career highlighted by audacious verses and surrealist personas subsequently ensued, with a commercial apex occurring in the form of futuristically cinematic supergroup called Dr. Octagon, arguably the earliest outlier in a legacy of weirdo rap visionaries that includes Odd Future, Danny Brown, Eminem, Lil B, and even Outkast’s Andre 3000. Keith sometimes waxes disdainfully about some of these stylistic disciples in prose, but this famously vehement paranoia quickly became a welcome part of the lyrical personality that diehard fans still flock to and adore. They know that whether he’s a serpentine sex fiend or an interstellar collaborator, Kool Keith’s mastery of diverse guises and tireless refusal to conform has rightfully earned him the highest status within the hall of underground greats. CHRIS SUTTON