Just before the turn of the millennium, Kool Keith killed off his Dr. Octagon alter ego to become an intergalactic rockstar on 1999's Black Elvis/Lost in Space, and the Ultramagnetic MC has now returned these lightyears later with details of a sequel.
Keith will beam Black Elvis 2 into the world on June 16 via Mello Music Group. The 16-track album is said to be "equal parts streets and space" in freewheeling through "the hip-hop cosmos."
Joining him on his latest intergalactic excursion are Ice-T, L'Orange, Raaddrr Van, Dynamite, J. Stylez, Agallah and Marc Live, the last of whom worked with Keith on the original album.
You can hear Keith's Black Elvis make his triumphant return with "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)" down below. In 2012, the artist reflected on the ambition of Black Elvis/Lost in Space in an interview with Pitchfork, recalling, "When I made that album, I was just saying that I was a Black Elvis Presley in a way that's not duplicating Elvis, but more like the Black Elvis Presley of rap."
"My whole persona was Elvis: touring, the girls, working hard, costumes," he continued. "It didn't really get where I predicted it to go; I was a Black rock star making Black music, but people didn't see a Black rock star. It was urban, but urban didn't know what it was because it was too new. I just naturally invaded into rock. All the magazines that covered rock and alternative covered me, but the urban magazines didn't understand it. They were too behind. They caught up late with Timbaland and Missy Elliott and stuff like that, but I was rock just by being me."
Black Elvis 2 is now available for pre-order. The album marks Kool Keith's second full-length of 2023, following his Serpent team-up with production collective Real Bad Man.
Black Elvis 2:
1. Black Elvis 2 (Intro)
2. MAX
3. E-L-V-I-S
4. First Copy
5. Kindergarten Adults (feat. Raaddrr Van)
6. The Formula (feat. Marc Live & Ice-T)
7. Black Presley
8. All Marvel
9. Without My Culture (feat. Dynamite)
10. Feelin' Me
11. Love Infringement
12. Space Mountain (feat. Marc Live)
13. Road Dog (feat. Agallah)
14. Machinery (feat. Raaddrr Van & Marc Live)
15. World Spin
16. Clifton's Revenge
Keith will beam Black Elvis 2 into the world on June 16 via Mello Music Group. The 16-track album is said to be "equal parts streets and space" in freewheeling through "the hip-hop cosmos."
Joining him on his latest intergalactic excursion are Ice-T, L'Orange, Raaddrr Van, Dynamite, J. Stylez, Agallah and Marc Live, the last of whom worked with Keith on the original album.
You can hear Keith's Black Elvis make his triumphant return with "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)" down below. In 2012, the artist reflected on the ambition of Black Elvis/Lost in Space in an interview with Pitchfork, recalling, "When I made that album, I was just saying that I was a Black Elvis Presley in a way that's not duplicating Elvis, but more like the Black Elvis Presley of rap."
"My whole persona was Elvis: touring, the girls, working hard, costumes," he continued. "It didn't really get where I predicted it to go; I was a Black rock star making Black music, but people didn't see a Black rock star. It was urban, but urban didn't know what it was because it was too new. I just naturally invaded into rock. All the magazines that covered rock and alternative covered me, but the urban magazines didn't understand it. They were too behind. They caught up late with Timbaland and Missy Elliott and stuff like that, but I was rock just by being me."
Black Elvis 2 is now available for pre-order. The album marks Kool Keith's second full-length of 2023, following his Serpent team-up with production collective Real Bad Man.
Black Elvis 2:
1. Black Elvis 2 (Intro)
2. MAX
3. E-L-V-I-S
4. First Copy
5. Kindergarten Adults (feat. Raaddrr Van)
6. The Formula (feat. Marc Live & Ice-T)
7. Black Presley
8. All Marvel
9. Without My Culture (feat. Dynamite)
10. Feelin' Me
11. Love Infringement
12. Space Mountain (feat. Marc Live)
13. Road Dog (feat. Agallah)
14. Machinery (feat. Raaddrr Van & Marc Live)
15. World Spin
16. Clifton's Revenge