An Outsider’s Take on Kool Keith’s “Karpenters”

By Tilsen Mulalley

Photo by Sean Alexander

I love music, I really do. The way my brain works, I’ve got to know everything about the pieces of culture that I dare to love. When it comes to musicians, I’ve cataloged a near encyclopedic knowledge of the achievements, lives, and in some cases, demises of those I’ve deemed important within my own musical sphere. The collection stretches quite the gamut of genres, too. Typically, I’ve always been able to find something to enjoy within every genre of music I’ve been able to experience. I’ve definitely spent more time with some than others, though. Jazz, folk, rock, country… I could expound on these realms, their cornerstones, and their patron saints for hours if one were to let me loose.

Today, though, we’re exploring an offering from what I admit is a weak point for me: Hip Hop. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not clueless. Like I said, I like a bit of everything, but my dabbling has been light. That’s partly why I was asked to review Karpenters, the latest release from one of the most eccentric voices in hip-hop: Kool Keith.

A prolific and defiantly independent artist, Keith first rose to prominence with the Ultramagnetic MCs, whose 1988 album Critical Beatdown helped pioneer abstract lyricism and unconventional production in rap; in fact, the album is now considered a landmark of the genre.

As a solo artist, Keith has remained a maverick, releasing dozens of records across his career, almost entirely outside of major label systems. Known for his outlandish lyrics and general profanity, my first impression of Kool Keith was that he is a decidedly niche, but innovative, figure in hip-hop, and I was a little irked with myself that I hadn’t heard of him before.

My first encounter with Keith’s 2025 album “Karpenters” was on a cassette tape, and that’s exactly how it should be heard. “Karpenters” carries the air of a fossilized relic someone forgot to mark obsolete; Producer and frequent Keith collaborator Grant Shapiro utilizes lush instrumentals and a gritty, East Coast sound that would be right at home in 1995. I mean that as a compliment. It immediately made me nostalgic for the obscure Hip Hop that would garnish Adult Swim bumpers in the early 2000s. Keith’s voice belongs with those little snatches of mystery caught between reruns of Family Guy and Squidbillies, music I didn’t understand but couldn’t get out of my head, even if it was only a fifteen-second snippet. The beats on “Karpenters” are not a tribute to this long-gone sound; rather, they are this sound reborn, and they prove to remain relevant today. Shapiro has breathed new life into vintage beats on “Karpenters,” skillfully laying them down in a perfect floorboard for Keith to bounce his lyrics off of.

Now, full honesty, Dear Reader,  I’d never actually heard of Kool Keith before being asked to write this review. Going into “Karpenters” completely blind was a rare treat for me. I’m guilty of researching things and people to death before experiencing them. I didn’t get to do that here. Getting to experience Keith’s unique lyrical style on “Karpenters” without preconceived notions resulted in quite a few double-takes. His odd yet smooth flow cruises through beats that sound like the streets of the Bronx, where Keith hails from. He lays down such lyrical gems as “Moanin’ in the bed, she got some good Shout/Detergent that always get the secretion stains out,” on the track “Serious,” as well as “Every chick in the Sin city used to show they a**hole to King Tut” on “DAW.” The track that follows  “DAW” is simply called “Pissing.” Need I say more? 

“Karpenters” is a raunchy album, even in a genre known for explicit content. Not that that is a bad thing, of course. A heavy touch of shock value never hurt anybody, after all. A sheen of cleverness is present on the lyrics, and clever writing always elevates shock. I’ll admit the repeated references to bodily fluids started to wear thin for me by minute 25. That said, it’s never vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. Keith’s delivery is too seasoned, too stylized, to be unintentional.  

Someone once told me that there’s a difference between an MC and a Rapper. Kool Keith’s lyricism places him firmly in the former category. His goofy style is off-kilter, but it belies his equally off-kilter genius, which he’s used to bend the rules over decades of creation and artistry.

Kool Keith entrenches these things inside a smooth and nostalgic flow that feels just as fresh today as it did 30 years ago. 

As a first-time experience, Kool Keith is something of an acquired taste. His music is offbeat, gritty, and completely unconcerned with modern-day trends. That might be a turnoff to the average Top 40 listener, but Kool Keith doesn’t seem to be concerned with pleasing that crowd. He’s built his legend and fan base brick by brick, and “Karpenters could very well be a cornerstone to the legacy he’s constructed.