Dr. Octagon

Innovative Underground Hip-Hop Artist

Dr. Octagon is an alter ego of the American rapper Keith Thornton, who is better known by his stage name Kool Keith. The character Dr. Octagon is a fictional, extraterrestrial, time-traveling surgeon and part of Kool Keith's eccentric and innovative approach to hip-hop. The debut album under this persona, "Dr. Octagonecologyst," was released in 1996 and produced by Dan the Automator and DJ Qbert. This album is often cited as a groundbreaking work in the genre of alternative hip-hop, blending complex lyrics with unconventional soundscapes. It gained a cult following and is considered a classic in underground hip-hop circles. The Dr. Octagon persona was later revived for subsequent albums, including "The Return of Dr. Octagon" in 2006 and "Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation" in 2018, although these did not achieve the same level of acclaim as the original. Kool Keith's work as Dr. Octagon has been influential in expanding the boundaries of hip-hop music and has contributed to his reputation as an innovative and avant-garde artist within the genre.