Black Elvis/Lost in Space is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper and producer Kool Keith, and his first release under the alias of 'Black Elvis'. It was intended to be released the same day as First Come, First Served, but was pushed back by Columbia Records and ended up being released four months later on August 10, 1999, through Relativity Entertainment Distribution rather than Sony Music Distribution, denoted by the WK prefix instead of the customary CK prefix and the legal copy on the release. Black Elvis 2 followed in 2023.
| Black Elvis/Lost in Space | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 10, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1998–1999 | |||
| Studio | Bridge (Conshohocken, Pennsylvania) | |||
| Genre | Underground hip hop | |||
| Length | 68:04 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| Kool Keith chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
Background
editKool Keith uses very complex rhymes on various subject matters from Black Elvis' viewpoint on half of the album and on the other half elaborates on space travel and being lost in space. This is the first album for which Keith handled all of the production, although drum programming was done by Kutmasta Kurt and Marc Live. Sadat X, Black Silver, Roger Troutman, Motion Man, Kid Capri and Pimpin' Rex made guest appearances on the record.
A promotional video was made for the track "Livin' Astro" which aired on a few episodes of the MTV show Amp in early 2000. The video features Kool Keith acting as several different personas amidst a sci-fi backdrop that resembles the Black Elvis/Lost in Space album cover. The personas include the Original Black Elvis, Orange Man, the Kid in the Commercial, Lonnie Hendrex, and Light-Blue Cop.
Kool Keith was displeased with the lack of promotion for the Black Elvis project, and vented his frustrations about his label on the songs "Release Date" and "Test Press." He also published the e-mail addresses of several Ruffhouse executives, asking his fans to demand better promotion.
Reception
editThe album peaked at number 180 on the US Billboard 200,[3] #74 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums,[4] #10 on the Heatseekers Albums.[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" (featuring Black Silver & Pimpin' Rex) | 3:09 |
| 2. | "Lost in Space" (featuring Black Silver) | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Rockets on the Battlefield" | 4:24 |
| 4. | "Livin' Astro" | 4:28 |
| 5. | "Supergalactic Lover" | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Master of the Game" (featuring Roger Troutman) | 4:43 |
| 7. | "I'm Seein' Robots" | 4:22 |
| 8. | "Static" (featuring Sadat X) | 4:31 |
| 9. | "Intro 2" (featuring Kid Capri) | 0:25 |
| 10. | "Black Elvis" | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Maxi Curls" | 4:36 |
| 12. | "Keith Turbo" | 4:17 |
| 13. | "Fine Girls" | 3:59 |
| 14. | "The Girls Don't Like the Job" | 4:16 |
| 15. | "Clifton" (featuring Motion Man) | 4:49 |
| 16. | "All the Time" | 3:43 |
| 17. | "I Don't Play" | 5:05 |
| Total length: | 1:08:04 | |
Sample credits[6]
- Track 5 contains elements from "Come Go With Me" by Teddy Pendergrass (1979)
- Track 8 contains elements from "Our House" by Madness (1982)
- Track 11 contains elements from "Snake" by Charles Earland (1973)
- Track 16 contains elements from "You Used to Love Me" by Faith Evans (1995)
Personnel
edit- Keith Matthew Thornton - vocals, lyrics, producer, executive producer
- Jeremy Larner - executive producer, management
- Nightcrawler - drum programming & co-producer (tracks: 5, 11, 15), programming (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 14)
- Live 7 - programming (tracks: 1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17)
- Kurt Matlin - lyrics (tracks: 5, 11, 15)
- Paul K. Laster - vocals & lyrics (track 15)
- Manny Lecuona - mastering
- Michael 'Bones' Malak - recording
- Joseph Mario Nicolo - mixing
- Richard C Essig - lacquer cut
- Aimée MacAuley - art direction & design
- F. Scott Schafer - photography
- Estée Ochoa - design
- Tim Devine - A&R
- Christopher Rodgers - vocals (tracks: 1, 2)
- Rex Colonel Doby Jr. - vocals (track 1)
- Roger Troutman - vocals (track 6)
- Derek Murphy - vocals (track 8)
- David Anthony Love, Jr. - vocals (track 9)
Charts
edit| Chart
(1999) |
Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 180[3] |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 74[4] |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) | 10[5] |
References
edit- ^ Bush, John. "Black Elvis/Lost in Space - Kool Keith". Allmusic. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2017-11-16). "Robert Christgau: CG: Kool Keith". Robert Christgau.
- ^ a b "Kool Keith Black Elvis/Lost In Space Chart History". Billboard 200. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ a b "Kool Keith Black Elvis/Lost In Space Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
- ^ a b "Kool Keith Black Elvis/Lost In Space Chart History". Heatseekers Albums. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
- ^ "Black Elvis/Lost in Space by Kool Keith: Album Samples, Covers and Remixes". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
External links
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