Tracks of the Week: Motion Man’s Brilliant Work With Kool Keith and KutMasta Kurt
Motion Man’s extensive work with Kool Keith and KutMasta Kurt is a monument to indie talent.
“Motherfuckers oughta let me go and finish this motherfuckin’ album,” says Dr. Dooom’ (Kool Keith) on “No Chorus” from the Dr.’s First Come, First Served LP. “The name of this song is I don’t want the motherfuckin’ chorus.”
I listen to it several times a year. In terms of rants barely glued to hurried bars, it’s Dooom at his daffy, cranky best:
How many cats can look back at their flash-in-the-pan ascent and realize Dooom had them dialed in a long time ago with the terse performance review he tacks on to the end of the cut? “I’m a tell you straight, look in the fuckin’ mirror, you’re wack. That shit don’t sound right. The mixdown ain’t right. Your vocals are too low. Your fuckin’ cadence is off. Stage show is weak. Fuck you.”
I get stuck on another one from this LP on my last revisit: “Housing Authority” featuring Motion Man. KutMasta Kurt’s spooky and efficient mix gets more addictive each time. I hear more technique and connective tissue in the rubbery braggadocio as Dooom and MM trade verses:
One of Motion Man’s tracks came up in my feed years ago. I had to track it back down. It was from his 2002 album, Clearing the Field. Also KutMasta Kurt producing, with guest shots from Kool Keith, Biz Markie, Planet Asia and E-40, the last two from the Bay Area, where Motion Man hailed from.
The dude just had style to burn, so many gears, as he toggled between schemes and techniques. Put it with one of Kurt’s most get-up beats on the album and you’ve got this: a monument to underground talent I keep visiting, wondering how I missed it on so many previous trips. This trio was productive, also uniting for the Masters of Illusion LP, among other efforts.