Kool Keith’s “Livin’ Astro” is a fluid combination of his Black Elvis/Lost In Space album concepts. Black Elvis was one of his aliases and he rapped about living the life of a rock star while seeing flying saucers. It was Keith’s fourth solo album after leaving the Ultramagnetic Mcs and he did most of the production. He took on four personas for the video including Black Elvis, Orange Man, Light Blue Cop and The Kid In The Commercial. Keith’s abstract ideas and blazing flow already established him as one of the most original rappers when he donned his Dr. Octagon persona a few years earlier but Black Elvis was more friendly to the mainstream. Roger Troutman, Sadat X, Black Silver, Motion Man and Kid Capri made guest appearances on Black Elvis/Lost In Space. The album got approval from the critics and did better commercially than his other projects but Keith was not happy with the promotional efforts of the Ruffhouse label. “Livin’ Astro” is one of Kool Keith’s most recognized songs and Black Elvis/Lost In Space was released in 1999 but still sounds fresh in the 2020s. He released his “Alvin Kelly” single in 2022.
