Kool Keith & MC Homeless

w/ Destructo Disk, Marc Live, J Stylez, and DJ HALO

at The Camel

Sunday, April 13th, 2025

Doors at 7, Music at 8

$20 ADV, $25 DOS

Kool Keith

Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract, and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is generally considered to be one of hip-hop's most eccentric and unusual personalities.

Kool Keith was a cofounding member of Ultramagnetic MCs, whose debut Critical Beatdown was released in 1988. After two more albums with the group, Funk Your Head Up and The Four Horsemen, Kool Keith released his critically acclaimed solo debut album, Dr. Octagonecologyst, under the name Dr. Octagon in 1996. He subsequently released a series of further independently released hip hop albums, including Sex Style, First Come, First Served (as Dr. Dooom), and most recently Keith

After releasing only one album on a major label, Black Elvis/Lost in Space, Kool Keith subsequently returned to independently releasing music, producing further efforts as a solo artist and in collaboration with groups such as Analog Brothers, Masters of Illusion, Thee Undatakerz and Project Polaroid. Kool Keith has also made guest appearances in collaboration with Peeping Tom and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He was also featured on the short track DDT on Jurassic 5's album Power in Numbers. The Prodigy's hit "Smack My Bitch Up" was based on a sample of Kool Keith's voice saying "Change my pitch up. Smack my bitch up" on Give The Drummer Some by Ultramagnetic MCs.

In 2018, Keith collaborated once again with Dan the Automator and DJ Qbert for another Dr. Octagon album. Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation was released on streaming services on April 6, 2018, with the physical release scheduled for Record Store Day, April 21, 2018. The Record Store Day release includes both vinyl and CD copies. Using his Deltron persona, Del the Funky Homosapien guests on "3030 Meets the Doc, Pt. 1". NPR offered a first look at the album on March 29, 2018. Kool Keith appears on "Western" by the bluegrass-rap group Gangstagrass, performing as himself. Throughout five years, Thornton released Controller of Trap, Keith, Computer Technology, Saks 5th Ave, Space Goretex (with Thetan), Keith's Salon, Subatomic (with Del the Funky Homosapien), Serpent (with Real Bad Man), and Black Elvis 2.

Links:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/officialkoolkeith/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/officialkoolkeith/

Bandcamp - https://officialkoolkeith.bandcamp.com/music

Bandcamp - https://koolkeith.bandcamp.com/

MC Homeless

MC Homeless is a rapper and punk artist who has been releasing independent music, touring the US and the world for the last two decades. Homeless grew up attending punk and hardcore shows in Youngstown, Ohio. After listening to rap all his childhood, he decided to pick up the microphone in 11th grade. Homeless would hone his skills at Kent State University, sharing the stage with acts such as The Coup, MC Chris, Ceschi Ramos, Astronautalis, and many more. The handmade Pink Unicorns EP was released around this time which earned him a review in Cleveland Scene magazine.

Homeless toured across the Midwest and Northeast, eventually linking up with DIY Bandits who would release his first full length album Trapped Under An Ohio Sky. DIY Bandits previously only released folk punk such as Johnny Hobo aka Pat The Bunny and Ghost Mice but Trapped was a sleeper hit for Homeless and ended up getting a rave review in Alternative Press magazine. This led to relentless touring and a split 12 inch with Indonesia’s Homicide. All while also fronting a hardcore band and working in the film world. His documentary "Destroy Cleveland" about the Cleveland hardcore scene received global acclaim with features in The Guardian, Vice, and Noisy when originally released in 2015.

After many tours of America, Europe, and beyond, Homeless disappeared from hip hop for six years. He suddenly reemerged in 2017 and released Sex & Death on Fake Four Inc which is also home to Ceschi, Moodie Black, Sadistik, among others. His sound had matured and changed from a more traditional underground hip hop style into a dark industrial hip hop sound. Homeless is now working on multiple projects which combine his love for industrial, hip hop, and punk rock.

Homeless has had releases on standout independent labels such as Fake Four Inc., Milled Pavement, worked and toured with artists from Project Blowed, Geto Boys, and is known for combining the intensity of punk rock and underground hip hop into something unique. Homeless has been collaborating with Kool Keith since 2019 and was national opener with DJ HALO for the Black Elvis National tour Fall 2023.

Links:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rustbelthammer/

UGSMag - https://ugsmag.com/mc-homeless/

Destructo Disk

Marc Live

Marc Live started in Hip-Hop in 1990 with his group Raw Breed from the Bronx, New York. Their first single was released in 1991 on PKS Records, which was run by Sam Felton and Tim McCasky. Sam Felton, the brother of legendary producer Paul C, helped record many famous groups like the Ultramagnetic MCs and Organized Konfusion. The single Deep/Hard Life produced by Paul C, Rollin, received heavy rotation from WBLS in New York City on the Friday and Saturday night mix shows, which was DJ'd by the world famous Kid Capri.

Marc Live worked on the remix for R.E.M's Radio song featuring KRS-ONE where he met Dsquare from Boogie Down Productions. Dsquare had a production deal with Continuum records/Relativity music and heard the single on the radio. He said to Marc Live and Raw Breed, "Give me three songs and let's see what can happen." They delivered the three songs to the office, and KRS and Dsquare flipped. Marc Live was notified and the group was signed. In 1992, Marc Live and Raw Breed dropped the breakthrough single, Rabbit Stew. Unfortunately, the label folded and Marc Live with Raw Breed were out in the cold with no record deal.

Then in 1994, the group ran into their old producer TR Love from Ultramagnetic MCs. Trev came with a new production style, which made the crew go to a new zone. They made a demo and sent it to Ice-T who subsequently sent for the group to travel to Los Angeles. Ice funded the new recording project for Marc Live and Raw Breed entitled "Killer Instinct", shopped it to Warner Brothers, and scored a major label deal.

Then, in 1997 Warner Brothers released Blood, Sweat, and Tears to impressive reviews by several magazine publishers. Soon thereafter, Marc Live left Raw Breed. Marc Live, finally realizing his solo dream, started developing beats as an independent producer. Thereafter, a long-time friend, Kool Keith of Ultramagnetic MCs, asked him to join his crew, be his hype man, and program beats for his stage shows. Marc Live, who grew up listening to Ultra and Keith, jumped at the chance, and started touring the United States and the world. He eventually produced the Black Elvis album for Ruff House Columbia in 1999 to great reviews, and also was responsible for the highly successful rap hip-hop tour that coincided with the album. This established Marc Live as a bonafide producer and stage performer.

Next up, Marc Live went on to co-produce Dr. Doom, Spankmaster, Analog Brothers and KHM, and many Ice-T albums (Ice 6, 7th Deadly Sins, and the new SMG project featuring the Trigga the Gambler and Smoothe the Hustler). Now, Marc Live embarks on his most important project to date. The VALIDATION (feat. FIFTY CENT, GUERILLA BLACK, ICE-T) album, his solo debut release, is highly anticipated by underground and commercial hip-hop fans worldwide. Marc Live delivers many years of experience and iconic influences to this album in the form of hard-ass rock and hip-hop beats and penetrating rhymes.

LINKS

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marclivegiveand/

Website - https://the50thanniversaryofhip-hop.com/

Label - www.legendsrecordingsgroup.com

J Stylez

J. Stylez is an Artist and Producer from The Bronx. Having performed at venues around the world from a young age as a choral singer, he has developed a sound nuanced in different genres and time periods. A combination of singing and rapping over self-produced tracks quickly reveals the range of musical influences in his work.

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mister_stylez/

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/mister_stylez

Website - https://www.stilos.world/

DJ HALO

Beginning in 1997 with a simple “DJ in a box” set up for $300, DJ HALO has been performing his brand of DJ/turntablism throughout the US and the world since quitting his day job in 2007 to go on a DIY 42 date 45 day tour. Performing in all 48 continental states HALO has DJ’d for hip-hop acts: Kool Keith, Marc Live, The Metermaids, Ceschi Ramos, BRZOWSKI, Cage, Sadistik, Awol One and others. Multiple solo DJ tours in the US and Europe, a 6x SXSW, 5x DMC regionals, 2x Treefort Festival official performer who has held multi-year residencies in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Oakland, SF, and Durham, NC he knows how to turn up.

HALO spent Oct-Dec 2023 djing for rap legend Kool Keith (Dr. Octagon, Black Elvis, Ultramagnetic MCs) on the Black Elvis 2 US Tour. In 2024 stayed busy, DJ-ing a 2 week Colombian tour in February, 3-day DJ Summit in Ibiza and 5 date ‘Man In FL’ tour w/MC Homeless in April, 6 date ‘New England Burning’ tour w/MC Homeless and Shikori Vinyl Lounge in May, the 10 date Rust Belt Hammer Tour w Coolzey and MC Homeless Aug/Sept, along with DJ bookings across the US.

Involved in broadcasting most of his life, HALO has held regular shows on WPKN 89.5FM, WVOF 88.5, a live internet show on RWD.FM (RIP), a podcast on Rapreviews.com and monthly residency on Back2Back.fm. HALO currently has weekly shows on Hale.London in the UK, WXDU 88.7FM, and a monthly residency on Ibiza Club News radio in Ibiza Spain.

HALO has been creating his own music over the last 12+ years, mostly remixes to play at gigs, but also original productions. These productions have resulted in two EP projects, Witchitah w BRZOWSKI and The Hijack w brokeMC available on all DSPs.

When HALO is not DJing or making music he is running his record label, Four Finger Distro. In 2024 FFD released an official Record Store Day title featuring Kool Keith, MC Homeless, Open Mike Eagle, and Gel Roc that sold upwards of 1400 copies to date 100% independently.

Outside of the business of music HALO is an avid vinyl collector, amassing a collection of over 12K LPs to date, yoga practitioner, long distance runner, circuit training gym rat, graphic artist, science fiction reader, and student of philosophy.

Website: https://halodoesntsuck.com

Label Website: https://www.fourfingerdistro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halodoesntsuck

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@halodoesnsuck