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Kool Keith - Livin' Astro

Music Video
ArtistKool Keith
SongLivin' Astro
DirectorThomas Mignone
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown

Wiki

Synopsis

Kool Keith appears as Black Elvis in a deliberately strange, low-budget sci-fi performance piece. Set against space-themed graphics, rotating planets, and abstract animated imagery, he delivers the track while switching between several eccentric characters, including Orange Man, Lonnie Hendrex, Light-Blue Cop, and the Kid in the Commercial. The video embraces Keith's theatrical approach to identity, mixing rap performance, comic-book costuming, surreal gestures, and deliberately disconnected scenes into a visual extension of the Black Elvis persona.

Factoids & Trivia

  • The video promoted "Livin' Astro," a track from Kool Keith's 1999 album *Black Elvis/Lost in Space*.
  • It aired on episodes of MTV's electronic-music program *Amp* in early 2000, giving the clip exposure beyond the usual hip-hop video outlets.
  • The visual design echoes the futuristic artwork and concept of *Black Elvis/Lost in Space*, treating the video as part of the album's larger science-fiction world.
  • Kool Keith plays multiple characters in the clip. Several of them, including Orange Man, Lonnie Hendrex, Light-Blue Cop, and the Kid in the Commercial, were created specifically for the video rather than serving as established figures in his catalog.
  • The wig worn by Black Elvis was Keith's idea. It became one of the character's defining visual symbols and was also used during live performances connected with the album.
  • Keith produced the song himself, using the name Nightcrawler in the credits. He later explained that this helped avoid some of the criticism commonly directed at rappers who produced their own records.
  • Keith said that label delays and disagreements over the album's creative direction held up both the project and the video's release.

Lyrics

[Kool Keith]
Yeah
Every morning I wake up, lookin in the mirror
I am, the original Black Elvis
That's right when you see me, with my wig to the side
wearin my short leather jacket
Marilyn Monroe on my back
I'm livin that life
I'm for real with this
That's what I think about
I like to tell my fans

I got my shades, big rock star compared to Elvis
...
© Kool Keith - Livin' Astro. This is an excerpt, provided as citation under fair-use.
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