Project Polaroid

As with any artist flaunting such a deep discography, not all of Kool Keith's albums have been out-of-the-park home runs. For every classic he's dropped, there have also been several half-baked, head-scratching duds, usually occurring when he attempts to handle the beats himself, or teams up with random European cats. He seems to be most reliable when collaborating with KutMasta Kurt or Dan the Automator, however, TOMC3 is another producer who has a knack for bringing out his best efforts. For post-‘00-era Keith, Project Polaroid is a shining moment, and he sounds right at home bugging out over the challenging but undeniably funky drum patterns and obscure, well-flipped samples. With only a few guest appearances (from Motion Man, Organized Konfusion's Prince Po, and Roughneck Jihad), it's mostly all about Keith and TOM, and their styles work together perfectly. Standouts include the intergalactic epic "Space 8000," elastic bass bumps of "Diamond District," and dreamy, piano-driven "Midwestern Shoe Calhoun."