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The Return Of Dr. Octagon
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The Return Of Dr. Octagon Image
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

  • Summary: Kool Keith's second Dr. Octagon album follows a full decade after his first, with production this time handled by One Watt Sun.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22
  1. Lost At Sea
    95
    Dr. Octagon has once again put hip-hop under the knife and performed surgery on it.
  2. The Wire
    80
    As inspired as it is, The Return Of Dr Octagon is no sequel. [#269, p.44]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Urb
    70
    The Return shifts from the dusty, foreboding ambience created by Dan the Automator on Dr. Octagonecologyst into a contemporary world ripe with analog melodies and crisp, programmed beats. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.125]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Spin
    60
    Flavorsome but oddly ordinary. [Aug 2006, p.77]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Dusted Magazine
    50
    The good stuff (those [first] three tracks, and maybe the indignant “Al Green”) provides Kool Keith an appropriate showcase and sounds like nothing else, but for much of this disc, the main man appears AWOL.
  6. Pitchfork
    43
    The Return is supposedly a Kool Keith album, but four of the 14 tracks are skits, two mangle his vocals so the producers can show off their DJing, and one is a Princess Superstar song with Keith on the hook.
  7. Prefix Magazine
    20
    Despite all the stupid records he's put out before, The Return of Dr. Octagon is the first one that plunges wholly into self-parody. He's now a fully realized clown, a prop, a joke and, most disappointingly, a sub-par rapper whose forced ideas and personality obstacles have devolved into flimsy, uninspired character sketches.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. petert
    Nov 27, 2006
    10
    this is where hip hop should be going!
  2. [Anonymous]
    Jul 13, 2006
    10
    WARNING : This album is not sanctioned whatsoever by Kool Keith. He has denied having anything to do with this album, and thus should not be WARNING : This album is not sanctioned whatsoever by Kool Keith. He has denied having anything to do with this album, and thus should not be consider an official Dr. Octagon release. If you look at the past releases of the record label, its clear what kind buisness that this label does. They bought the rights to some Kool Keith session recorded a while ago, and just put some beats on top of it. DO NOT buy this album.… Expand
  4. jamesd
    Jul 18, 2006
    10
    dense, powerfull, diverse. i love it. it's totaly different from the original except in so far as it is a definiite 'crack the dense, powerfull, diverse. i love it. it's totaly different from the original except in so far as it is a definiite 'crack the molld of current hip-hop' record. they both have that in common.… Expand
  5. FS
    Aug 19, 2006
    9
    This album was dismiised by many upon revival, because it's not the sequel people waied ten years for. Still, it's the truly This album was dismiised by many upon revival, because it's not the sequel people waied ten years for. Still, it's the truly replayable Kool Keith album we haven't had for over a half a decade. His words are chopped up, but he's still a presence. And the music has more sense of motion than he could ever hope to have producing on his own. An unlkiely semi-classic.… Collapse
  6. christianv
    Sep 12, 2006
    9
    There have been some really good, genre-bending hip-hop records over the last bunch of years. This is better than any of them. Way more There have been some really good, genre-bending hip-hop records over the last bunch of years. This is better than any of them. Way more interesting than Gnarls Barkley or Outkast or any of that stuff. Question to the haters...If this record is what you say it is, then why is Keith touring too promote it, doing interviews to promote it and why is Kutmasta kurt doing a remix for one of the tracks? Smells like some kind of sour-grapes issue among so-called fans. Anyway, great record. Definitely one to annoy the hip-hop conservatives.… Expand
  7. ruthd
    Sep 11, 2006
    9
    The naysayers are wrong on a lot of points. This record is not only legitimate (sanctioned, supported ect. by Keith), it's the best The naysayers are wrong on a lot of points. This record is not only legitimate (sanctioned, supported ect. by Keith), it's the best production Keith has bee involved with since Octagonacologyst. Listen to thing. It's 4-dimmensionaly good. The bad-mouth crowd appear to be some self-apponted scene police and a little clique of Fanatik Js' buddies. Very sad.… Expand
  8. NathanG
    Aug 22, 2006
    2
    (Fortunately) Kool Keith has nothing to do with this. I'm was very glad when i read that, because this album is a very bad album.

See all 9 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Most Shared Album of 2006