Dr. Octagonecologyst is the debut solo album of American rapper Keith Thornton and the first album he released under the alias Dr. Octagon. It was released May 6, 1996, on Bulk Recordings in the United States and Mo' Wax in the United Kingdom, and re-released in the US on DreamWorks Records in 1997. Dr. Octagonecologyst was produced by Dan "The Automator" Nakamura and featured the work of turntablist DJ Qbert. KutMasta Kurt provided additional production work. The artwork for Dr. Octagonecologyst was drawn by Brian "Pushead" Schroeder.
Dr. Octagonecologyst introduces the character of Dr. Octagon, a homicidal, extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynecologist and surgeon. The album's distinctive sound crosses genres such as psychedelic, electronic music, horrorcore, and trip hop. Thornton's lyrics are often abstract, using surrealism, non-sequiturs, hallucinatory psychedelia, horror and science-fiction imagery, and juvenile humor. The unique sound and lyrics of Dr. Octagonecologyst helped revitalize alternative and underground hip hop, gaining more attention than any contemporary independent hip hop album "in quite a while".[1]
Although it did not sell enough copies to reach the mainstream music charts, the album was well received with positive reviews and recognition. Thornton's lyrics and Nakamura's production were highly praised, as was DJ Qbert's innovative scratching. Dr. Octagonecologyst has since been ranked as one of the best hip hop albums of the 1990s. The character of Dr. Octagon has appeared in multiple works by Thornton, including First Come, First Served (1999) and Dr. Dooom 2 (2008), both of which contain tracks in which Octagon is murdered by Dr. Dooom.
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