If It's Too Loud...

In case you haven't gotten fully excited about Kool Keith's return to his Black Elvis persona, the latest single also features appearances from Marc Live and Ice-T. Last month we heard "Space Mountain" which also featured Marc Live, and back in March we brought you a collaborative single from Real Bad Man and Kool Keith that featured Ice-T, but there's just something about hearing all three on a Black Elvis song that hits different. "The Formula" has that space age sound that we need from Black Elvis, and I'm never going to say no to a verse from Ice-T. I'm less familiar with Marc Live, but he steps right up and nails his verse alongside the legends. More often than not when a hip hop artist goes back to a persona or character after decades away, the result ends up sounding like a quick cash grab going after our nostalgia. Kool Keith is clearly not doing that with Black Elvis 2. You can listen to "The Formula" below. Black Elvis 2 is du...

"Space Mountain," the latest single from Kool Keith's return to his Black Elvis persona, is pure vintage Kool Keith. This is the type of song that sounds like it could have been an outtake from the original 1999 Black Elvis/Lost in Space  album. It has that minimalistic but future sounding hip hop sound that is what we all came to love about Kool Keith in the 90's, and what we still love about him now. When a legend like Kool Keith goes back to a previous persona for the first time in over two decades, fans can be both excited and apprehensive. A song like "Space Mountain" shows that we should be ecstatic for this new album. You can listen to "Space Mountain" below. Black Elvis 2 is due out June 16 on Mello Music Group, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Kool Keith, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter .

Way back in 1999, Kool Keith released one his most iconic albums Black Elvis/Lost in Space. Now, twenty-four years later, he's revisiting that persona with a new album. In true Kool Keith fashion, the first single is the minute long intro track for the album, "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)." Of course, Kool Keith is the rare artist that can make an intro song good enough to be a single. While most intro songs are throwaways, "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)" is great, just short. It certainly doesn't hurt that the song is produced by If It's Too Loud... favorite L'Orange who adds his trademark throwback to classic hip hop while still looking forward sound to the track. As with any of his releases, Black Elvis 2 is going to be high on everyone's must listen list this year. You can listen to "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)" below. Black Elvis 2 is due out June 16 on Mello Music Group, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Kool Keith, check out the artis...