“HOW ABOUT INSTEAD OF READING THIS TWEET U JUST GO SIT AND CONTEMPLATE THIS EARTH’S NATURAL BEAUTY”
— KOOL A.D.
Most humans who encounter his work would likely agree that Victor Vazquez, better known by the moniker “KOOL A.D.”, is a walking unclassifiable, an eccentric and enigmatic presence in the modern rap scene and society at large. Fans of the rapper/artist would probably add that KOOL’s wildly unorthodox nature is precisely the reason they can’t get enough of him.
We’re talking about the guy who, when he was a member of the much-lauded, post-ironic rap group Das Racist, amusedly sang that “rapgenius.com is white devil sophistry”; the guy who told disgruntled New York Times interviewer Deborah Solomon to “fall back”; the guy who sells quirky, psychedelic drawings and 300-word inspirational emails to his Instagram and Twitter followings via PayPal; the guy who challenged a New Yorker cartoonist to a “cartoon-off” and dismantled him.
KOOL A.D. Photo Credit: Atticus Finch.
The list could go on. Many a rap enthusiast has probably been infatuated with the silly, zero-f**ks-given surface of the KOOL A.D. aesthetic and culture—the iconic beard and bizarre wardrobe, the recurring celebrity shout-outs, the riffing and joking through interviews, the ALL-CAPS (“like a Marxist typographist”) Twitter persona, etc.—but those who engage his art on a deeper level, who search for some method within the madness, are likely the most loyal and affectionate KOOL A.D. fans.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Because as one finds when one ventures deeply enough, KOOL A.D. is more than a “based” stoner-trickster performing mindless antics (though I doubt such a title would upset him). So much more, in fact, that I’ve contemplated writing a short eBook on his art and philosophical viewpoints (stay tuned). For this post, I’m not going to dive into that abyss. This list is a single breadcrumb on a long, winding trail—a trail which leads down a proverbial rabbit hole into the KOOL A.D. wonderland of multimedia shenanigans and mind-bending art.
Should you choose to follow that trail, you may discover that KOOL’s “darts” indeed “recharge batteries”. You may find a dude whose ongoing work and simple existence can bring you solace, insight, and chuckles. Or you might hate him, who knows. Either way, cast your gaze upon these perspective-rich and humorous nuggets and see how they glisten. Or don’t, you know, whatever.
THERE ARE MANY NATURAL WONDERS ON THIS EARTH, ANIMAL, VEGETABLE AND MINERAL. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS & HAVE GRATITUDE OR WHATEVER DO WHATEVER — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) January 12, 2014
ROAM THE EARTH GENTLY I GUESS — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) December 17, 2013
IT’S INSANE THAT FOOLS BUILT SUCH AN INTRICATE SYSTEM OF PIPES THAT ZOOMS UR DOODOO MILES AWAY FROM U AT THE FLICK OF A LEVER B GRATEFUL — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 26, 2013
HOW ABOUT INSTEAD OF READING THIS TWEET U JUST GO SIT AND CONTEMPLATE THIS EARTH’S NATURAL BEAUTY — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 25, 2013
U COULD WORK ON UR ALBUM FOR HELLA MONTHS AND IT STILL WOULDN’T BE ANYWHERE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE ACTUAL SKY
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 25, 2013
fools type “self made” on a phone assembled in china by a dude getting 2 bucks an hour
PATIENCE IS 1 OF THE MOST USEFUL INBORN HUMAN TALENTS TO POSSESS AND EXERCISE
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) September 23, 2013
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) October 10, 2013
FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER, EDUCATION AND MEDICINE ARE UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH. ALL POLITICS SHOULD START THERE. — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) April 9, 2014
Have gratitude for family and friends every day not just on a holiday that repaints our country’s genocidal origins as somehow acceptable — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 28, 2013
EMPTY URSELF OF ALL DESIRE AND EXPECTATION. WHAT’S LEFT IS THE PRESENT IN ALL ITS SIMPLICITY AND CLARITY. — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 10, 2013
IM DOING WHATEVER AND FEEL OK — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) January 5, 2014
HUMAN BEINGS ARE NATURE TOO — KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) September 24, 2013
LOVE IS REALITY U FUCKING IDIOTS
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) December 13, 2013
THERE ARE ABOUT 5 TIMES AS MANY VACANT HOUSES IN AMERICA AS THERE ARE HOMELESS FAMILIES
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) December 19, 2013
UR CAREER ASPIRATIONS MEAN NOTHING COMPARED TO THE ETERNAL SPRAWL OF THE COSMOS
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 25, 2013
EXPERIENCE REALITY AS AN UNFOLDING FLOWER COMING INTO FULL ADULT BLOOM
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) April 30, 2014
NEGATIVITY IS FUN AT FIRST THEN GETS BORING. POSITIVITY IS BORING AT FIRST THEN GETS FUN. ALSO WHO CARES.
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) March 9, 2014
IMAGINE WRITING ECONOMICS PAPERS SO CRAZY THAT FOOLS ACROSS THE WORLD TOOK GUNS AND FIRED THEIR GOVERNMENTS KARL MARX ACTUALLY DID THAT
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 14, 2013
BUSY UR EARTHLY BODY WITH LABOR THAT IS MEANINGFUL & PRODUCTIVE FOR URSELF & OTHERS & EMPTY UR MIND OF EVERYTHING BUT CALM INTENT BRUH BRUH
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) February 22, 2014
REMEMBER TO HAVE GRATITUDE FOR RUNNING WATER, LET ALONE ACCESS TO INTERNET WEBSITES LIKE http://t.co/uglimtzrB2
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 26, 2013
IMAGINE BEING HELLOF SMART AND UR LIKE “IMA BUILD A MACHINE THAT THROWS A TINY PIECE OF METAL SO FAST IT WILL KILL U” THE FUX WRONG W U
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) November 12, 2013
THE UNIVERSE IS SO BIG AND STUPID WOW
— KOOL A.D. (@veeveeveeveevee) December 19, 2013
While You’re At It
WORD O.K., 2014.
So you just read those tweets and they were pretty neat. Now you should go listen to KOOL A.D.’s newest album, WORD O.K. (free on Bandcamp).
Alright, um, I’m going to go do whatever and feel okay.
If you dug this, follow me on Twitter or subscribe via email/RSS.
P.S. In the past few months I created a fictional rapping character named Lostboyevsky. I’ve been doing some shows in Korea and just released the first official track off of an upcoming Lostboyevsky project. Ironically, the track uses a Big Baby Gandhi beat that KOOL A.D. once rapped over. You can listen to the song here and follow Lostboyevsky on Twitter.
About Jordan Bates
Jordan Bates is a Lover of God, healer, mentor of leaders, writer, and music maker. The best way to keep up with his work is to join nearly 7,000 people who read his Substack newsletter.
