You could say the past couple of years have been interesting for Victor Vazquez aka Kool A.D., the former Das Racist rhymer who embarked on a solo career as a rapper, author and artist after the trio split in 2012.

Mixtapes are often a lengthy and cautious process, with each track tailored by the artist in order to bring their vision to fruition. It seems that Kool A.D. does the latter with his releases, because judging by his 2016 discography alone, he doesn’t seem to understand taking one’s time; and it actually works pretty well for him. A total of 10 tapes were released during 2016, with two of the tapes Zig Zag Zig and Peyote Karaoke carrying 100 tracks each. Yeah, fuck me right? My guys over at r/FrankOcean spent 4 years for Blonde whilst Kool A.D. is out here running a lyrical sweatshop.

I’m not going to start on you if you assume the tracks are shitty. I mean of course that is the obvious jump to considering the waiting time most fanbases have for new material. Yet there are glimmers of A.D. going hard on every tape, making each project a feat of some kind. Take 2015’s O.K. tape, and I should mention, this is also a 100 track tape released prior to his two 2016 100 track tapes. In short we are talking a lot of fucking tracks here so keep up. O.K. is possibly considered Kool A.D.’s masterwork, as with Okayplayer calling it “a blistering and damn impressive piece of work”. It featured the standout Santeria, where A.D. claims to partake in the Afro-Cuban religion and goes back to back with bars in Spanish and English. There’s also the more laid-back Dum Diary, bass heavy and electronic Jungle Fever (which also features Angel Haze) and finally Jackson Pollock, where Kool A.D. spits over Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear. The versatility of the rhymer is seen within these tracks, as Kool A.D. can simply spit over any beat covering almost any genre. The flow and words he carries is mad unique in that respect. O.K.’s collaborators might also catch your eye, with Toro y Moi and Harry Fraud having production credits, and the likes of Talib Kweli and Killer Mike who feature to name a few.

So why the fuck did Kool A.D. produce his first 100 track tape, which he calls a “spiritual soundtrack” in the first place? Well.

Somewhere he also found time to write a novel, also titled O.K., which the O.K. EP was supposed to be a supplement to. This is like some next level dive into Vazquez’s brain through 254 pages, detailing the consumption of art and drugs to expand thought and featuring the likes of 2Pac and Bill Burroughs. What’s the verdict on the book? Well you’ve only gotta read into the customer reviews to find out. Cameron Mitchell stated on goodreads.com that “OK is either the smartest book I’ve ever read, or one of the stupidest”, whilst @SupaMalaman over on their amazon.com review wrote “After I read this book I immediately bought a ticket to India and backpacked for 3 months whilst trying to learn the language through osmosis outside what I believe was a hospital”. Literature can sure as hell make you trip and A.D.’s novel is a contender. Alongside O.K. (the book) there’s also Aztec Yoga, a novella which of course comes with more tracks, artwork and 100 pages of protagonist Fausto Fausto. Catch Kool A.D. plugging both novels signed and personalised over on his Instagram for $10.

Speaking of Instagram, social media is practically Bigcartel to Victor. His IG is full of art shit that he has made, trainers that he has drawn over, memory sticks full of his discography; all for sale for the usual price of $100. A.D.’s art is the epitome of psychedelic artwork, but it isn’t entirely clear whether he is on some shit or not. The level of artwork produced suggests he has to be tripping at least 6 hours a day, and I’m not banking on that. Maybe he has just become fully fucking combined with the psychedelic state that no drugs are needed. On paper he draws skulls and watermelon, a ton of yin-yangs and decapitated snakes amongst dice; And believe me that is just scratching the surface.

There is also the allusive $100 freestyle that Kool A.D. plugs, which is fun to see the result of if you scroll down to the bottom of his Spotify page and see the producers who have bought it; also notable when the goat yells “$100 freestyle!” midway through to let everybody know what the fuck is up. That $100 will leave you woke as fuck though probably when you are producing it so shit then, money well spent.

Man I don’t know. Is Kool A.D. a legit mastermind, showcasing mind bending lyricism and a creative output of extraordinary levels? Or, is Victor Vazquez on the trip of the century whilst trying to sell his momentos to keep it alive? You’re not gonna find out, I mean, I sent him a DM over on Instagram and I was left on read. So yeah, this place isn’t holding the answers you may seek. I think it stands though that Vazquez is mad interesting, with his rhymes being entertaining and a laugh.

As self proclaimed “joke rap”, maybe you just need to climb a few mental levels to understand him.

A.D. has made it EASY for me to bring you to his art. Head on over to his Instagram: @veeveeveeveevee, for his showcase store of art, music and literature.