Editing Kool Keith (section)

===Ultramagnetic MCs (1984–1993)===
Thornton began his career with the group [[Ultramagnetic MCs]] under the pseudonym Kool Keith in 1984. Four years later, their release of the album ''[[Critical Beatdown]]'' was critically acclaimed and later became recognized as widely influential for its innovative production, complex rhymes, and chopped sampling. Just after its release, Thornton was reportedly institutionalized in [[Bellevue Hospital Center]].<ref name="RollingStone">{{cite book |editor1=Brackett, Nathan |editor2=Hoard, Christian |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |chapter=Kool Keith |chapter-url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/koolkeith/biography |edition=fourth |year=2004 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/466 466–467] |url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/466 }}</ref><ref name="Cooper">{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=Sean |title=All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-hop |year=2003 |isbn=0-87930-759-5 |publisher=Backbeat Books |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780879307592/page/267 267–268] |chapter=Kool Keith |chapter-url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p200714|pure_url=yes}} |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780879307592/page/267 }}</ref> However, he later said that the idea that he was institutionalized came from a flippant remark made during an interview, and he never expected the story to become so well known.<ref name="AVClub">{{cite news|last=Downs |first=David|title=Kool Keith and KutMasta Kurt|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=November 21, 2008|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/kool-keith-and-kutmasta-kurt-14335|access-date=2008-11-21}}</ref>

Ultramagnetic MCs would release two more albums (1992's ''[[Funk Your Head Up]]'' and 1993's [[The Four Horsemen (album)|''The Four Horsemen'']]) with little commercial success due to [[West Coast hip hop]]'s changing landscape. They went on hiatus for years, leading Thorton to embark on a solo career.