The Cool Kids - Bundle Up

The Cool Kids - Bundle Up

I guess February and March are when every hip-hop artist on the planet plans on releasing all of their music. I'm not complaining though. Fresh off their release from their previous record contract, and news that they'd FINALLY be releasing 'When Fish Ride Bicycles' on Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound imprint, Chuck and Mikey let this loosie go. All you Cool Kids fans will be happy that it falls right in line with their trademark sound, complete with sub-woofer blowout-level bass and minimal snares. Of course the Midwest duo brings the lyrics, too, telling everyone to bundle up for what's looking like a cold (good cold) Cool Kids album. All in all, if you like the Cool Kids, you'll be bumping this all the way into the summer. Check Chuck and Mikey's latest offering...

All-City Chess Club - I'm Beamin' (Remix)

All-City Chess Club - I'm Beaming (Remix)

In April, Lupe Fiasco tweeted about a remix to his single 'I'm Beaming' featuring a group he called the All-City Chess Club. The accompanying blog post I put up talked about a lack of group cuts in hip-hop. Lupe's collective, featuring Asher Roth (PIFF), Charles Hamilton (cool, but weird), Diggy (killed it), The Cool Kids (mehhh), B.o.B. (decent), Blu (NICE) and Dosage (1st time hearing him; somewhat impressed), delivers on that call with a bunch of verses over the original beat. I think the best part about the song is the fact that no one recycles flows or tries to mimic the other on wax. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but for a fan of all of the rappers on this track, it's a welcome surprise. No word yet (maybe ever) on whether there'll be another cut by the All-City Chess Club, but at least we know Lupe's not shelved anymore. Check the track out...

Mikey Rocks - S.S. (ft. Latif) (Music Video)

I've been quoted as being a huge Mikey Rocks fan. That's not without reason, though. Mikey, as a solo artist, has as much charisma as he needs to be successful, as evidenced by random tracks and guest spots scattered throughout the blogosphere. No, we don't have a timetable for any solo releases for the rapping half of the Cool Kids. No, this track isn't well placed, by any means. Summer is well over, though the humidity outside belies that fact. Even so, Mikey decided to give the idea of summer solstice one more spin on this track with Chi-town vocalist Latif. The result is a breezy, mid-tempo song that shows Mikey's versatility, considering the trademark bass-heavy Cool Kids productions. Also, can anyone cosign this for me? Mikey would probably be the man in 1995, even though he's got 2010 bars. If you agree, hit the Digg, Retweet or Like buttons below this post. Mikey needs to be on your radar. If he's not, check the video out and decide for yourself...

Mikey Rocks - Foreign Features

The Cool Kids have been one of my favorite groups over the past few years simply because they reek of nonchalance and apathy for the direction of the game. Rather than tailor their quirky rap styles to what's going on, Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish swerved into their own lane. Now that the two have become successful as a group, it would only make sense that they branched out on their own. Mikey Rocks has taken that calling and ran with it. This video is the visual for the Tye Hill and The Produktionix-produced Foreign Features. The beat is a little much at first, but when you hear Mikey rhyme, you get where it's going. Mikey definitely has an ill flow and an abundance of charisma on the mic. Whether he can parlay that into a solo career or just be content to kick it with Chuck, we shall see. What I do know, though, is that talent has a way of finding its way out. Keep it locked for more releases from Sir Michael Rocks...

24 Hour Karate School - Release Date Confirmed

The wait is over. That's right. The wait is over. All of you underground heads that have been waiting for the Ski Beatz-headed collaborative project '24 Hour Karate School' can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as the album is now slated to drop on September 14th. Featuring Curren$y, Mos Def, Jay Electronica, Stalley, Jim Jones, Rugz D. Bewler, Tabi Bonney, Wiz Khalifa, The Cool Kids, Camp Lo, Jean Grae and Terri Walker, this figures to be one of the most hyped-releases of the year. What baffles me is how many of the tracks are already available on the interwebs. Does that take away from the value of the complete work? Not necessarily, though Ski may very well have to pull something crazy out of his dojo to keep all of the students happy. Again, 24 Hour Karate School drops on September 14th, just in time for you to bump it on that 'back to school' playlist. Check out the promo video DD172 and Creative Control released to go with the good news...

The Cool Kids - Tacklebox

The Cool Kids - Tacklebox

It's funny how every artist or group's 'plans' work out. Some acts never get their act together and never figure out how to put themselves in the limelight, either due to bad music or bad management decisions. Some acts find their niches, their sounds, their audience and figure out where they stand. The Cool Kids are one of those groups that have stepped into their lane and don't seem to be switching anytime soon. Chuck and Mikey teamed up with the LA Leakers to drop Tacklebox, supposedly the precursor to their rumored album, 'When Fish Ride Bicycles'. This mixtape is almost entirely produced by Chuck Inglish, so you know there are going to be a lot of bass-heavy, synth-heavy beats with non-linear rhymes from the two Midwest MC's. Like I said before, the Cool Kids have found their lane. If you've heard anything from them, you know what to expect, though this is a bit more far-out sounding than Gone Fishing. The one thing that surprised me the most was the difference in rapping styles between the two. Before, both were a similar, with Mikey showing a bit more charisma on wax. Now, it's clear who the rapper is and who the producer is. As a matter of fact, I wish I could hear a mix with just Mikey rapping over Chuck's beats. Not necessarily saying it would be better than this. It's just simple comparative advantage. Regardless of who's better than who, this is vintage Cool Kids, complete with voiceover manipulation and sounds put together that will have you nodding your head all tape long. The tape starts out much different than it ends (I liked the latter half more than the former). Check the download, #dopetracks, loosies and a video where Chuck & Mikey talk about 'Tacklebox' and 'When Fish Ride Bicycles', hopefully coming soon...

#dopetracks
Volume II
Birthdays
Great Outdoors
Good Afternoon
Parking Lot
Summer Nights

Loosies:
The Cool Kids - Flying Kites
The Cool Kids - Fishing Lessons
The Cool Kids - Freak City

Dear Lupe Fiasco

It's funny how with one piece of news, hip-hop can look like it's reviving itself. Not that a hypothetical collab bringing the likes as (long breath) J. Cole, Asher Roth, The Cool Kids, B.o.B. Wale, Diggy, Charles Hamilton, Blue, and yourself, Lupe, would merit that kind of happiness. It's just that the last time I've seen a musical work in progress with so many dope names on it was.. never. Aside from Ski Beatz' tape (which still hasn't come out) and Young Money, no one's putting out good mixtapes or albums with a gang of MC's. It's all about the solo act, and pretty mediocres one at that. I remember when putting out a compilation meant everybody brought their A-game and not just their wallets. Then again, no one can really complain about that with you, or most of the artists slated to appear in the work, tentatively entitled "All City Chess Club." If there was ever a time for group and posse cuts a la 'Triumph,' 'Flava in Ya Ear,' '4,3,2,1', and 'Banned From TV,' it's definitely now. Hopefully your collective and Ski Beatz' situations work out. One thing though: What happened to Child Rebel Soldiers?? All this talk about collaborations and we're missing an epic one. Get to work on that after LASERS...

Pac Div - Shut Up

Twas kind of a surprise to see this one pop up on the blogosphere, considering Church League Champions came out a good minute ago. Even so, the video for 'Shut Up' is piff. Chuck and Mikey from the Cool Kids showed up for some quality time with the boys formerly known as Pacific Division, and although I'm still not sure what the video was about, it matched the song pretty well. It's dark and conducive to high levels of bass. Still wondering who produced the track, though. Whatever the case, check out the visuals...

Ski Beatz - 24 Hour Karate School

Ski Beatz - 24 Hour Karate School (Snippets)

Remember the Kicks, Chicks & Porno Flicks mixtape I posted about a month ago? Well, in that post I spoke about togetherness in hip-hop and a new wave of collaborations coming our way. This is one of them. Producer Ski Beatz, along with Dame Dash brought together the likes of Mos Def, Jim Jones, Curren$y, The Cool Kids, Stalley, Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Camp Lo, Wiz Khalifa and Tabi Bonney to create the album '24 Hour Karate School'. Clearly most of these MC's aren't well versed (pun; get it?) in karate, so they did the next best thing, and rapped. The tape doesn't come out until March 30th, so I guess you'll have to practice centering your chi until then. Check out the trailer and some snippets from the tape...

The Cool Kids x Don Cannon - Merry Christmas (FreEP)

The Cool Kids x Don Cannon - Merry Christmas (FreEP)

Yeah, I'm late. Sue me. Over the holiday, there were supposed to be an assload of mixtapes dropping. Unfortunately (well, not really), we only got one. I'm just glad that it was the Cool Kids. Over the past two years, the two Midwest MC's have really wowed me with their growth, both lyrically and as artists. Their Merry Christmas FreEP (why's everyone putting out EP's now??) only featured four tracks, but along with a Don Cannon cosign (I really hope he's on board for their album), they're making sure they go into 2010 with the right attitude. Of course, the beat are FIRE, and Chuck and Mikey bring their individual flavors to each track. There's not much else to say about the release. Of course, check the link, the tracklist, my #dopetracks (no more Cream of the Crop and Cream of the Crap), and some videos. Merry (belated) Christmas...



#dopetracks
Tires
BBQ Wings
Catch of the Day
Free Throws