The Cool Kids interview

Chicago-based duo The Cool Kids are probably the most interesting hip-hop group out there right now. If you’re bored with Lil’ Wayne and aren’t enthused by the return of The Game, then look no further than Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks, two young guys who “press and twist knobs just to make your head nod”. While their first official EP, The Bake Sale, isn’t released on this side of the Atlantic until August, their material has been floating around online for over twelve months, and their profile has grown exponentially in that time, with international club tours and slots at festivals the world over. While they were originally in Dublin to support M.I.A. in Tripod, upon her cancellation they were granted a late-night headline slot in the more intimate confines of Crawdaddy in late June. This situation came as both a blessing and a disappointment to Chuck: “I’m not tripping on the fact that she’s not doing them, and I’m not excited at the fact that she’s not doing them. I really like seeing her, man, and I really like doing shows with her.” This Dublin performance came on the back of a series of Scandinavian tour dates with none other than member of the hip-hop royalty Jay-Z, shows which went some way to spreading the group’s name to new listeners, people who will “just stop and watch what’s on stage. They might not know who you are but they’ll stop and look cause you’re up there. You can get a lot of new ears from festivals.”

Rather than naming other acts as inspirations, the boys are driven by a hunger to constantly improve their skills and expand their repertoire. “We can always be better, or we can always make something iller.” For Chuck, the important thing to remember is that “there’s unlimited sounds in the world.” What makes them different is their uncanny ability to rap about everyday life while at the same time twisting ideas into knockout phrases, and making it seem completely effortless. The standout line, both in terms of their ability and their attitude, is when Chuck states that there’s “no sense in throwing punches, let’s do lunch man, you like me too, ain’t no future in your frontin’.” For Chuck however, this isn’t just about getting away from the violent clichés of gangster hip-hop. “Who the hell can’t say that line and feel like they can own that? I can’t say that I’m gona punch you in your jaw or some stuff like that, that’s just not my personality. I will, but that’s not something that I’m necessarily rapping about, because it doesn’t make sense.” Key for him is grabbing your attention with witty lines. “We like to spend our time being clever. It’s fun that way. If we just said what was blatantly evident we would lose steam, doing this would not be interesting at all. Our job is to find the coolest way to say it.”

While speaking of festivals and the notion that fans aren’t always interested in hearing new music in a live context, the Public Enemy performance of It Takes A Nation of Millions came up. While it is a sure-fire way of playing tracks that people know, it also seems a regressive step, celebrating the past rather than moving on to the future. “I’m kind of on the fence about that, all songs ain’t supposed to be done live. You have to be a fan, that’s kind of a niche thing. It’s gotta get old at some point, especially if you’re the dude doing the show.” The Cool Kids themselves grow tired of performing the same tracks, night after night, and so they are constantly writing and recording while on tour. As Mikey says, “there’s no specific time. It’s always going on.” As far as performing new tracks, Chuck is wary of straying too far from the familiar. “People won’t get up unless they recognise it or unless it smacks them in the face so you gotta teeter totter that fence between smacking them in the face and giving something they can relate to right off the bat. People’s attention spans are like this [clicks].” He is aware that at festivals people park themselves in front of a stage, while at a club the artist is always in competition with the bar or the bathroom. “People want the next song. Like, “Speed it up, let’s get it going.””

Mikey and Chuck are making the most of their international tours, but there are certain inescapable truths one must face on the road. “We’re not at the point yet where we get a bus with TVs and video games, so I can’t play Playstation 3” says Mikey. “I can’t go and sleep in all day and then wake up when I want to.” That said, he’s not about to give it up for the sake of a few extra hours sleep. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s fun and it’s necessary. A lot of people take touring for granted, and you got a lot of artists who just don’t tour, they’re like “fuck that shit, I’ll just put out songs, and I don’t gotta do shows”, and that’s pretty idiotic, because the whole in person aspect is a whole different world for the people that listen to your music.” This drive to spread their music is what keeps The Cool Kids busy, and they take every opportunity that is thrown their way. Featuring on DMC winner Craze’s Fabric and an Ed Banger showcase CD from Mixmag has helped to boost their profile worldwide, and Mikey does not take this lightly. “It’s all for the better, especially when it’s somebody with a good reputation, that is in a different lane than you are, spreading your music to other people that might not have heard of you before. Even when we got bootlegged with that Totally Flossed Out bootleg, we’re not really mad about it, that’s basically one of the reasons why we’re here today. People pay to get their stuff spread around like that man, and it happened for free!”

Following a riotous run-through of their oeuvre The Cool Kids’ manager sold tee shirts from a suitcase on stage, tee shirts which will no doubt find themselves being sold for large amounts on eBay. At their last show in February I was taken by Mikey’s attire, as he was wearing a Milkcrate-designed purple hoodie showing a blinged-out, Nike-wearing slice of cake. “Man that’s a collector’s item now. There are no more of those being made, those are gone man. That shit is rare man” Disappointed as I was to learn this, at least I know that, whatever about the tee shirts, their music is going to keep coming thick and fast. Well, at least until they stop enjoying themselves. Somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.