The Cool Kids Review

Ever since humans first formed societies, there's been a coexistence of the 'conventional' (or the 'mainstream') and the unconventional (in this case, the 'counter-culture'). It used to be that to partake in one of the realms almost rendered one as mutually-exclusive from the other. That's to say that to be participate in the 'conventional' would mean the rejection of the 'unconventional', or vice versa.

This was particularly true in the beginning stages of the hip-hop culture when rap was almost only heard in impoverished and unlikely communities. However, as is usually the case, as soon as hip-hop was able to be commercialized to the 'mainstream', there was a schism within hip-hop in the same scope of 'mainstream' and 'counter-culture'. That occurred in the late 1980's through the early 1990's.

Fast-forward to 2009. Enter Mikey Rocks. Enter Chuck Inglish. They're the Cool Kids. This alternative hip-hop internet-sensation duo has been able to fuse the underground stylings of lyricism and early hip-hop inspirations with a new school rep and has been able to fully utilize the internet to extend their reach beyond what the likes of Rakim and Big Daddy Kane could have ever imagined.

The intrigue lies in the fact that their most extensive work to date, 'Gone Fishing' (the mixtape presented by DJ Don Cannon) is not available for commercialization. Rather, they presented to the world via the internet, FOR FREE. While they're certainly not your run-of-the-mill hardcore rap group, they've been able to keep their grassroots movement intact, thus maintaining their integrity and identity intact as well.

With that in mind, it's important to note that their earlier works include the underground, internet-blazing hit song "Black Mags" and the widespread and highly successful "Pennies", which was even featured on NBA 2K9. While it might seem that they're simply biting more than they can chew, it's their distinctive flow and train of thought that legitimizes the group. Hailing from the basketball meccas of Chicago and Detroit, these two pioneers are part of an alternative hip-hop movement that's become all the rage these days, alongside the likes of Flosstradamus, Kid Sister, Hollywood Holt and Million-dollar Mano. As such, their flow is more based on the aesthetics of the new-age hip-hop movement, which focuses heavily on personal dedication to fashion, the incorporation of hip-hop ideology into everyday life and the maintenance of one's identity/coolness. Now then, onto the mixtape.

Beginning with "Introduction to Ice Fishing", the hard-hitting drums' cadence in the background sets the stage for an epic mixtape. Mikey and Chuck both establish themselves early on with their creative lines, stating "I was the dude in school, didn't play sports, but was still poppin' all the cheerleaders..." and " I'm a shark to you squids." While not overly awe-inspiring, the introduction certainly gives us an insight into the synth-and-sample-heavy styled beats that will permeate the walls of the mixtape (not to mention the annoying persistence of Don Cannon himself.) "Hammer Bros." has a very similar sound to the first track, sadly, with the sampled-horns and heavily-filtered snare hits carrying the song more than the Cool Kids themselves. "Champions" picks up the pace and the vibe changes, fortunately for the better, but certainly not one of the marquee songs. The next track breaks that milestone, however. "Gold Links" is a banger that uses their previous work, "Gold Chains", as inspiration. The headbobbing beat keeps the edgy Cool Kids cruising through the mixtape. Probably the most intriguing song on the whole album is "Cinnamon" which utilizes a rare, laidback melody as its background instead of being based exclusively on hard-hitting sounds. Claiming themselves as the "lottery ticket", they certainly hit the jackpot with that track. The roll continues on with "Premium Blends", and while it borrows from the grimy, hard-hitting samples that Chuck Inglish is so fond of, its fast-paced tempo gives the song the feel of an early 90's rap beat but with a new twist on it.

However, after "Premium Blends", the Cool Kids' mixtape definitely takes a "Step Back" and kills the momentum it had built up. By this time, it's quite apparent that of the two, the more lyrically-gifted Kid is Chuck Inglish, but the flow award definitely belongs to Mikey. However, neither truly transcends on any particular track, which is something that continues throughout the whole mixtape, for better or for worse. Their next track,"Jump Rope", is their attempt at a slow-jam/love-song which is VERY unimpressive and frankly lacked any sort of creativity on their part.

"The Last Stretch", thankfully, goes in a different direction and could very well share the 'most intriguing track' distinction with "Cinnamon". If the Cool Kids were able to harness the style presented on this particular track and hone it, the results could be very impressive. However, their most creative track is without a doubt the following one; "The Art of Noise (Interlude)". The song is sampled from "Moments of Love" by the group, The Art of Noise and while they're not the first, and almost certainly not the last, to do so, their ability to successfully execute on such a creative scale may shine a light into just how deep they really are as a duo.

"The Light Company" takes a page from the earlier, hard-hitting drum-and-synth-based beats, but the theme of identity  begins to cement itself much more, especially with Mikey Rocks' verse. "Popcorn" puts a little pop into the mix, though, and the synth-heavy melody is very catchy, much like its popular predecessors. Certainly the commercial jewel of the whole compilation, "Popcorn" utilizes some of the group's best lines and is most likely the track anyone who listens to the mixtape will add to their personal playlists. The worst part of the mixtape, however, is how the Cool Kids placed their "best" song alongside their biggest folly: "Pennies (Remix)". The two are outshined by southern heavyweights Ludacris and Bun B... ON THEIR OWN SONG! The lack of any transcendent lines is quite the disappointment, but clunkers like this are expected in almost every mixtape. 

Next, the Cool Kids decide to get on a beat that sounds like it was produced by Kanye West, meant to be rapped on by Common and sounds like it could have maybe even been an album single. "Broadcasting Live" is THAT good, and with the Cool Kids finally awakening their inner lyricist, I claim that this is the best overall song on the whole mixtape, but it's not the one to bump while cruising around. It's one that should be LISTENED to, enjoyed, and extracted for all its splendor.

Once they peak, the duo returns to its simple but drum-heavy, bass-laden beats on "Taking a Break (Cut It Up)" and "Tune Up". While neither is particularly amazing, "Tune Up" shows Mikey's flow at its best, stating "Who us? Mikey and Chuck... Launchpad and Dark Wing Duck" If you didn't grow up watching 'DarkWing Duck' Saturday mornings on ABC as a kid, you wouldn't get it, but you get the idea that they could eventually become good rappers in their own right with clever flows like that. "Weekend Girls" features a relaxed, piano-driven beat that is a FAR better chick-track than "Jump Rope". The last two songs on the mixtape send us out on a high-note with "Summer Vacation" being a highly infectous track because of its soulful and edgy sound while "Knocked Down" uses a modulated-organ as its base melody that's sure to have listeners bobbing their heads with the best line belonging to the first four bars when Mikey starts on the second verse.

The reason not much emphasis is made about the artists' flow is because their rapping style complaments the beats, but it's also their downfall. Or is it because we're used to getting caught up in the lyrics and wordpla instead of appreciating the WHOLE? I'm happy with my catch...