More heat from Chicago, a city that seems to churn out such a wide range of hip-hop talent, and its all class. Only two years old, The Cool Kids hooked up on myspace, and soon grabbed attention of the media, especially after being invited to play the 2007 Pitchfork Festival, sharing the stage with De La Soul and Clipse.
Simplicity is their thing, basic loops, smooth flows, a nod to hey-day electro, and a humor sadly missed in most of today’ mainstream hip-hop.
The opening track What Up Man just makes me smile, such a simple idea, a drum machine stripped down to voice, cow bell and a few stabs for good measure. Most is spoken, where there’ a clap, they say clap, where there’ bass, they say bass, where there are high-hats, they say tick… you get the picture. One Two is a true head nodder, a diss track, the Beastie Boys don’ like them? Crazy, as they share that same tongue-in-check flow the Beastie’ were loved for in the early days. 88 takes us back to just that, 1988, all those beats and stabs no hip-hop fan could ever forget. What It Is lays down a killer break, straight from the classic Public Enemy crate, a great party vibe, and again, sticking to the simplistic production approach and fun lyrics, delivering another killer track that would rock any dance-floor.
Full to the brim with classic hooks, both MC’ delivering like they’ve been doing this for more than two years, everything is on point. Not revolutionary in any degree, but refreshing, referencing the classic era of hip-hop a lot of miss, injecting much needed fun into their music, and our lives. I’ve always said it takes something special to pull off a minimalistic approach with any music, The Cool Kids seem to do it with ease. Pick up this mini album, slap it on, and enjoy the fun.
Wayne Stronell
