Guest Columnist: Nathan Fisher
In an era where music (among other things) is so accessible via the Internet, it is almost effortless for new, up and coming artists to release material as well as obtain recognition for their musical talents. Although in the same instance, because of the sheer magnitude of artist taking this route in order to carve a career in music a lot of talented individuals are not getting the acknowledgment and respect their exploits deserve. A duo I feel encapsulate this perfectly are Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, better known as (or not, which is the point I’m making) ‘The Cool Kids’.
‘The Cool Kids’ are a Hip-Hop team from the mid-west of the USA who have been actively releasing consistently good, original material since 2008/2009. Though they both spit verses, Chuck Inglish (who is predominantly a gifted producer) takes care of most of the production on their projects, leaving Mikey Rocks to focus on being the better lyricist of the pair. Their unique style is a refreshing twist on the sometimes repetitive, copycat approach that some new artists are guilty of in order to get in the game.
Despite this, they seem to be an unknown quantity to many in the UK and are only appreciated by dedicated long-term fans and/or true ‘Hip Hop Heads’. Their debut EP ‘The Bake Sale’ received a good response, which they used to grow and create similarly accomplished work that includes the mixtapes ‘Gone Fishing’ (2009) and ‘Tacklebox’ (2010) which led to their debut studio album ‘When Fish Ride Bicycles’ (2011). The aforementioned studio album included production from The Neptunes on two tracks in addition to guest appearances from established hip hop artists in the form of Bun B and Ghostface (Killah), which should show that they are getting deserved credit from respected artists in the industry.
The two have also expanded into solo careers that have brought further admiration from fellow artists. As mentioned before, Chuck’s biggest asset is his ability to produce distinctive beats and he has worked with the likes of Mac Miller (‘Wear My Hat’), Rick Ross (‘Party Heart’) and Big Sean (‘Phat Raps Remix’) to name a few which illustrates his capability to produce tracks fit enough for the biggest artists. He has also took the time to release two beat tapes this year that contain some of the work he has been doing over the last couple of years. ‘WRKING.’ & ‘WRKOUT.’ further enhance his gradual growth and reputation as a producer, with his distinct style (once familiarised) being unmistakeable.
Meanwhile, Mikey Rocks has also managed to work with Mac Miller (who ‘The Cool Kids’ have since toured with) as well as other reputable names like Curren$y on three separate projects. Put these notable guest appearances alongside his impressive solo efforts ‘The Rocks Report’ and ‘Premier Politics’ from 2011 and it’s difficult see why Sir Michael Rocks (his words, not mine) isn’t more familiar to a wider audience as lyrically stylish individual.
All in all, the steady growth of ‘The Cool Kids’ is clear for everybody to see, so much so that they’ve been able to build solo careers for themselves as well. And if things go their way, a lot more people will become very familiar with these two artistically able artists.
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