Cool Kids cold reppin’ realness with a glance to the past

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Cool Kids cold reppin’ realness with a glance to the past

Words Danna Hawley

Lost in a sea of New Era hats, Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks stood tall at Shoreditch’s Cordy House in February. The packed room rapped along to their fresh-to-death flows, hundreds queued in the rain outside, and girls screamed “CHUCK!” and “Mikeeey!” like it was a Backstreet Boys concert.

Mind Blowing

The Cool Kids’ London takeover was indisputable, and it seems they’re taking one city at a time. “People who don’t even speak English recite the words at our shows when we are in foreign countries,” says Mikey. “Blows our minds every time!”

A week and two shows earlier, Fabric’s stage erupted with their scorching basslines, easy swagger and fly attire, yet they remained humble afterwards: “The energy was sick, sound was amazing, but Craze and Klever KILLED it - big shout out to them.”

Backstage, Rich Parry, manager extraordinaire and Chuck’s former roommate/workmate, described Chicago’s blossoming scene, an organically shaped connect-the-dots crew. Parry once lived next-door to a sassy girl named Melissa, who’d often come over and drink beers on his porch. She’s now known as Kid Sister, the (indeed younger) sister of Josh Young (one half of genre-smashing duo Flosstradamus), who, it turns out, also worked with Parry at some point. Almost three years ago, the then-teenager Mikey buzzed into the equation via MySpace, where he’d been trading beats with Chuck. Though initially teaming as a beats duo, freestyling sessions in the studio led to Chuck and Mikey becoming both the next-level beatmakers and voices behind TCK. The last piece of the Cool puzzle, V.I.P.J., signed up as DJ after hearing tunes banging out of a friend’s roommate’s (Chuck’s) room. “We all dressed the same,” says P.J., “and we’ve always dressed like this.” The alliance seemed fated.

Sneak Preview

In a super-hyped blog-led world where style too often precedes substance, The Cool Kids unjustly get grouped with some of the guiltiest suspects. But TCK are endlessly reppin’ realness, carrying an aesthetic and attitude evocative of hip hop’s beginnings. Similar to how Houston rappers talk about what they know best - candy paint, pimps, syrup - The Cool Kids set daily life to a beat, describing how they kick it in Chicago. Think sneaks, caps, chains, bikes - as illustrated in their picturesque ‘Black Mags’ video. This homegrown authenticity is bound to spread further. “We’ve got ‘The Bake Sale’ EP on Chocolate Industries finally coming out in May, or June latest,” says Mikey, “and we should have a mixtape dropping soon, as well as a full-length album by next year.”

Front Line

After their show at Cordy House, we discussed their time in London and how “it was English - what was expected”. But really, what do The Cool Kids think is cool? Mikey shrugs. “Being original. People front way too much. Just be yourself.”