Da Return Of The Cool Kids

First things first, please introduce for me the members of The Cool Kids…

The Cool Kids are Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish.

Let’s hop right into this forthcoming triple album, BEFORE SHIT GOT WEIRD — Although pretty self explanatory, still tell me, conceptually, what this title represents both to and for you all?

CHUCK INGLISH: Before Shit Got Weird comes from a reflective moment I had back in 2018. I was trying to find the words for what our place was as a group, i.e. what encapsulated our sound, style and influence..and I just thought, “Wowww, we were the last cool thing to happen in music before shit got weird!” The irony of that title…post Covid, really gives it a storyline now.

Of course BEFORE SHIT GOT WEIRD is a collaborative effort with DeuxMetresCubes providing an interactive experience in the world that is Minecraft — Explain the concept…

CI: The Minecraft build was meant to show off our duality. That’s also what this album is. So to explore a world where you’re in our neighborhoods, and being able to interact with us within a meta-verse was just too cool of an idea for me.

The other 2/3 of the LP are solo turns; Chill Out & Baby Oil Staircase, from the both of y’all — Talk to me a little bit about these individual bodies or work…

CI: I wanted this album to be an experience of moods; in the spirit of a TV series. And there is 3 episodes. We have developed our own sounds as individuals over the past 10 years…I felt it’d be important to display that. While hearing what our sound together is on one album. Speakerboxxx / The Love Below is one of the more influential albums I’ve ever listened to. I had the idea, “What if Speakerboxxx / The Love Below had Stankonia with it?” So this is our version. I don’t want to give away too much, but that was the motivation.

Reflecting, tell me your whole inception into music — When did you all first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for THE COOL KIDS?

CI: For me, age 7…starting as a drummer in the church. That’s what led me to the path I’m on now. I knew the day I sat down on a drum set for the first time I wanted to make music. As far as The Cool Kids, I started making beats around 16 years old; that led me to taking it really serious in college. That’s what brought me and Mikey together, our beats.. Then once we realized we could rap…the rest was history.

Now where exactly do you all hail from? And growing up there, who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?

CI: I’m from Detroit, and my strongest musical influence was my uncle, Brian, and my Dad. Their love and immersion in really good music shaped me. They weren’t musicians, but the soundtrack to my youth is whatever they were listening to…which shaped how I hear and listen to music.

That said, how do you all classify your overall sound and / or style?

CI: I try not to…I just use classic ingredients to make new dishes. For example, early Electronic music like Krafwerk (and) Cybotron had the most futuristic sound, while being totally current for the time. That’s always my aim. I want people to travel when they listen to what I make. That’s the best way I can explain it

Longevity, what do you all attribute yours to?

Sir Michael Rocks: I believe the key to our longevity in the art world has been a combination of staying true to ourselves and staying interested in the things that inspire us. Not following EVERY new trend that emerges helps, too.

What do you all want people to get from your music?

SMR: At this point, I think it’s most important for us to make music that provides a feeling and a vibe. We want to make you feel good, we want you to feel like the coolest, we want you to laugh we want you to dance. If our music makes you do any of these things, we’ve done our job.

On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of Hip Hop music?

SMR: I’m happy with the state of Hip Hop, it’s not as segregated as it used to be. The “alternative” rappers are making music with the “street” rappers, the sexy female rappers are fans of nerd culture stuff now, Alchemist got nominated for a Grammy. Hip Hop is at the forefront of high fashion and popular media. I wish streaming services paid more for all of the traffic musicians bring to their platforms, but at least now the conversation for better streaming pay is out in the open so hopefully a solution is reached sooner than later.

Do you all have any other outside / additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?

SMR: I want to get better at designing clothing, I want to have my own brand of organic orange wine. I want to build custom furniture and animal enclosures that look like custom furniture. I’m really into homes and interior design.

To date, what has been your greatest career achievement(s), at least thus far anyway?

SMR: Developing a worldwide following of people that have love for us as musicians and just as people as well. I can go almost anywhere in the world and meet people that want to see me succeed and want to see me doing well. That type of reach really makes me proud of what we’re doing.

One track of yours that you think defines you all and why?

SMR: “Black Mags” defines us very well. It captured us in a raw essence with our genuine attitudes and energy ingrained into the song. Minimal, dark (and) fun, but hard hitting at the same time. I think that defines The Cool Kids to a T!

Finally, what’s next for The Cool Kids?

SMR: We are both really excited to get this new music out into the world. We are ready to start doing festivals again and seeing all of our people in person. More clothing coming, more comedy, more collabs! We are both working on some network television stuff as well, so obviously that’s exciting stuff for us.

Any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?

SMR: Just want to thank everyone that has been riding with us. We are happy, but still very HUNGRY! Rap has always been a sport to us, and we have been training like beasts over the past year. We are in a really good place and are way too excited to drop this triple album.