The Cool Kids are... umm, cool?

"Did you know I made this beat with my mouth and a bell?" boasts Chuck Inglish on "What Up Man," the opening track of the Cool Kids' 2008 album The Bake Sale. And while that's not completely true (come on Chuck, we can hear that drum kit!), by the time he gets to that lyric, it's already become apparent that this is not the hip-hop you'd expect now, but 20 years prior... back in 1988. It's this retro style that have earned The Cool Kids praise and labels such as "hip" and "trendy." And it's justified. Not every song on The Bake Sale is going to feature someone creating beats by literally saying "tick," "clap," and "bass," but it's saturated with the types of beats you'd find on a Beastie Boys or Run DMC album. And it fits. Chuck and Cool Kid partner Mikey aren't rapping about how much money they have, how many girls they've been with, or how many criminal charges they've beaten. They rap about the trivial (going to the store) and banal (riding bikes). It's refreshing. And cool.