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| Hint: Have a band you'd like to see interviewed? Tell us. | | | Hi boys and girls. I interviewed the Cool Kids back when they rolled through Dartmouth. Then I promptly forgot to post it here. Luckily for you, I just remembered. Here goes (go here for an mp3):
Aight for the record can you say who you are and what you do?
Mikey – I’m Mikey Rocks.
Chuck – And I’m Chuck English.
Mikey – And we’re the Cool Kids. And we’re at… uh… where are we?
Chuck – We’re at Dartmouth College.
Mikey – Yea, we’re at Dartmouth College up here in New Hamster! Nah, New Hampshire. And what’s up?
So y’all were originally on A-Trak’s label, Fool’s Gold. What was that like?
Chuck – We walked into it and was just sittin’. And it looked better at that time due to where we were at in our career, but things started to move in a way that we figured that doing it on our own and setting our own rules was the best way to go, so we ended up with some label that was closer. And no knock to Fool’s Gold or A-Trak, but when your boss is touring DJ for Kanye West, it’ll be kinda hard to get your needs met and all that in a timely fashion. So we went for a Chicago based indie label that does a lot of really good music and understood our sound. We just went that route, but we definitely still support A-Trak and everything that he does and all the artists on that label. It was just a better look for us this way.
Would that be Chocolate Industries, your new label?
Chuck – Yea.
How long have you guys been with them?
Mikey – Uh, it’s been what? About a month now? Two months?
Chuck – Yea, a month, two months.
Do you have a feel for how that’s been for you so far?
Chuck – It’s been different as in we’re getting to work. Visually wise, they know where we’re comin’ from – they’re on top of it. They knew where we were comin’ from and besides being on top of us for doing stuff they don’t really question it. They let us be the Cool Kids.
That’s probably a pretty good idea. Do y’all have any comments about other artists you were on Fool’s Gold with or are now on Chocolate Industries with?
Mikey – We know all the fools on Fool’s Gold.
Chuck – We knew Kid Sister before anybody else knew Kid Sister.
I mean you lived with Flosstradamus, right?
Chuck – Yea, I lived with Flosstradamus.
Mikey – Yea, he used to live with them.
Chuck – It was cool. Originally the plan was for us to go in and work together, but when I moved in there they toured. They went on three big ass tours in that short ass time. That summer, I lived there like three months. And I saw them equally little for each of those three months. So it’s like we shared the same space, but musically we just never got around to it. When you live with guys that’s not in your band it’s hard to do that. When they came home from tour I didn’t wanna bother them and shit. We was just buddies and roommates. It was cool though – it was a good experience.
Flosstradamus told me to look at y’all and Kid Sis when I talked to them back last year. Who do you have to recommend?
Chuck – Gotta keep on shinin’ light on everyone, ya know?
Mikey – Yea, everybody around us is doin’ their thing well. Hollywood Holt, Million Dollar Mano, ya know?
Chuck – Got Willie Joy.
Mikey – Oh yea, and Mike Turet too, man! Really good emcee – he’ll be poppin’ up pretty soon.
What’s it feel like to be a big name in a scene that’s really blowing up?
Mikey – We always just kinda thought we were on our own shit a lil’ bit. We weren’t ever really workin’ with other people like that. Like everybody’s friends first. Everybody doesn’t always go and record songs together and make beats for each other, and it just so happens that everybody’s doing their thing at the same time like that. So it’s more or less just that everybody’s in the same circle more or less, but it’s not that he’s pushin’ him to get there and he’s pushin’ another dude up to get there. Everybody’s been pretty sufficient on their own, but everybody’s just friends and willing to work together and shout each other out and shit. I guess that’s what’s been pushing this scene so much.
It seems like y’all blew up mad fast. I’d heard tracks and liked ‘em, and next thing I know I’m seeing Pitchfork sayin, “Cool Kids – they’re hot. Don’t even worry about it.”
Mikey – [Laughing] Yea man, don’t even worry bout it!
So was there a point where one night you were the Cool Kids and the next night you were the hugely hyped Cool Kids? Like was there a noticeable blow up moment?
Mikey – Nah, it was pretty gradual. When we first started working together we kinda sat down and made some goals – made a couple goals. And down the line we were hittin’ every single one of our goals that we wanted and it just so happened that we overshot a couple of goals that we set. But for the most part we kinda like planned everything out a lil’ bit and just went by that plan and stuck by it. So it wasn’t like a huge overnight surprise explosion or anything like that. It was just things picking up, but sometimes it picked up more speed than we’d thought it would. But it definitely wasn’t anything all of a sudden with a bang.
You’ve been on your first tour, and you’re running around with M.I.A. and Diplo. Or is it Low-Bee? How’s that been?
Chuck – It’s Low-Bee, man.
Mikey – It’s been dope, man. Everybody in that whole camp is just chill as fuck. They mad funny and it’s gonna be… I mean I’m gonna miss them after the tour. Like, I feel like we all became good friends and stuff, man. They’re real easy to work with, and she makes sure you’re taken care of and stuff like that. So it’s just been a dope experience, especially for our first tour. Couldn’t really ask for anything more than that.
And you’ve got an E.P. in January dropping on Chocolate Industries?
Chuck – Yea, that’s done.
And are y’all happy with it?
Chuck – Yea, I think it’ll be a nice slap in the face to everybody. I dunno what people think it’ll be like, what they expect. But I think it’s just like our polished demo that were ready to pop out. And then we’re gonna start new and smash out this new album and schedule more tours late summertime.
Is there a title in mind for that L.P.?
Chuck – Nope, there’s no title for that. Boy, as soon as we get home we’re gonna be getting on that.
Mikey – Everythings gonna be more amazing than what’s out.
Everything’s gonna be more amazing than “Black Mags?”
Mikey – Yes!
Chuck– Our whole goal is to just top everything we’ve done before.
Mikey – That shit’s easy. I feel like “Black Mags” was just some cool bullshit.
Fair enough. And finally, will the full-length sport any songs we’ve heard before?
Chuck – Nah.
Mikey – We haven’t even heard that yet. We haven’t even started.
Chuck – All we know is we’re gonna start writing as soon as we get home.
Aight, thanks for y’all’s time.
Chuck – Yea man. Good talkin’.
Mikey – Yea, yea. Let’s be out. |
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Displaying posts 1 - 7 of 7. |
11:49 PM on 01/10/08 | This is my favorite rap duo at the moment | | |
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12:02 AM on 01/11/08 | Just asking, but how many other rap duos are out there?
I'm still pissed that I lost all of the Cool Kids shit I had last summer. Such good shit. | | |
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09:05 AM on 01/11/08 | I've pretty much retired already. | | |
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04:15 AM on 01/12/08 | This is my favorite rap duo at the moment |
Good news. They're dope. I just got this interview through a mutual friend. Check Panda Toes (my blog) for an explanation of this interview).
Just asking, but how many other rap duos are out there?
I'm still pissed that I lost all of the Cool Kids shit I had last summer. Such good shit. |
There are a good number of rap duos, but most aren't advertised as such.
They have an E.P. coming out soon, so that'll be good. | | |
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08:09 AM on 01/12/08 | Don't start no shit wont be no shit I'm really excited for some new songs | | |
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