EP Review: The Cool Kids – The Bake Sale

By Chris Mills | May 27, 2008 at 4:30 am | No comments | Uncategorized

The Cool Kids
The Bake Sale
Chocolate Industries/C.A.K.E. Recordings
Chris Mills
Demencha

When Kurtis Blow became the first rapper signed to a major deal nearly 30 years ago, many dismissed the New York style as a fad. Battling these same suspicions in 2008 are Chicago’s, The Cool Kids, acclaimed poster-boys for the hipster rap style that‘s become a kind of guilty pleasure for some, but a target of criticism for others. Their debut EP, The Bake Sale, is their pledge of allegiance to all things cool and retro, such as playing Sega Genesis, wearing tight pants, etc. But much of the album is directed at the haterade-sipping, hip hop elitists, with directions on how they can get on The Cool Kids‘ level. Take this choice line from “Mikey Rocks”: Sayonara to afros and old flows/ The concept of rockin’ shows is so old/ Just keep ‘em off the wall like Vans logos. While there’s a non-violent, floating party vibe on the EP, the beats go super hard, ideal for cruising or freestyling over…or both at the same time (get at me if you have the instrumental version of this record). And what else would you expect from some guys who claimed that the most influential mark made on their own music was Masta Ace’s “Born To Roll”? Whether or not The Cool Kids and their hipster following will be forgotten by 2010 is still up in the air. What I do know is, and I hate using this term, but, hip hop’s own “real” fans should be the last one’s decrying an emerging hip hop derivative as a fad, if history has taught us anything.