The Cool Kids

The Cool Kids are an American hip-hop duo formed in 2005 through a MySpace connection between Chicago rapper Antoine «Sir Michael Rocks» Reed and Detroit producer-rapper Evan «Chuck Inglish» Ingersoll. They emerged as a reaction against the autotune-heavy, maximalist mainstream rap of the late 2000s, offering instead laid-back flows over sparse, minimalist beats that drew heavily on old-school 1980s hip-hop aesthetics — bicycles, gold chains, and BMX culture became recurring visual and lyrical motifs.

Their breakthrough came with the 2007 mixtape Totally Flossed Out, self-released on MySpace, which caught the attention of Diplo and A-Trak. This led to a deal with Chocolate Industries and their debut album The Bake Sale in 2008, featuring standout tracks like «Black Mags» and «88». The duo built a devoted following through singles such as «A Little Bit Cooler» and «Gold and a Pager», becoming influential figures in the blog-rap era alongside acts they inspired stylistically.

Despite ongoing label friction, they released fan-favorite mixtapes Gone Fishing (2009) and Tacklebox (2010) before their long-delayed sophomore album When Fish Ride Bicycles finally arrived in 2011. Afterward the group effectively went on hiatus as Sir Michael Rocks signed to Curren$y's Jet Life Recordings, though Chuck Inglish announced a reunion push in 2016, keeping their legacy as minimalist-rap pioneers alive.