The Cool Kids

So, I have these fond memories of when hip-hop was shiny & new to me. It was over 20 years ago when I first heard the likes of Run DMC, Eazy-E, NWA, The Fresh Prince, etc.... I have been an all-around lover of hip-hop ever since.

I have noticed over the years that a lot of artists try to jump on the latest bandwagon trend. Does anyone ever wonder why the Beastie Boys & Run DMC have the same rhyming style? Das Efx had their career somewhat taken from them by some who wanted to imitate their style. Once that happened they felt they couldn't keep doing it because everyone else was doing it. The trend of crack-rap that was started by Raekwon of Wu-Tang and Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G. & later followed up by the likes of 50 Cent, Lil Wayne & every other rapper from the last 15 years would lead me to believe that everyone is either selling crack or they are all just copying because it is a commercial success. We all know money talks. In the rap industry it speaks louder than most because it is so publicized.

Those are the things that make a group like Chicago's Cool Kids so great. They are bucking the trend full on. They are making great music and getting some great publicity out of it. They are doing something completely out of the norm, though... They make music that is new & creative instead of the next platinum guaranteed album. This is an album that has the feel and the flavor of a late 80's classic. The production feels vintage with a pinch of a Pharrell or a hyphy feel to them. Super bass heavy and funky.

The rhymes are just as good. You can tell these guys have no one to impress but themselves and they seem to enjoy making the music, which I can't say about too many artists. They brag about playing Sega Genesis for heaven's sake! From the starter "What Up Man" and it's slow but somewhat hypnotic flow, the album flows perfectly all the way through. My favorites are Black Mags (the ode to bicycle wheels), 88 (like a throwback to when I first started listening), Gold & a Pager (dope Ice Cube sample on the hook), & Jingling (the use LL Cool J's Jingling Baby is exquisite).

This is the breath of fresh air that I need every once in a while. By no means are the Cool Kids doing something completely original, but they execute with perfection. As stated earlier, it sounds like an 80's throwback with a little 00's flavor. They are definitely paying homage to artists of a past era, but they have harnessed their own style to go along with it.

90 out of 100 for me.

Black Mags

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b34U3-CutuU]

Rza

15 years ago (I feel REAL old right now) I remember playing the first Wu-Tang album and being blown away. This album had changed the way hip-hop was made and left an indelible mark on my brain. This will always bring back great memories. After that, the whole clan just up and saturated the whole industry with classic release after classic release.

My first thoughts on the new Rza album was why in the world would he try to follow up a dud like Digital Bullet? The first Bobby Digital album was classic, but the second had absolutely no appeal to me whatsoever. I will confess to being a huge Wu Tang fan up until "W" came out, but they seemed like they had lost the drive and like most men forgot to ask directions on how to find their way back. Digital Bullet fell into that category. It wasn't terrible, but like so many other albums it should have been better just with who was involved in making it.

The new album is great beat-wise. Maybe Rza was holding these beats off the last Wu album & that pissed them all off (long story). Or maybe he was inspired by the racket the whole clan made and decided to come with the classic beats I knew he could make. While 8 Diagrams wasn't terrible, it was a really mellow and somewhat somber sounding album. I don't think it was as bad as everyone said, but it's not Enter the 36....then again , what is???

There are guest appearances to boot, but no one outshines the Rza. Every once in a while he decides to mess with his vocals so you can't even tell it is him rapping, but overall the theme of the album is more straight-forward. The guests don't feel like they bog down the album, instead it gives it a more well rounded feel. The Bobby Digital albums have always been almost a compilation the extended Wu family.

Highlights of the album definitely include "You Can't Stop Me Now" which sounds like classic Wu. "Good Night" is dirty but not typical at all. The metaphors are unique and explicit and in your face, but I couldn't turn it off and even rewound it a few times. The David Banner produced "Straight Up The Block" teamed with those syrupy Rza vocals work surprisingly well together, one of my favorites on the album. "Love is Digi II" pretty much sums up what Bobby Digital was all about on the first album. It was more of a pimp strut for someone like the Rza who had always been so grimy before.

The only thing that weighs this album down is the overuse of some of the R&B hooks on the chorus, but the album is good enough to look past all that.

Overall I give it 75 out of 100 Metacritic style. One of the better Wu Tang albums of the past 5 years or so. Give it a spin. See how you like it.




AND A CLASSIC!!!