There was a time when you wouldn't use the words "indie" and "hip-hop" in the same breath, but thanks to the recent rise of talents like M.I.A. and Lady Sovereign, it's a concept that's quickly becoming more commonplace. Which is where Illinois duo, the Cool Kids, a.k.a. Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, come blazing into the picture. With a debut EP, The Bake Sale, due out on May 20th, and their first full-length album, When Fish Ride Bicycles, scheduled to drop this fall, this formerly under the radar band is setting the hip-hop world on fire and bringing rap to the hipster set—which is no small feat.

And to think, we have MySpace to thank for their connection. Rocks and Inglish met on the social networking site and decided to collaborate on production for a few tracks. When Rocks rapped off lyrics during a recording session, they realized that they could lay down the beats and do vocals, too—and so a new era in Chicago hip-hop music was born: "One day we just met up—I came over to his house with some CDs, and that's all she wrote. We were both, like, searching for each other without searching for each other." Sounds kind of like an eHarmony ad.

And it's this kind of feel-good togetherness that the genre-defying duo has brought to the Windy City scene. "That is probably the biggest accomplishment we could've done," Inglish has said, "to take people that wouldn't necessarily have been at a hip-hop show and they'll enjoy it, not just watch." His other half concurs: "If it's good, it's good. That's all anybody should aim for. If you make good sh*t, people will listen. They can't deny something that sounds good."

Haven't seen them live yet? The hip hoppers are playing a student-only event with local favorites Treaty of Paris and Flosstradamus at the Conaway Center at Columbia College at 7 p.m. tomorrow night. If you're feeling crafty, we're sure there's a way to get in!

- Caroline Stanley

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Similar Topics:Hip Hop, live show

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