16 years after De La Soul’s determination to be true to themselves skyrocketed them to hip-hop stardom, their legacy made way for history to repeat itself when two kids going by the names Chuck Inglish and Sir Michael Rocks met through MySpace, dug each other’s vibe and flow, and rapped happily ever after.
Together, they formed the ironically named Cool Kids, and started channeling all their awkward Black kid energy into making music together. They released that music back to MySpace, remained independent for over a decade holding true to their own creative vision and gaining a dedicated underground following, until one day, a couple of little corporations named Marvel and Netflix came calling to tap one of the pair’s songs for a new show called “Iron Fist.”
That song—a Cool Kids’ fan favorite for its alt-Black kid subject matter—was “Black Mags.”
If you don’t understand a word of it, it’s not for you. And they’re OK with that.
“Black Mags” is Chuck & Mikey’s love letter to their bikes, and a laundry list of the dope gear they’ve put on them. (Dyno is the bike brand and mags are, naturally, huge rims.)
While the other dudes in the hood (and hip-hop) dump money into cars, the Cool Kids are literally picking up women on their bikes, and drive their point home when the women themselves lip-sync the song’s hook and spoken dialogue. It’s classic.
Toss in a few subtle gems like funny little animations that accompany Chuck & Mikey along their bike ride, plus a shout out to REAL African-American bike crews Murder Club and the Dope Pedal Riders, and it’s clear that the Cool Kids make music for themselves.
And if you like it? That’s cool too.