The Cool Kids - Before Shit Got Weird (Album)

For months, we got to see the triumphant return of the legendary duo, The Cool Kids, beginning with back-to-back singles promoting their upcoming album, “Before Shit Got Weird.” It would be the first part of a three-project rollout to awaken the star-studded pair back to the limelight they once roamed together in & bring back some of the dopeness we’ve been missing out in music lately. They’ve done well on the solo tip for years with combative art in production & projects but to see them back in a collaborative state warms the hip-hop in my soul, which I, for one, was highly hyped to start my weekend blaring this album at ignorant levels in the concrete jungles of San Antonio, TX. Just like many fans, we saw them post comical memes & post about the feedback they endured over the weekend & while many of my media peers promoted them in their signature manner, I couldn’t wait to make my contribution to blogging by talking about an album that needs no introduction but a red carpet to accompany back their arrival together in hip-hop. 

To start the album, they get “In The Mix” right out the gate by providing that ethereal sound on a production where both Mikey & Chuck float on the record like they're the second coming of our lord & savior. Series of wit & audacious rhyme schemes are so fluid in this first track you can only imagine what the rest has in store. “Horizon Island” is that magnitude drop that Chuck is known to cook up in these albums; not losing one inch of charisma, he adds Gabby! to build on the traction that Mikey is serving nicely on. It was one of my favorite tracks to come back to during my second & third playthroughs, which I’m sure will be a continuous method on my next couple of playthroughs. The thriving nature of how “Scam Likely” & “Pick Up On-Line 6” sits right next to each other on the album is something special; both records remind you of the times “When Fish Ride Bicycles” when you “Gone Out Fishing” & kept the “Tacklebox” close to you on the road to your destination. A classic trip down memory lane on how both these tracks pick up familiar sounds that were used to hearing & shift them to a new signature feeling. You can go on to records like “Dapper Dan Leather,” “Strictly Business,” & “Lightwerk” to hear the new wave of the synths & drums carrying over with these immense emotions. Without a step-off key, Chuck & Mikey complete wordplays & wit in a combination spree throughout each track. They are not trying to outshine one another but picking off each other’s essence, which made them flourish on wax for all these years. They don’t do the duo thing to show who’s better; they know once they form like Voltron, it’s over for any competition to ever outdo their work. The last three tracks are something incredible, “Triumph”pt. 2 with Pac Div was the holy grail for me to encounter during my listening experience since these two musical giants are the reason why I even wanted to blog in the first place. I dreamt of days to get the opportunity to write about them, and here I am now. The record is full of catchiness & vibrato with surprises, especially having Don Cannon talk his shit while both combative collaborators take turns spitting that hot fiya on record. Indeed a welcome back to the blogging era continues with the next single featuring Chance The Rapper. He came some years after The Cool Kids but did his generation justice creating three mixtapes to change the narrative for the better for future artists. Chuck & Beat Butcha make this laid-back beat tough for the record to have each artist stew over with lethal line after line. It’s a track I would love to see a visual to in the future for sure. The outro record is the loudest in volume & a fast-paced bop on the album, which is now my new theme song to enter a building to. “Warm Handshake” to thank the duo for doing what they do; the album is full of records with an insane replay value in them, and seeing the masses treat it with such support, we know that it will surely see dedicated listens and plays throughout the year. 

I’m hoping to see the duo go out on tour with this album. I definitely would enjoy seeing these tracks in a live setting. They will be at this year's Smokers Club Festival, which I’m hoping after the festival performances they will add dates to visit next. Expect to see The Cool Kids in the forefronts this year and expect another two albums to surface in the future. Thank you, Mikey & Chuck, for everything you do and for gracing us fans with another splendid album to enjoy for many years to come.