On Friday, Feb. 17, the rap duo known as The Cool Kids will hit the stage at Summit Music Hall in Denver — a concert that would have never been if members Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish did not decide to reunite. They will follow opening acts by fellow rap duo The Reminders and Toronto’s River Tiber.
With this much talent on one stage, Red Bull plans to start its Sound Select program off with a bang. Sound Select is a development program that curates the local and mainstream music scene to create unique shows throughout the Denver area. The Cool Kids are the first featured show of the series in 2017 and will set the stage for the whole year.
The Cool Kids began when Chuck Inglish from Michigan and Sir Michael Rocks from Chicago collaborated in high school using the magic of MySpace in 2005. During these early days, the duo performed and worked with electronic music artists such as Flosstradamus, Diplo and A-Trak to get their music released. Eventually, the two rappers were signed to the independent music label Chocolate Industries. Before the two went their separate ways in 2011, The Cool Kids had many features in various media such as HBO’s Entourage, NBA 2K08 and Mountain Dew commercials. Since July of last year, The Cool Kids have reunited and are now ready to show Denver what they have forgotten since 2011. Inglish’s strong and versatile production packaged with tight lyrics by himself and Rocks is sure to bring enough hype to go around.
River Tiber’s steady and addicting style of production began as a child when he learned cello, drums, trombone and guitar. After graduating from college, Tiber ventured into the world of hip-hop, producing beats for the likes of Travi$ Scott and Ghostface Killa. He has since honed his talents and delivers deep, down-tempo and patient heartfelt lyrics. He has worked with talents such as Kaytranada and Pusha-T. Currently on tour with D.R.A.M., Tiber will drop in on the Summit Music Hall to give hip-hop heads a taste of his mellow, yet rich, style of music before passing it off to The Cool Kids later that night.
Brussels-born Big Samir and Queens-native Aja Black are a hip-hop power couple whose chemistry oozes from every track they make. The two artists make up the duo The Reminders, which released Recollect in 2008 — a record that showcased their soulful and positive lyrics paired with a reggae flavor that works so naturally for the couple. The Reminders are currently based out of Colorado Springs and showcase Denver in music videos such as “If You Don’t Know” and “You Can Count on Me.” The group delivers an international flavor to their music and have come together in a powerful combination of soul, positivity and hip-hop. They have been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series and have performed with rap legends such as KRS-One, Snoop Dogg and Mos Def.
The Summit Music Hall will be the place to be Friday. With a versatile line of artists set to perform, Red Bull plans on presenting an authentic hip-hop showcase that is sure to leave us counting down the days until the next Sound Select promotion.
Contact CU Independent Arts Writer Alvaro Sanchez at alvaro.sanchez@colorado.edu.
