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WHO When the Cool Kids posted the video for their hypnotic, BMX-boosting track, "Black Mags," on their MySpace page this fall, they were hoping to do for bikes what Lupe Fiasco's "Kick Push" did for skateboards. "Not everybody can relate to skateboarding, because it's hard to do," says the retro-rap duo's Chuck, 23, who broke his ankle doing skater tricks last year. "But everybody rides bikes." Since "Black Mags" debuted, the Cool Kids have gone from an underground sensation in their native Chicago to the hottest ticket at New York's CMJ festival, where they played with A-trak (Kanye West's DJ) and wowed Warner Music Group CEO Lyor Cohen. "He offered me a beer and was like, 'Good shit,' " says Mikey, 19. "It doesn't get much better."
SOUND From their rope chains to their spare, bass-heavy beats, Chuck and Mikey bring a knowing wink to the style of Eighties heroes like Eric B and EPMD. Their anthem, "88," cops a mantra from Nas' "Made You Look": "Do the Smurf, do the wop, baseball bat/Rooftop like I'm bringin' '88 back." And yet on singles like "I Rock" and "Black Mags," the duo sounds effortlessly of-the-moment, earning its boast of being "the black Beastie Boys."
KEY TRACK "Black Mags" A retro-electro beat backs the duo's slick boasts about BMX bikes.
RAP FASHIONISTAS Chuck and Mikey have been lauded for their alt-B-boy fashion sense: brightly colored vinyl jackets, shell toes, hats and scarves. But Chuck was still flummoxed when a Chicago paper did a piece on them and their style. "The stuff I wear, I just wake up out of bed and put it on," he says. "Next thing you know, people are like, 'That's a cool sweater!' "