The Cool Kids

The Cool Kids is made up of Antoine “Sir Michael Rocks” Reed and Evan “Chuck Inglish” Ingersoll. It all started with an internet connection. Both members were posting their works-in-progress on Myspace. Both from Chicago, they met up and connected over a love for Outkast and Gorillaz. They’ve collaborated with Drake, Ludacris, Mac Miller, Lil Wayne and Maroon 5, among others.

The Cool Kids were members of the hip hop collective All City Chess, which was founded in 2010. Lupe Fiasco, founder, once described the collective as, “The kids who wouldn’t necessarily be the basketball team, they would probably be the Chess Club if we was in high school. And I was like ‘Yo, we all from different cities. We the All City Chess Club.”

Owen Bones stands out in a crowd of endlessly recursive DJs and producers — a 22-year-old presence defined by a stark-white skull. Unimpressed with the form and unfettered by the imagined boundaries of much of modern electronic music production, he’s set himself apart from a scene obsessed with maximalism by reducing his artistic elements to their most essential core components. The result is music that seethes intensity and bleeds light from the seams, free of the need to rely on trope or overplayed form to carry its weight. Largely existing as a digital entity, Owen’s physical form resides on Chicago’s west side and is seen locally from time to time.

Composed from undisclosed locations leagues beneath the waves, Owen Bones arrives with his debut album Dive Club, featuring lil aaron, The Cool Kids, Mothica, Saba, and Tunji Ige. The full-length listening experience is a half-hour journey into the depths of electronic production that eschews genre and form for statement and impact. Shades of hip hop, house music, pop structure, and experimental sounds blend in surprising harmony – controlled chaos as Owen Bones pilots into the depths.

Jahshua Smith’s wardrobe tells as much of a story as his music. Despite rocking the latest designer streetwear, he rarely leaves home without his wristband that sports the Pan-African flag. Smith’s conscious, sociopolitical lyrics about his experiences in Detroit hit just as hard as his fly, cocksure rhymes—and that balance has a platinum-selling producer, some of Michigan’s most respected rap names, and a league of blogs and fans behind him.

MikeyyAustin is a 20-year-old hip-hop/soul artist and musician from Lansing, Michigan. His sound is reminiscent of the Soulaquerian era, combining hip-hop, soul, and live instrumentation. His music tells the story of discovery of ones self, while dealing with culture, art, and community.

Mikeyy began performing at the age of 5 years old, singing and rapping at local churches, school shows, and talent shows. At the age of 12, Mikeyy fell in love with instrumentation, picking up piano, and self-teaching guitar at the age of 14. His ability to hear and create sounds distinguished him at a early age.
Now, along with his music projects, Mikeyy is known for his memorable live performances. Backed by his band, The Happy Medium, each show is very special.