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I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop and I review even less, but I'm so stoked on the Cool Kids I'm willing to ignore some of their questionable collaborations (Lil Wayne? *groan*) and focus primarily on their latest release, The Bake Sale, for what it is -- unabashedly and outrageously fun, intensely clever and remarkably intelligent -- you know, for party rap.

Just because the beats are minimalistic doesn't mean they can't be fun as hell. Take opener "What Up Man" for example, a song that utilizes samples of bass, ticks and claps in word form. Seriously, instead of real bass, ticks and claps it's just a loop of some dude(s) saying the word in its place, like some sort of literal beatboxing. "One Two" has a backwards beat reminiscent of "Paul Revere" and a slow, methodical rapping style that's strangely soothing, even if it's just some dude rhyming about how awesome he is. "88" sounds like something Rick Rubin would've produced in well, `88. "What It Is" and its industrialized drum beat remind me an awful lot of Paul's Boutique. Lofty comparisons for sure, but my uninformed ass thinks they're warranted. And the band's homage to BMX, "Black Mags" is pretty fun:

White Mag rims, red rubber tires/
Chain, frame, pegs, grips, ship to my supplier/
Dope man attire, gimme 'bout an hour/
And I'll have it clicking, ticking, gliding, flying like McGuyver
Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish aren't the most talented MCs -- and their mid-tempo styles are so similar it's often difficult to tell them apart -- but they do well enough and many of their rhymes are snarky, clever and obscurely referential, if a bit self-indulgent. Not everyone will get the Street Fighter and Men Without Hats references, but it's fun for those who do and probably hardly distracting for those who don't. The beats are the real stars here -- distinctive enough to reel in casual fans but, uh, bumpin' enough that these songs wouldn't sound out of place in a nightclub.

The Bake Sale is officially classified as an EP, but at ten songs and a 32-minute run-time it feels more like a full-length, and a perfectly sized full-length at that. This is a rare record that everyone at the party can enjoy -- even people with jaded, narrow views of hip-hop like me.






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    Posted by Make_Way on 2008-07-15 23:54:33

    Would this be any similar to the Clipse, with the simplistic beats and mid-tempo rhyming? I have to say I am interested in this release.

    Posted by CBSrocksteady on 2008-07-15 20:30:59

    these guys own all that is hip-hop. the sickest. not only the best beats, but some of the best rhymes as well.

    Posted by williamhowardtaft on 2008-07-15 17:10:14
    My Score:

    can't wait to get this.

    scores for me being able to listen to more than one song by these dudes now.

    Posted by usversusthem on 2008-07-15 15:38:32
    My Score:

    Big fan of this album. Fun listen start to finish, and 88, Black Mags and Gold and a Pager are all pretty standout. Looking forward to see what they do next...

    Posted by JonDaley on 2008-07-15 14:44:04

    I started getting back into hip hop again recently and sounds like it might be a fun listen. I used to be a huge hip hop head but I could no longer support the materialistic, sexist and homophobic stances that exist even in the underground. Del and Common are two of the few I don't really have a problem with. I understand in theory the cultural context from which those backward views come from but still can't support it.

    Posted by douglas_is_rad on 2008-07-15 14:42:49
    My Score:

    I felt like The Bake Sale was a little over-produced. You should listen to some of their tracks in raw Mix-Tape form, just search the internet for the "instant classics mix-tape". There are only like 3 news songs on The Bake Sale EP. They also just dropped a new mix-tape called "That's Stupid" which includes a sick new track called Oscar The Grouch. Again, make with the searching.

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