While Tacklebox, a recent Cool Kids mixtape burns up the net this summer, both Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish are still working on their new album that has been nearly two years in the making. Since releasing a series of fishing themed mixtapes with Don Cannon and now the L.A. Leakers, this Chicago duo has kept the interest of fans, despite label issues that would sideline any rapper. But now after learning the game and what it takes to make it in the industry, touring worldwide in support of their previous records and fighting with their record label for year the past two years, Chuck and Mickey are ready to make their current situation work and to reach their goals. Take a look at this sit down between AllHipHop.com and The Cool Kids and how their legacy is poised for progression and ascendance from the ashes of a lawsuit that nearly forced the group to change their name. AllHipHop.com: One of the main things we wanted to talk to you about was this Tacklebox project that’s following up all of these Cannon mixtapes.Chuck Inglish: Well you know I met DJ Sour Milk a while back when I did a show out in L.A. back at the beginning of ’08, maybe it was the end of ’07 or some type s**t. But, we became cool and we always kept in touch and we knew his friend Mando from Power 106.  They were just cool dudes and they had the late night Hip-Hop show, I was just feeling him.Then around the time when we were doing all the DJ Cannon mixtapes, Sour Milk was saying we should put out a mixtape, like an L.A. Leakers one.   This time we were really trying to come back and establish what we started.  We weren’t bulls**tting, we weren’t taking any breaks, we were just in a bulls**t ass situation with our old label from the last two years and with our old label and this really drawn out lawsuit, and that’s s**t has just been putting a damper on s**t.  That’s really why we have been taking time and releasing new songs for mixtapes.  Its not like we are bulls**tting, its just that this is one of the only ways we can connect with the fans. We got ideas, its just like everything we try to do gets stopped. AllHipHop.com:  Tacklebox seems to have more of a laid back feel, kind just with the beats and all that. You know?Chuck Inglish:  Yea it’s more like mood music, kind of like how we feel right now.  The album is kind of more like…. I don’t want to say we mad, but it’s kind of like. (Pause)…. But it’s like…. n***a y’all know what’s up.  You know what I’m saying? We not really trying to say anything like, “people forget about y’all,” or “everyone took our s**t.” Its cool y’all can have that s**t.  I’m not even making that anymore.  We are trying to do what hasn’t been thought of yet. When we sit back and chip away at a song and we can sit back and listen to it we are like, “we bout to f**k n***as up with this.” That’s the best part of it.  And I know for a fact that we took it there.  Know I don’t even know how we are bout to do the second album because we took…like….. the best s**t we could possibly think of and thought of and put it on this record.AllHipHop.com:  There is a quote on the Internet in the Chicago Tribune that says you are the self described “Black Beastie Boys.”  Can you just talk about that and why you guys would say that or maybe how they influenced you?Chuck Inglish:  I mean it was a line Mikey dropped in a song. And it was just like; I guess that was just our calling card.  That’s just how we felt when we first started.  We really wasn’t here to get people to like us.  We were just like, “f**k y’all.” But we wasn’t gonna tell you that.  We just gonna make y’all nod your head and party, you know what I’m saying? We were in a scene when we came out, where there was no real rap. You know what I’m saying? We would come out, you know what I’m saying, with our lil’ stripped down beat, EPMD-esque routine that we had, when we first started out at punk rock shows.  We was just like, “f**k it, if we can make them like it then we can make everyone like it.”AllHipHop.com:  So there has been some talk about changing the name of the group, due to some of the label issues.  Can you talk about that?Chuck Inglish:  At the time we were just frustrated with s**t, but it was a good idea under the Print Act, it seems like it could get us out of the deal, on the name. We were willing to part ways with the name, but the way we felt it wouldn’t have mattered what we changed our name to.  It wasn’t like we don’t respect what we started under that name and the reputation that the name has.   Its not like we were desperate, but just fed up, and its just like in our attempts to try and avoid the major label bulls**t and just bad paperwork and its always like someone that thinks they are slick. And they always catch you slipping.  It just a bad look, just a bad look.  I don’t know how else to put it. Hopefully one day we will look back and think that one-day it was for a reason. But this has just put us through all types of s**t.  It kind of just made me and him more connected, on the level of what we need to do. It didn’t draw no tension, it made our minds work a little bit harder, and kind of realize that less is more in a time when everything is so instant.AllHipHop.com:  I heard you mentioned that you might do a potential box set, for this theme you guys have going on now.Chuck Inglish:  Yea man a lot of this s**t is related and it’s not for no reason.  People are simple as f**k sometimes.  They are like, “Why do you have ‘Gone Fishing’, now ‘Tacklebox’?“  You want to always be able to maximize whatever you do and give it to people so that people want to pay for it.  Don’t nobody give a f**k about a CD.  But it doesn’t mean that they wont buy music. There’s iPads now, iPhones, people can video chat.  This is the real future.  People are stupid sometimes and everyone is comfortable as f**k.  When that s**t hits there’s going to be so many unprepared people.  I’m not trying to live in the old day and think about how good it was when I was young, when I can make today good.

In part two of AllHipHop.com’s cross examination of Chicago’s Cool Kids, Mikey Rocks tells us about what it was like going through the label trouble over the past few years and the excitement he has for his upcoming project. AllHipHop.com:  Chuck was telling me about how you guys have been just putting out mixtapes because you guys got caught up in a little bit of label trouble. Can you talk about the situation from your perspective?Mikey Rocks: Yea we were some younger cats. I would say ’07.  We were 18 or 19, excited about the music and someone was talking about furthering the music and helping us build and someone decided to take advantage of our excitement and us being kids and good hearted dudes trusting that someone would do right by you… especially if you are friends. But we got into a little independent label situation where a lot of money was stolen from us and we don’t want to put out anything to sell or the dude is going to make money off the earnings. We are just trying to finish out this legal situation and show our fans how we are progressing. That situation should all be over soon though.  I don’t know what some of the cats are going to do out here but its all a go for us man. I’m just waiting.AllHipHop.com:  As much as that sucks it is still kind of like good music sometimes comes through adversity and maybe or at least hopefully in the long run you can look back and say that it was in some ways positive. Mikey Rocks: I think that we definitely had to up our skill at a faster pace because we got to fight this s**t and put out the best stuff we can at least at this time.  And we had to up our skills at a faster pace because we don’t get to stay afloat with the big pub and magazine features and all that s**t.  That s**t comes with an album, and they don’t really f**k with you unless you put out an LP.  We just putting out mixtapes and stuff and we just got to trump the competition and try to sound as good as we can as quick as we can while we wait for the legal situation to be over. It kept us from getting into anything that was dumber than this and signed to a major label that would have gave us the shaft harder. So I guess everything happens for a reason. AllHipHop.com:  Can you talk about how you guys work collectively and how this project is coming together?Mikey Rocks:  Well with this album, we were allowed to use more instruments, different studios and it was just us in a college apartment f**king around in the closet with a microphone. With this we have been able to expand and to add more instruments and dimensions to the music.  Using more equipment and we are not limited by the outreach. I think this will be a lot deeper and more colorful than the last joint.AllHipHop.com:  I know you guys are really using some crazy instruments, tell me about some of the instruments and keyboards you guys are using for this project.Mikey Rocks: Man its live trumpet dudes, who we have play and then we sample how we want to chop it.  Old synthesizers and leads and moog voicers, and stupid s**t that you don’t ever see. Using different studios and sounds there is so much that we are trying to experiment with this time. Different vocalists and its just a lot more fun this time. AllHipHop.com:  Anything else you can tell me about this upcoming album?  Any features or unexpected surprises?Mikey Rocks:  Ah man, we definitely got some of the homies on this one.  I don’t know if Chuck gave any names, so I don’t want to say anything man. (Laughs) Man, we trying to keep this little mystique going on, but its not us alone this time. You gonna see some of our homies on there. AllHipHop.com:  Y’all got Bun B on there?Mikey Rocks:  Aye man I don’t want to give it away, he might be on there (laughs). There’s definitely some features on there to get people excited and I am definitely excited about whose on there.  Can’t say too much though man. AllHipHop.com: Haha, well then tell me more about Tacklebox.Mikey Rocks:  Yea man it’s just a mixtape that we wanted to put out for the summertime. We just threw them on there to get people hype and we got some of the older joints that we throw on there and its been getting a pretty good response.  It might have been some conformed haters that might have started to join our side.We are trying to get to the point where the music is undeniable.   We want to get to the point were you cant deny us man.  We just wanted to make Tacklebox so we can convert a few haters over and have everybody aware of where we are at. I think we are gonna slap the people in face with this project.  I am usually a pessimistic dude, but I am excited about this one and I think it’s going to be good.