The Cool Kids put a fresh spin on old school hip-hop

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After a mediocre performance by Muja Messiah and a stellar set by Digitata, the Cool Kids took over the crowd just as they should, looking smooth and sounding like butter. The bass rattled from ears to shoelaces as Mikey and Chuck rocked the mic wearing their flat brimmed hats slightly to the side and steppin' in their smudge-free Puma sneaks. Their earlobes glitzed and their gold chains hung low over their black and graphically induced T's. Samarah, of local band Black Blondie instructed the only-somewhat fashion conscious crowd to "loosen up" and show these boys "what Minneapolis is all about." Everyone from the dude in the skeleton shirt, the guy with the popped collar and the girl with the sequined-cami all danced with hands high as best they could at 12:30 on a Sunday night. Luckily there were free energy drink samples on-site, which I should've stashed in my fanny pack for work in the morning. Foundation's stage is separated from the crowd by a high bar railing, which Chuck said made him feel like he was "in a cage." Fans danced through the chest-high bars without much notice, chanting along to songs most have only been able to hear on MySpace. The vocals were a bit muddled, but choruses on crowd favorites rang true, inspiring sing-alongs like "because I floss so hard" and "a little gold on the pager," which in any other setting, would confuse most anyone over 26. Chuck did the majority of the talking between songs, promising to give out his pager number after the show and dissing the authorities. "How do you feel about the police?" Chuck asked the room, getting boos and hisses in response. Blotting his forehead with his plaid handkerchief, Chuck explained that on his way to Minneapolis yesterday he received his first-ever speeding ticket for going five miles over the limit. Being that we were all underground, the show felt old-school authentic and when the Kids said they were going to bring us back to 1988, I almost had trouble recalling the current year. As close to a time machine as possible, these Chicago guys are bring hip-hop back full circle to its humble roots, rapping about what real people know, like bikes and wanting to be hip, versus the 50 cent lifestyles most of us can't imagine.

Critic's Notebook

Personal Bias: I wore way more neon than anyone else in the place.

Random Detail: Searching for The Cool Kids online will result in "fun" science projects and lots of people who are so not cool at all.

By the way: One of the groupies on stage had TP stuck to her stiletto heel during the first half of the set.