Anyone following the Cool Kids knows they had label troubles releasing their debut. But they got out of their "record label jail" and became "free agents" in latter 2010. The guys, Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish have since signed onto Mountain Dew's new label, Green Label Sound. Their debut album When Fish Ride Bicycles will be released via Green Label and Itunes this Spring, and the best part is, the Cool Kids get the entire profit. *Applause*
Pharrell Williams produced some hits off of the album, and also expect to hear the voices of Bun B and Asher Roth as collab-heads. The Cool Kids' first single, "Bundle Up," is above. Shiver with them for a month or so, the groundhog did not see its shadow, and that is what I am banking on. :)
In celebration of Black History Month, Atlantic brought a few of their "game changers" together, B.o.B., Lupe Fiasco, Estelle, and Janelle Monáe, to have a sit down chat with former Vibe Editor-In-Chief Danyel Smith. Part 1 above, Part 2 below, Part 3 coming soon.
At 6:38 P.M. at Union Square in NYC, a crowd of 100+ surrounded the hardened snowy steps in anticipation. The youth chatted with each other in groups of two’s and three’s and every five seconds, a few of them would look up in the sky—expecting something miraculous to happen.
Lupe Fiasco was the cause of all the hoopla. Tuesday he posted on his twitter, “i got a surprise for my nyc fans this thursday. #lasers secret location will announce soon! stay tuned...” He then tweeted it would go down at Union Square, NYC at 7PM. When 6:55 PM rolled around, Lupe tweeted “union square. 10 mins. #lasers” Everyone seemed to think he was going to show up. “He’s on that M-14!” said one kid, looking at the bus rolling by. “He’s gonna be on a blimp hanging off the side!” said the kid to my left. Randomly, many pointed up, thinking there would be a show of lights. Quarter after 7, Lupe tweeted for everyone to go to University Place and 14th street, where the festivities would begin.
Blocking the streets, followers of the Loser Laser movement ran across traffic and stood and stared at a barcode with a hidden circled red “A” underneath. When the man running the projection waved to the crowd, everyone cheered.
A projected ad for preorder showed for Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers, showing a music video ("The Show Goes On") without sound. Then, five minutes later, the same projection showed again. Fans realized that when Lupe tweeted for everyone to cross the street, he also tweeted that he was “down under” in Australia, and wouldn’t be attending the festivities.
Thus went the crowd after the second showing of the ad—some sticking around glimmering hope, and others disappointed, bickering of under-expectations. All press is good press, so they say.—TR
--So for real…I think that this is an amazing marketing ploy. Twitter is very powerful, as everyone knows. So of course he got the word out without saying that he wouldn’t/would be there.. Not like he wanted to fool everyone, but he had to know people were going to think it was a secret show or an appearance or something. And if he did say he wasn’t going to be there, no one would show up. He definitely played on it. If for some reason the laser show had audio, that would have been better. But if there was a secret or something that was given away, let’s say, the screening of a new music video in its entirety, that would have been sweeter, with sound of course. I’m not really in spite mode about it. Lasers 3/8/11. What did you guys who showed up think?
