Midwest rap duo the Cool Kids take cues from classic rap of the '80s and offbeat hip-hop production, using warm and familiar-sounding instrumentals as a backdrop for their quirky personalities and always clever lyricism. The group began as an underground phenomenon, but their 2011 full-length debut, When Fish Ride Bicycles, landed on the Billboard charts. As they progressed, the Cool Kids would collaborate with Boldy James, Chance the Rapper, Mac Miller, Lil Wayne, and many more. They went on a brief hiatus in 2012, but would return a few years later, going on to release new work like their 2022 album Before Shit Got Weird.