The members of The Cool Kids met in 2005 when Reed found a beat on the internet that Ingersoll had produced. The two met to discuss terms of the beat's sale, and eventually ended up recording for two hours. They were inspired by hip hop in the 1980s and artists like Eric B. & Rakim. Ingersoll began promoting the new duo's material, and it was eventually booked by Josh Young of Flosstradamus for a DJ performance. At this performance (in a venue called Town Hall Pub), the duo met the electronic musician Diplo who offered to release a mixtape of their unreleased tracks titled Totally Flossed Out on his label Mad Decent, though it was eventually released on C.A.K.E. Recordings. They also received an offer from the DJ A-Trak to sign to his Fool's Gold label, which they did, but only for one single.
Up until recently, all material had been released solely on the band's MySpace page—their recording contract came after performances at the CMJ Music Festival and Pitchfork Music Festival, on July 15, 2007. Eventually, The Cool Kids signed to Chocolate Industries, another independent label, which had previously been the label of rapper Lady Sovereign. Ingersoll has been the producer for tracks released thus far, but both work in rapping and production.
They have been and currently are on tour, opening for M.I.A. One of the duo's singles, Black Mags, is featured in a late 2007 Rhapsody TV commercial, along with Sara Bareilles. In the same year, the group collaborated with Lil' Wayne and DJ Benzi through the internet on a track entitled Gettin' It, which will reportedly appear on the DJ's future album "Get Right." The band has been featured in the video game "NBA Live 08" with the song 88, and they have been featured in the video game "NBA 2K9 with the song 2k pennies, and in the episode "The First Cut Is the Deepest" from HBO's TV series Entourage with the song I Rock. They were listed in Rolling Stone's Ten Artists to Watch in 2008.
Their debut LP, When Fish Ride Bicycles, was released on July 12, 2011.
On April 25, 2015, member Mikey Rocks took to Twitter to address the consistent questions about a possible reunion, saying they were "never coming back."
What Up Man
The Cool Kids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dat milk milk pourin' into ma bowl then I though
To myself (thought thought 2 myself) that I need to
Take a trip to the grocery store cause the bread is low and
The chicken I was eatin' with the mash potatoes need
(a little bit of gold)
Opps wrong song lyric man a little bit of pepper stepped
No chest hair store close at four
So I gotta get there cause it's like 3:50 and
I'm just wakin' up and it take five minutes just to get to the front now
I'm standin' in long lines lady with the baby probably buyin' some
Dog food, dog probably crazy on the daily basis ma days be like
This cause I got to the register and then the store closed
[Chorus]
Yo what up man if you u cool what u do warm it up then
I can't hold it cause it's hot put it down then. I left ma kids at
Day care pick em up then I'm tryin' but some new shit what you
Tryin' spend all I got 5 dollars so u broke man I thought I had
10 dollars so you broke then t.v dinner on the counter warm
It up then, warm it up man, warm it up then
Come get some you little bums I got a lot and you can't get None
That ice cream truck just left if you run you can catch
But it's out cause I got the last one
But I got a box of combs that I'm willin' to sell
I'll sell the ice cream too, two scoops for a bill
I could build a sand castle without bringin' a pale
And go cat fish fishin' and come up with a whale
But but you know what that was easy as hell
Well maybe not the line about me catchin' a whale
But if I did it then it's nothin' then I did it as well
Probably easy as it is to move slow for a snail
Did you know I made this beat with my mouth and a bell
Just a F.Y.I, I'm f.l.y and for those who can't spell
I'm a pretty swell guy
I caught a lot of fish I think I have a fish fry.
[Chorus]
The Cool Kids's song What Up Man is a humorous and lighthearted commentary on the mundane aspects of daily life. The opening lines describe the singer's morning routine of pouring milk into his cereal bowl and realizing he needs to go grocery shopping. As the song progresses, the lyrics touch on themes of financial struggle, family obligations, and the simple pleasures of life such as catching an ice cream truck or fishing. The chorus repeats the phrase "warm it up then" which can be interpreted as a call to action to make the most of life's small moments and to keep moving forward despite challenges.
The lyrics are full of playful wordplay and witty one-liners, showcasing The Cool Kids's talent for clever rhyming and humor. The verses are filled with absurd scenarios, such as building a sandcastle without a bucket, catching a whale while fishing, and making a beat with only a mouth and a bell. These moments of humor and exaggeration serve to highlight the unexciting nature of the singer's life, but also suggest that there is fun to be had in even the most mundane situations.
Overall, What Up Man is a commentary on the struggles and joys of everyday life, with a focus on finding humor and joy in the mundane. The lyrics are full of clever wordplay and humor, and the chorus encourages listeners to keep moving forward and making the most of life's small moments.
Line by Line Meaning
So I woke up this mornin' and as I start yawnin'
I woke up feeling sleepy and lazy
Dat milk milk pourin' into ma bowl then I though
I poured milk into a bowl and then had a moment of reflection
To myself (thought thought 2 myself) that I need to
I was talking to myself about something I needed to do
Take a trip to the grocery store cause the bread is low and
I realized that I needed to go to the store to buy more bread
The chicken I was eatin' with the mash potatoes need
The chicken I was eating needed a little bit of seasoning
(a little bit of gold)
Oops, that line was from a different song
Opps wrong song lyric man a little bit of pepper stepped
I mistakenly quoted a different song and meant to say that the chicken needed some pepper
Out the crib with the bear claw slippers robe tied tight chest
I got dressed in my comfortable bear claw slippers and bathrobe, feeling cozy
No chest hair store close at four
I don't have chest hair and the store closes at 4:00 PM
So I gotta get there cause it's like 3:50 and
I need to hurry because it's almost 4:00 PM and the store is about to close
I'm just wakin' up and it take five minutes just to get to the front now
I'm barely awake and it takes me five minutes just to get to the front of the store
I'm standin' in long lines lady with the baby probably buyin' some
I'm waiting in a long line, behind a lady with a baby, who is probably buying dog food
Dog food, dog probably crazy on the daily basis ma days be like
The lady's dog is probably crazy and my days are often like this
This cause I got to the register and then the store closed
Just when I got to the register, the store closed
Yo what up man if you u cool what u do warm it up then
Hey, what's up man, if you're cool then get things started
I can't hold it cause it's hot put it down then. I left ma kids at
I can't hold something because it's hot, so I need to put it down. I also left my kids at
Day care pick em up then I'm tryin' but some new shit what you
I have to pick up my kids from daycare and I'm also trying something new
Tryin' spend all I got 5 dollars so u broke man I thought I had
I'm trying to spend my remaining $5 so I may end up broke. I thought I had $10
10 dollars so you broke then t.v dinner on the counter warm
Since I don't have $10, I'll end up broke. I have a TV dinner on the counter that needs to be warmed up
It up then, warm it up man, warm it up then
I need to warm up the TV dinner
Come get some you little bums I got a lot and you can't get None
I have a lot to offer and you won't be able to get any of it
That ice cream truck just left if you run you can catch
The ice cream truck just left but you might be able to catch it if you run
But it's out cause I got the last one
Never mind, the ice cream truck ran out because I got the last one
But I got a box of combs that I'm willin' to sell
I have a box of combs that I am willing to sell
I'll sell the ice cream too, two scoops for a bill
I am also willing to sell the ice cream at the price of two scoops for $1
I could build a sand castle without bringin' a pale
I could build a sandcastle without needing a bucket
And go cat fish fishin' and come up with a whale
I could go fishing for catfish and end up catching a whale
But but you know what that was easy as hell
Well, you know what, that was actually really easy
Well maybe not the line about me catchin' a whale
Okay, maybe the part about catching a whale wasn't exactly true
But if I did it then it's nothin' then I did it as well
But if I actually did catch a whale, it would mean nothing to me because I am so talented
Probably easy as it is to move slow for a snail
Catching a whale would be just as easy as it is for a snail to move slowly
Did you know I made this beat with my mouth and a bell
Did you know that I created this musical beat by using only my mouth and a bell?
Just a F.Y.I, I'm f.l.y and for those who can't spell
Just so you know, I am very fashionable and fly. For those who can't spell, F.L.Y. means fashionable and stylish
I'm a pretty swell guy
I'm actually a pretty great person
I caught a lot of fish I think I have a fish fry.
I caught a lot of fish, so I plan on having a fish fry
Yo what up man if you u cool what u do warm it up then
Hey, what's up man, if you're cool then let's get things started
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTOINE REED, EVAN INGERSOLL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MRJ12744
Not into this style of rap anymore, but this beat is just fucking awesome
Snypa Vizion
this was my shit ... still classic
Owen Weiss
always
Erocktheartist
damn i love how the cool kids tell storys
Sasha Harper
Omg i loved this song😍
EleFantMonty
Shit used to slap back in Middle School.
Kekburkek
These are fuckings awsome, one of the very few rap artits I respect due their passion of music
boboyer69
Why the fuck are these guys so good? Holy shit.... every song
Mojo_Quid
Still slaps in 2021
Cole Clifford
the beat is awesome