The Cool Kids - Pennies Official Music Video

What this video is

Released in early 2009 during the height of hip-hop's blogosphere era, 'Pennies' arrived as The Cool Kids transitioned from underground MySpace/Fool's Gold notoriety into wider visibility. The duo — Chicago's Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish — represented a Midwest rap aesthetic rooted in golden-age hip-hop nostalgia, retro sneaker culture, and self-produced, lo-fi warmth. The video was shot in late 2008 and…

Why it matters

The Cool Kids occupied a pivotal lane between underground backpacker rap and accessible mainstream hip-hop, drawing heavily from '80s and early '90s boom-bap aesthetics while packaging them in a fresh, youth-culture context. 'Pennies' exemplifies the blog-rap single format: short, hook-heavy,…

The director

Paul John is a Director, Writer, Cinematographer, Producer, and Editor based in Chicago, IL. Owner of Midnight Cinema and Vellvit6 Production Company, he grew up on the South Side of Chicago and became a professional rollerblader before transitioning into…