Photo by Clayton Hauck
Chuck Inglish
By Ferrari Sheppard
Practically all musicians who create music do it with the hope that people will enjoy it and become fans. What happens to the musician once this hope becomes reality is solely based on his attitude towards life in general. When Nirvana's television debut on Saturday Night Live first aired in 1993, the lead singer of the band, Kurt Cobain, locked himself in a hotel room for a week. And that's just one extreme example of a musician's reaction to being thrust into the spotlight. Chuck Inglish, the man we are discussing today, has handled his swift but notable emergence with ease and humility. An example of this became most apparent to me after a Cool Kids show in New York City's meat-packing district in late January of 2007, where the group opened up for Pharaoh Monch. Backstage, I ran into Inglish and the first thing he said to me was, "Do you think they liked it?" referring to the hysterical crowd on the other side of the curtain. "Yes!" I replied, not knowing how to tell him his group, the Cool Kids, was one of the biggest acts around. Shame on me.
In a genre such as Hip-Hop, where it is customary for artists to have bloated egos, it's refreshing to find a rapper as comfortable and down to earth as Chuck Inglish. Recently, he and I enjoyed a chat and this is how it went:
StopBeingFamous: When did you know for sure that the Cool Kids were going to be a success?
Chuck Inglish: I still don't know really...haha.
SBF: What have you been eating lately?
C: A lot of sushi.
SBF: What do your parents think of your newly found fame?
C: Umm...we never really discuss it. I look at fame like a drug; it can be abused, so I try not to look at what we do like that.
SBF: What's the craziest thing to happen to you on the road?
C: I got stranded in Perth, Australia, with no phone and I had no clue where I was at. Don't ask how I got there. All I know is that I woke up in an empty house somewhere and had to find my way back with the odds against me...haha
SBF: How do you view the emergence of Chicago groups like the Cool Kids, Kid Sister and Flosstradamus? Do you feel it's Chicago's turn, and why?
C: I'm happy people are making music. I don't like to regionalize music like that, I'm just glad I'm in the company of other cool folks that make good music.
SBF: You've been moving and shaking for a couple of years now, when will you get to rest?
C: I take loads of cat naps and you never get to see my eyes open on airplanes. I just invested in an Ikea bedroom set, so I'm resting; you have to or you'll eventually end up in a "Do you remember them?" conversation piece.
SBF: What should fans NOT do when approaching Chuck Inglish?
C: Act stupid.
SBF: What is your favorite thing to watch on TV, do you even have time to watch TV anymore? lol
C: I do, I love TV. The First 48 is my joint....
SBF: Are you planning any collaborations we should know about?
C: You'll see. I'm not gonna tell yet.
SBF: Some critics compare the Cool Kids to EPMD, how do you feel about that?
C: That's a blessing. They're legendary but comparing people is lazy.
SBF: When you're alone, what kinds of things do you do to relax? No masturbation, please. Ha,ha,ha.
C: Make more music, that's all I do.
SBF: Do you have a lot of groupies? If so, how do you deal with that?
C: Umm, no. I meet a lot of girls, but when is that ever a problem? haha. But I don't really get into that world though; it will knock you off your horse quick as fuck.
SBF: How did you come up with the stage name "Chuck Inglish"? Do you get mad when people call you by your birth name?
C: Chuck is my grandfather's name. He's cooler than the majority of niggas my age and he’s 76. I'm just representing. Naw, but it is weird when people call me by my birth name and they don't know me.
SBF: How did you end up doing a collaboration with Mickey Factz for the song "Rockin' and Rollin'"? And how long did it take you to write your verse?
C: He called us and said, "Hey, you wanna rock on this "Rockin and Rollin" joint?" and I was like, "Cool." I wrote [the verse] in like 30 minutes.
SBF: (follow up question) With a busy schedule and touring, how do you find time to write songs?
C: Don't know. It's all we think about.
SBF: How did you and Mikey Rocks meet?
C: He hit me on AIM and it's been all downhill from there, haha. End of Interview
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The Cool Kids, Chuck Inglish, Mikey Rocks (left to right) Photo by Constance K. of EyeShotCha.com
Mickey Factz ft. Cool Kids- Rockin' and Rollin'
 Photo by Constance K
Related Links:
Cool Kids
Chuck Inglish
Mikey Rocks
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