Kooley High Post - "The Bomb" Feat. Halo & Charlie Smarts, "One Day" Documentary

One Day - Introducing Kooley High from BECAUSEUS on Vimeo.

Kooley High is some straight good NC shit. They've been working with 9th Wonder for a minute and just got done with this documentary. I didn't have a chance to hit the premiere in Raleigh when it opened, but it's online now. Also, how about a new track. And if you want to know more about Kooley High, I reviewed their Summer Sessions EP a while back, which I'll throw up at the end of the post. Oh yeah, there will be an upcoming Kooley High mixtape courtesy of illroots and K-Salaam. Be hyped.

Listen/Download "The Bomb" [Produced by Oddisee]

Link from illroots

Nothing good has ever emerged from the depths of mortar and bricks at N.C. State University. To keep it that way, we’ll only consider Kooley High from Raleigh because the Wolf Pack faithful should not be able to take credit for such talent.

Already released on iTunes, The Summer Sessions EP is the first offering by group Kooley High and quickly establishes them among the elite in North Carolina hip-hop. MCs Tab-One, Charlie Smarts and Rapsody use what seem like effortless rhyming techniques to make already stellar homegrown beats by the group’s producers Sinopsis and Foolery sound that much better.

For all nine songs on the EP, KH is as chill as their name suggests. After the 35 minute listen it’s tempting to not want to go out and befriend the quintet. It would seem just being in the same vicinity of the collective would make you cooler.

The crew keeps up this reputation with songs like “Kool With It” and “We Be That.” Boasting is done without coming off as cocky and the confidence is so assured that there is no question to whether or not it is deserved. How could it not be when Rapsody can rap so eloquently about her “vernacular?”

Maestro 9^th Wonder lends two cuts but only really stands apart from Foolery and Sinopsis on “Water.” This is a true testament to the quality of the in-house production because “Water” is only more prominent with verses by Lazarus and Edgar Allen Floe, the latter of the two also holds the crown for best MC name in the game.

The only thing holding the EP back is the often made mistake of adding useless skits in between some of the songs. Although the intro to “Water” is an obvious allusion to both the song and hip-hop club H₂O that several of the members formed while at N.C.S.U., it only serves to slow the otherwise fluid release.

Kooley High is definitely worth remembering because it will be a shame if they don’t make a name for themselves out of the Research Triangle. The Summer Sessions EP is great fun with lyrics reminiscent of the bygone A Tribe Called Quest and daisy-age De La Soul era with meticulously well-crafted beats that can make a grown man swoon.