Forget retro, rap’s next-gen duo makes future sounds.

By Damien Scott; KOOL KIDZ Naledge (left) and Double O In her saner days, Whitney Houston said it best: The children are our future. Kidz in the Hall agree. Chicago MC Jabari “Naledge” Evans, 25, and New Jersey producer/DJ Michael “Double O” Aguilar, 28, know rap history, but they’re not interested in rehashing it. “There are a lot of corny rappers that try to bring ’88 back when they should be trying to bring in 3004,” says Naledge. “Every statement [you make] should be the next thing.”

One of the most promising new rap groups of the mid 2000s, Kidz signed with the storied indie label Rawkus Records in 2006 to release their critically acclaimed insightful boom-bap debut, School Was my Hustle. Unfortunately, Rawkus execs promoted the University of Pennsylvania grads as the second coming of conscious backpackers Reflection Eternal instead of pushing them as the more eclectic, complex future of rap. “I’m a valedictorian who reads Black Tail, eats fried chicken, and is addicted to Hennessy,” says Naledge. “I contradict myself every day.”

Relocated to Duck Down Records, an older but more progressive label, Kidz dropped their second album, The in Crowd, in May. In addition to mixing chopped soul and 808 drums with Euro dance sounds, Kidz have been collaborating with trendsetting contemporaries like Clipse, Black Milk, and the Cool Kids. “You can’t tell us that hip-hop is not evolving,” Double O explains. “Love what you listen to, love what you do with it, love who you are, and then take that shit to the next level.”

Teach them well and let them lead the way.

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