Cool Kids rapper, animal activist, and anime lover, Sir Michael Rocks released his highly anticipated solo debut album, Banco, today, which is currently #1 on the iTunes hip hop charts and is streamable in its entirety via The AV Club. Since Sir Michael Rocks and fellow Cool Kids member Chuck Inglish burst onto the scene in 2007 as teenagers, they’ve helped redefine the image of underground, independent rap for the Internet era with their effortlessly cool aesthetic and catchy, creative music. Banco is Sir Michael Rocks’ eccentric mission statement, complete with animals, video games, and pop culture references targeted for Generation Now. With huge video interviews with MTV and Revolt TV, a slew of features on sites such as TheFADER, Hypetrak, Noisey, and XXL, and having trended nationally on Twitter when he recently hosted a Q&A session, Banco, has been slated to be one of the best releases of the summer.

Coming off the success of his recent singles “Memo,” the lo-fi minimalist track “Playstation 1.5,” the house party starter “Bussin,” and most notably the anti-animal captivity manifesto “Fuck SeaWorld,” the self-named Mr. Banco Popular is showing no signs of slowing down. On looking back on the Blackfish-inspired track, Mikey states, “I was in my studio in Miami and I had just hit a point where I felt like I wasn’t getting the sound I wanted from producers so I decided to try my hand at creating this sound myself. I wanted a beat I could flow over with ease and be clever and let the lyrics paint a picture of how much my power trumps that of other men.”

Incorporating these themes more than ever into his music along with creating distinctively Photoshop-driven collage cover art, Sir Michael Rocks is an artist who’s characterized as someone who isn’t afraid to be himself. “Anime taught me stuff that my parents didn’t teach me,” Rocks quips, explaining that the moral undercurrent of such influences is present throughout the music he makes. The futuristic, fantastical impulse behind these worlds is keenly felt as well. Building on his diverse ideas and inspirations, Rocks has pursued a creative lifestyle with relentless focus and blazed a path for others to follow. “Rocks continues to solidify his identity outside of the duo,” says Consequence of Sound in their review of the album, adding, “Banco should go a long way towards making the solo stuff just as much of a hot commodity.”

The album features guest spots from artists Too $hort, Mac Miller, Twista, Iamsu, Trinidad James, Casey Veggies, Robb Bank$, Pouya, Chuck Inglish, and some production by DJ Mustard. Banco showcases Sir Michael at his most inventive, a fascinating left turn of an album that finds Rocks making the most experimental, energetic, and varied music of his career. Sir Michael Rocks also announced via Twitter that The Cool Kids will be ending their hiatus and reuniting to release their long awaited album, Shark Week, by the end of the year. This will mark the first album The Cool Kids will have released since their 2011 album When Fish Ride Bicycles. 

Stream The AV Club Premiere: http://www.avclub.com/article/stream-all-sir-michael-rocks-new-album-banco-right-207471

Purchase Banco: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/banco/id890674144

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/45028789″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Tracklist for Sir Michael Rocks – Banco:

01. Intro
02. Memo
03. Some Ish (feat. Twista)
04. The Docks (Skit)
05. Bussin (feat. Casey Veggies and Iamsu!)
06. Playstation 1.5
07. Drug Dealer
08. Kill Switch (feat. Robb Bank$ and Pouya)
09. Dino Feeding (Skit)
10. Lost Boys (feat. Mac Miller and Trinidad James; co-prod. by Mac Miller)
11. One Time (feat. Buddy)
12. Cold Sore (Skit)
13. Fuck Seaworld
14. Ain’t Nothin Like (feat. Too $hort and Chuck Inglish; prod. by DJ Mustard)
15. Francois

Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with Sir Michael Rocks