Sir Michael Rocks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Michael Rocks
Sir Michael Rocks in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Antoine Amari Reed
Also known as	Mikey Rocks
Born	(1987-12-24) December 24, 1987 (age 37) Matteson, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter record producer
Years active	2007–present
Labels	6 Cell Phones Propelr Music C.A.K.E. One Off Music Group Green Label Sound Fontana

Antoine Amari Reed (born December 24, 1987) is an American rapper. He is better known by his stage names Sir Michael Rocks or Mikey Rocks. He began his music journey in 2005. He was part of the hip hop duo The Cool Kids. Later, he joined other music groups. These included All City Chess Club, P.O.C., and The Toothpick Clique.

The Cool Kids released their first album, When Fish Ride Bicycles, in 2011. Famous producers like The Neptunes worked on it. Other artists like Ghostface Killah also appeared. The album reached No. 76 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also hit No. 9 on the Top Rap Albums chart.

Starting in 2011, Rocks began releasing free mixtapes. He also appeared as a guest artist on songs by many musicians. These included Mac Miller, Dom Kennedy, and Curren$y. In April 2014, he contributed to the Chuck Inglish album Convertibles. His first solo album, Banco, came out on July 29, 2014. It featured artists like Too $hort and Twista.

Early Life and Interests

Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed was born in 1987. He grew up in Matteson, Illinois, near Chicago. From a young age, he listened to rappers like Nas and Jay-Z. He started rhyming when he was ten years old. Even then, he knew he wanted to be in hip hop. He said he never had a "plan B" and put all his effort into music.

As a teenager, he started making his own music. He also wrote rhymes and worked with friends like Tris J. He went to Rich South High School and Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago. Besides music, he was interested in zoology. He thought he might study reptiles and mammals if he wasn't rapping. He started making music under the names Sir Michael Rocks and Mikey Rocks.

Music Career Highlights

The Cool Kids Group

Starting the Group (2005-2007)

In mid-2005, Rocks was mainly producing music and rapping a bit. He formed The Cool Kids when he was sixteen. He met Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll on Myspace in 2005. Rocks found a beat that Ingersoll had made. They met to talk about the beat and ended up recording for two hours. They found they liked similar music, like Outkast and Gorillaz. They also shared a love for retro fashion.

Sir Michael Rocks performing in 2008

Inspired by golden age hip hop artists, they formed their duo. They first planned to only make beats for other artists. But Rocks rapped during a session and became the "voice" of the group. Soon, both of them shared the singing parts.

The group quickly got a booking for a DJ show. There, they met DJ Diplo. Diplo wanted to release their unreleased songs as a mixtape. It was called Totally Flossed Out. It was released in 2007 on C.A.K.E. Recordings. In 2007, they also worked with Lil Wayne on a song called "Gettin' It."

By summer 2007, all their music was on their MySpace page. They signed a recording contract after performing at music festivals. Rolling Stone magazine named them one of "Ten Artists to Watch in 2008." They opened for M.I.A. on her tour in 2007. They also performed at the 2008 Rock the Bells hip hop festival.

Tours and Singles (2008-2009)

Sir Michael Rocks performing with The Cool Kids in 2008

In January 2008, the duo released their first song for sale online. It was called "Black Mags" and was about their love for BMX bikes. A black and white music video was made for it. The song was also used in a Rhapsody TV commercial. The group toured Australia in February 2008. They also performed at the Laneway Festival. Their second EP, The Bake Sale, was released in June 2008.

In August 2008, The Cool Kids became the first hip hop group to sign with Green Label Sound. This label was supported by Mountain Dew and focused only on singles. Mountain Dew endorsed their song "Delivery Man." Commercials and the music video for it aired on MTV2. In 2008, they led the "NBA 2K Bounce Tour" with Q-Tip.

Many of their songs were featured in video games and TV shows in 2008. "88" was in NBA Live 08 and MLB 2K8. "Awesome" was in Need for Speed Nitro. "Mikey Rocks" and "Bassment Party" were in the HBO TV series Entourage. They also made an original song, "2K Pennies," for the NBA 2K9 soundtrack.

Albums Released (2009-2011)

The group's second official mixtape, Gone Fishing, came out on May 5, 2009. A new mixtape called Tacklebox was released on May 31, 2010. Tacklebox included new songs and leftover tracks from When Fish Ride Bicycles. The band also signed with DJ A-Trak's label, Fool's Gold Records, for one song in 2011. It was called "Gold and a Pager."

Their first studio album, When Fish Ride Bicycles, was released on July 12, 2011. It was on Green Label Sound. The album had been delayed due to legal issues. It featured production by The Neptunes and artists like Bun B and Ghostface Killah. The album reached No. 76 on the Billboard 200. It also hit No. 9 on Top Rap Albums. The song "A Little Bit Cooler" was used in a Nike commercial with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

New Music Groups (2010-2011)

The Cool Kids are part of the hip-hop group All City Chess Club. This group was started in 2010. Also in 2010, Mikey Rocks joined with Chuck Inglish, Freddie Gibbs, and Chip tha Ripper. They formed a "super group" called P.O.C. (Pulled Over by the Cops). They first worked together on the 2010 song "Oil Money." Their first single, "Authority," was produced by Blended Babies. Around 2011, Rocks also started The Toothpick Clique. He formed it with his friends Tris J and Shorty K. They had worked together since his teenage years.

Solo Mixtapes (2011-2013)

In 2011, both Rocks and Inglish started working on solo music. However, they still helped each other and toured together as The Cool Kids. On March 14, 2011, Sir Michael Rocks released his first solo mixtape, The Rocks Report. It had twenty-five original songs. It featured artists like Like and Mibbs of Pac Div. Producers like Ski Beatz also contributed.

This mixtape was followed by Premier Politics on October 2, 2011. This album had sixteen songs, with Rocks writing most of them. He said he worked in the studio for weeks, ten hours a day, without stopping. Many producers helped, including Alchemist. He also released clothes like sweatshirts and T-shirts with Premier Politics.

On October 23, 2011, Rocks joined Jet Life Recordings. This was an independent label owned by rapper Curren$y. Rocks had become friends with Curren$y on Myspace around 2008. Rocks appeared as a featured artist on many albums from this label. In 2011, he was on "1st Place" from the album Jet World Order. Rocks toured in late 2011 on the Smoker's Club Tour. This tour featured Curren$y, Method Man, and Big K.R.I.T.. He also kept working with The Cool Kids.

On April 6, 2012, he released the mixtape Premier Politics 1.5. It included songs he had planned for Premier Politics. Producers like Cardo and Cookin' Soul contributed. His friends Tris J and Shorty K also helped. Hot New Hip Hop said that Premier Politics 1.5 was a great addition to his music.

His mixtape Lap of Lux was released on August 2, 2012. Lap of Lux featured Mac Miller, Rockie Fresh, and Casey Veggies. Producers like Hit-Boy also worked on it. For the song "Reservations," he made a music video with singer Teyana Taylor. It premiered on MTV in December 2012. He toured with Mac Miller in the fall of 2012. He also toured with Pac Div. Rocks released an 8-song follow-up mixtape, Lap of Lux 1.5, in December 2012.

In February 2013, Hip Hop Vibe said Sir Michael Rocks was one of Chicago's biggest new artists. He performed at SXSW 2013 in Austin. He had performed at this festival every year since 2007. On May 30, 2013, he released the mixtape While You Wait.... This project had ten songs. It featured artists like Ab-Soul and Mac Miller.

Solo Album and Guest Appearances (2013-2017)

His first solo album, Banco, was released on July 29, 2014. The album featured guest appearances from Twista, Casey Veggies, Iamsu!, Mac Miller, Trinidad James, Too Short, and Chuck Inglish.

Rocks continued to be active as a guest artist. He contributed to songs by artists like Dom Kennedy, Ski Beatz, and Curren$y. In April 2014, he worked on the Chuck Inglish album Convertibles. One song from it, "Swervin'," featured Rocks.

Rocks also appeared on Famsquadilliana's Sport Coat Willie project. He was on the song "I Get It" and its remix.

New Musical Era (2018-2019)

Sir Michael Rocks entered a new musical phase. He teamed up with Owen Bones to form a new group called MYSTERY SCHOOL. This is an experimental electronic hip-hop duo. In February 2019, they released their first EP, also called Mystery School. To promote this, Owen Bones and Sir Michael Rocks went on Twitch. They had "Sudden Death" segments. In these, they had half an hour to create a beat and at least one rap verse.

Music Style and Influences

Equipment Used

As a music producer, Rocks uses the music software program Reason. It helps him create his beats and songs.

Sound and Lyrics

Sir Michael Rocks has a relaxed and unique flow when he raps. People say his sound is different from what is usually heard in hip hop. He said that he writes songs that he and his friends would enjoy listening to.

Music Genres

Sir Michael Rocks has mentioned Chicago rappers as influences on his sound. He said that artists like Twista, Kanye, and Common helped shape him. In 2007, Chicago Reader described a new Chicago hip-hop sound. It mixed elements from indie-rock, house, and other regional styles. This sound was playful and focused on hanging out and dressing up.

Fashion Style

As of 2012, Rocks was the face of a clothing line called Marriani. Mac Miller has said that The Cool Kids did not get enough credit for their influence on style and fashion. According to All Hip Hop in 2012, The Cool Kids were pioneers of modern fashion trends in hip hop. They wore "all gold everything" and retro sneakers years before these styles became popular.

Marriani Clothing Relaunch

In 2022, Sir Michael Rocks announced that his fashion line, Marriani, was officially coming back. He said the line is inspired by 1990s urban fashion and Chicago style. He wanted to create unique, high-quality pieces that people wouldn't see everywhere. He learned to mix expensive items with everyday clothes to create a special look.

Personal Life

As of May 2012, Sir Michael Rocks divided his time between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Banco (2014)
• Broken Window of Opportunity (2020)

Mixtapes

• The Rocks Report (2011)
• Premier Politics (2011)
• Lap of Lux (2012)
• While You Wait... (2013)

Extended Plays

• Populair (2015)
• Populair Pt.2 (2016)

Collaborations

The Cool Kids

• The Bake Sale (EP, 2008)
• Gone Fishing (Mixtape, 2009)
• Tacklebox (Mixtape, 2010)
• When Fish Ride Bicycles (Album, 2011)
• Special Edition Grandmaster Deluxe (Album, 2017)
• Baby Oil Staircase/Chillout (Album, 2022)

Guest Appearances