The evolution of Cool Company
Before becoming the Brooklyn-based, Pop/R&B/Hip hop duo Cool Company, Cool Yan and Fat Matt first met in their high school choir class.
“We sat next to each other, and made fun of the other kids…and each other,” Matt said. “We didn’t start making music until years later, but I wish we started earlier,” Yan replied.
They eventually worked on music together, but Cool Company didn’t immediately start out with their signature laid-back tunes.
“In college, Matt was always making beats with his friends, and they would coax me into making raps, but I wasn’t really into it,” Yan said. The vocalist said that he couldn’t keep up with the tempo and would use the same rap over different instrumentals. “With rapping, it was easier to not take it seriously, and I approached it as a joke. But if you’re halfheartedly singing, it’ll sound terrible.”
The two soon realized that out of their group of friends, they were more in sync (“The quality was a lot higher with just the two of us,” said Yan) and decided to invest a little more time on their musical endeavor. Matt evolved his dance beats from his college years and Yan went back to his church choir roots, when he used to sing Soprano and belted songs with his sisters and grandmother. They officially became Cool Company in 2012.
“When I listen to hip hop albums, there are a lot of songs that are straightforward rap and lyrically based. Then there are catchier songs with catchier beats and better hooks,” Matt said.
“When we make our music, we make more musically interesting songs. We’re the poppier side of hip hop.”
“…But not like the Black Eyed Peas,” Yan quickly retorted. “I did love their Elephunk album as a kid though.”
“I WISH” BY STEVIE WONDER
One of my earliest memories is dancing to this song in my living room in Pittsburgh, probably when I was about four. I loved dancing, but I would do what I thought was the most manly dance: jumping between couch cushions and punching the air as fast as I could. I’m sure these experiences subliminally affected my music taste, since in my teens, I became a huge Stevie Wonder fan.
“BRICK HOUSE” BY COMMODORES
The first album I bought with my own money was a compilation album called “Pure Funk.” There was an ad for the album that used to run on Nickelodeon with this guy with an afro. I thought he looked really cool, so I asked my mom to call and order it. When it came, my dad put it on the stereo and we started dancing to the first song, “Brick House.” Music felt like an experience back then. Just listening to a song was an activity, in and of itself. Dancing to this song made me excited to dance to the whole album and do nothing else. Unfortunately, halfway through listening to it, a fuse in the system blew and we couldn’t listen to the album or any CD for a month until we got it fixed. Nowadays, I have countless ways to listen to music and the idea of not being able to do it is absurd. Meanwhile, it has also ceased to be a complete experience and listening to music is more of something I do to complement another activity.
“SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT” BY NIRVANA
When I discovered Kazaa [a file-sharing application] and started downloading all of the songs I had been hearing on the radio, it was like discovering a new drug. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was my favorite of these Kazaa songs. I would put my CD player on my window, point it at the street, and blast the song to the neighborhood. I couldn’t comprehend how my neighbors didn’t feel the same way about this band. More importantly, it was this song and this band that would make me want to be a musician, although I obviously ended up a much different type of musician than Kurt Cobain.
“HEARD ’EM SAY” BY KANYE WEST
From Nirvana, my tastes shifted from rock back to classic funk and soul during my high school years, but I continued to shun most rap music. The process of warming up to it was gradual and facilitated by my rap-loving friends, but I’m pretty sure it was weed and this song, played by my friend’s pool one summer night in high school, that actually opened the door to hip hop for me. I started making my own beats not too long after.
“GNOSSIENE NO. 5” BY ERIK SATIE
This is the only piano piece I have memorized completely, and I’ll probably be able to play it my whole life. I spent months in college practicing this piece because I found the melody so captivating. To write a great piano piece like this is an achievement because it is beautiful, without the production tricks that most modern music relies on.
“THE STORY” BY KING
I stumbled upon this song a few years ago when I was at a point where I was disillusioned with the Pop/R&B world I was working in. I was hearing good songs, but I felt like everything had been done before and no one was bringing anything new to the pop world. This song was totally different. How this girl could make such a crazy chord progression work so well blew my mind. I don’t know if I’ll ever write anything this good, but having it as a reference of greatness gives me something to strive for.
“JUMP” BY KRIS KROSS
This was the first CD I remember having as a kid and I would listen to this track on repeat while jumping up and down on my bed.
“MMMBOP” BY HANSON
This song was playing on the bus one day as I was heading to school. Everyone was singing along and I just remember thinking to myself, “Wow, why does everyone sound so bad?!” I think that’s sort of when I realized that I had a pretty good singing voice.
“CON TE PARTIRÒ” BY ANDREA BOCELLI
I had to sing this song with two girls for youth choir at church and I had a long solo section to start it out. So there I was singing my first solo, in another language, and in front of a couple hundred people. We got a standing ovation and tons praise afterwards, so it was a pretty big deal for me.
“SAY WHAT’S REAL” BY DRAKE
I remember hearing this track and not having a clue who Drake was, but thinking to myself, “Whoever this is is gonna make it,” and wishing I could invest in them (haha!). Then I looked him up and saw it was Jimmy from “Degrassi” (I was a huge fan of that show). That was just icing on the cake. But yeah, I heard that track, and really appreciated the sentiment and where he was coming from. It was nice hearing someone so obviously talented struggle with a lack of acknowledgment.
“KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG” BY THE FUGEES
My sister and I used to belt this shit so passionately. Anytime it came on, it was like something took hold of us. I just loved this track.
“LOFT MUSIC” BY THE WEEKND
This track is just one of those songs that feels like the soundtrack to your life. I love that “laid back, cruising around late at night” music.
Listen to Cool Company’s curated 12 songs playlist on Spotify.