Chicago, IL -- This week, co-headliners

Q-Tip

and

The Cool Kids

will kick off the

4th Annual 2K Sports Bounce Tour

. The event, which the popular video game manufacturer describes as a “convergence of music, sports and video game culture,” will mark the beginning of a cross-country trek that will end on December 3rd in Philadelphia.

The recently-featured Q-Tip, whose brand new album,

The Renaissance

, arrived in stores yesterday, is a holdover from last year’s tour, while newcomers

Mikey Rocks

and

Chuck Inglish

(who comprise The Cool Kids) await the ‘09 release of their full-length debut,

When Fish Ride Bicycles

.

Prior to this evening’s first show date, The Cool Kids and NBA rookie

Brook Lopez

(of the New Jersey Nets) called up DJBooth.net to discuss the tour and who has the harder job: rapper or ball player?

DJ Booth: Millions of children all across American hope to become NBA ball players or rappers when they grow up; who has the harder job?

Lopez: It’s rapping. That is way too much thinking for me.

Mikey Rocks: There is a lot that goes into being a rapper. You can be good at it, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be successful.

DJ Booth: Brook, if you put your mind to it, could you spit a freestyle?

Lopez: There is absolutely no chance.

DJ Booth: Mikey or Chuck, if we suited you up and put you on the roster of your favorite NBA team, could you get on the court and school someone?

Mikey Rocks: I might get four to six points, but that’s where I’d top out at. Oh, and I’d play good defense!

Later in the conversation, we asked what fans could expect from the duo’s live performance; Rocks offered the following: “We bring it, man! We don’t half-ass our shows. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to party.”

In addition to the live performances, both of which will be backed by EPMD’s

DJ Scratch

, the Bounce Tour will provide fans with “an exciting opportunity to play the latest games by 2K Sports, check out different visual vignettes of games displayed throughout the show, and receive exclusive gear and other exciting giveaways.”

To find out more information about the 4th annual Bounce Tour, or to catch the tour when it visits a city near you, visit

http://www.2ksports.com/bouncetour

.