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Information about Kid 'n Play

Kid 'n Play were a hip-hop and comedy duo from New York City that were most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo is comprised of Christopher "Kid" Reid (born April 5 1964 in The Bronx, New York City) and Christopher "Play" Martin (born July 10 1962 in Queens, New York City). Besides their successful musical careers, Kid 'n Play are also notable for branching out into acting.

History

Music career

Kid 'n Play recorded three albums together between 1988 and 1993: 2 Hype (1988), Kid 'N Play's Funhouse (1990), and Face the Nation (1991). Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor, the producer for Salt-n-Pepa who had been a member of the hip-hop group "The Super-Lovers" with Play, served as Kid 'n Play's manager and producer during the early portion of their career. All three albums focused upon positive lyrics backed by pop-friendly instrumental tracks. Among the group's most successful singles were 1989's "Rollin' with Kid 'n Play" (#11 on the Billboard R&B singles chart), 1990s "Funhouse" (#1 on the Billboard rap singles chart), and "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" (another #1 rap hit). The group's stage show highlighted their teen-friendly personalities, and dances such as their trademark, the Kick Step.

Kid's visual trademark was his hi-top fade haircut, which stood six inches high at its peak. Play regularly wore eight-ball jackets. It is rumoured that New York Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter was inspired by Kid and still wears a spinoff of his trademark hair-style to this day...

During the height of their popularity in early 1991, the duo had a short-lived "beef" with Vanilla Ice. The lyrics "You better hit bulls-eye/the Kid don't Play" from his hit "Ice Ice Baby" was a direct shot at the duo. The group addressed the "dis", on the track "Next Question", from "Face the Nation." The song was also used to respond to comments made by Luther Campbell and criticisms they received after comments from an interview were taken out of context.

Kid 'n Play were also notable for their dance known as "The Funky Charleston", influenced by the Roaring Twenties popular dance move, first seen in their video "Gittin Funky" [1]. The "Funky Charleston" featured the "New Jack Swing" -aerobic dance moves typical of late 1980's urban street dancing (see also "Groove Me" [3] by Guy). Unlike the original Charleston, "The Funky Charleston" requires two participants instead of one. This dance also was made quite popular in the movie "House Party", in which Kid and Play have an impromptu dance competition with Tischa Campbell and A.J. Johnson[4] in one of the most memorable moments of this movie.

Acting careers

In addition to their music, Kid 'N Play starred together in four successful motion pictures, all of them based around hip-hop characters and themes. The duo also appeared on the soundtrack albums to these films. Three of the Kid 'n Play films were entries in the popular House Party series. The first two House Party films (1990's House Party and 1991's House Party 2 also featured the then-relatively unknown Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell, later stars of the TV sitcom Martin). House Party 3 featured hip-hop/R&B girl group TLC as the music group "Sex as a Weapon".

Class Act, produced in 1992, was a comedy in the same vein as the House Party films. For that film, Kid cut his trademark high-top fade (the haircut is used as a plot device in the film).

Kid 'n Play even had their own NBC Saturday morning cartoon, Kid 'n Play, for one season from 1990 to 1991. On the show, Kid 'n Play were regressed to teens, but their recording careers remained intact, as did their comic personas. The real Kid 'n Play appeared in live-action wraparounds of the cartoons, but voice actors (again including close friend Martin Lawrence) took over for the animated versions of the duo. The show stressed positive role models, teaching kids how to get along and stay out of trouble. A 1992 Marvel Comics comic book based on the cartoon lasted nine issues. They also shot some segments for the PBS math show Square One TV.

It has been stated on Kid's MySpace that there will be new film from the duo around late 2007.

After the duo

Kid and Play amicably split during the mid-1990s. Kid continued acting, guest starring in a number of television sitcoms, most notably Sister, Sister, and hosting shows such as It's Showtime at the Apollo and Your Big Break. Play became a born-again Christian, and devoted his time to working on Christian-based hip-hop music projects. Play eventually took his industry experience and founded HP4Digital Works, a multimedia company that provides pre and post production for film, digital and live theater productions.[1] He is also founded Brand Newz, an online syndicated magazine focusing on positive community leaders and events.

Discography

  • 1988: 2 Hype
  • 1990: Kid 'N Play's Funhouse
  • 1991: Face the Nation

Filmography

References

1. ^ "Hip Hop Icon Series: Play". Halftimeonline.com.

External links

In common, present day usage the word comedy almost always refers to the creation or presentation of humor with the intention of provoking laughter. Most comedy contains variations on the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and the effect of opposite expectations,
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Christopher Reid, formerly known as Kid (born April 5 1964 in The Bronx, New York City) is an American actor, comedian, and former rapper. He graduted from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science in 1982.
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The Bronx is New York City's northernmost borough, coterminous with Bronx County. The Bronx is located Northeast of Manhattan. It is the only one of the city's five boroughs situated primarily on the United States mainland rather than on an island.
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Christopher "Play" Martin (b. July 10 1962, Queens, New York) is an African-American rapper and actor, formerly the latter half of the late 1980s/early 1990s hip-hop/comedy duo Kid 'n Play.
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July 10 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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Face the Nation is an American Sunday-morning political interview show which premiered on the CBS television network on November 7, 1954. It is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television.
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Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor is the producer responsible for discovering the successful female rap trio Salt N Pepa. In the mid 1980s, with the fad of rap response records all the rage, Hurby had them record a response to Doug E.
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Salt-n-Pepa is an American hip hop trio that came onto the music scene in 1986 and went on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide. The lineup consists of: Cheryl James (now known as Cheryl Wray), Sandra Denton ("Salt" and "Pepa", respectively), and Deidra "Dee Dee" Roper (DJ
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Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly known by various names including Hot Soul Singles, Hot Black Singles, and Hot R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.
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Hot Rap Tracks is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets.
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hi-top fade is a style of haircut where hair on the sides is cut off or kept very low and hair on the top of the head is very long (in contrast, a low fade is when hair on the top is kept shorter).
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Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1968), better known as Vanilla Ice, is a Grammy Award nominated, American Music Award winning American rapper and actor known mostly for the 1990 single "Ice Ice Baby.
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Hip hop is a subculture, which is said to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Afrika Bambaattaa.

The four main aspects, or "elements", of hip hop culture are MCing (rapping), DJing, urban inspired art/tagging (graffiti), and
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House Party is a 1990 comedy film released by New Line Cinema. It stars Kid and Play of the popular hip hop duo Kid n' Play, and also stars Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou, and B-Fine from Full Force, and Robin Harris.
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House Party 2 is the sequel to the 1990 film House Party, released in 1991 by New Line Cinema, Columbia Pictures, and Miramax Films. The sequel returns most of the cast of the first movie.
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Martin Lawrence
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Birth name Tisha Michelle Campbell
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Martin is an American television sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions (a subsidiary of HBO, in turn a division of Time Warner) that aired for five seasons from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on FOX. The show starred comedian Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell.
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House Party 3 is the third installment of the House Party film series. It is also the last film, in the series, to feature Kid 'n Play. In the third film, Kid is engaged and is planning to marry his fiancé, Veda (Angela Means).
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Rhythm and blues (also known as R&B or RnB) is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences, first performed by African American artists.
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TLC was an American music group, whose repertoire spans R&B, hip hop and pop. Originally known as 2nd Nature, the group, TLC was formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1991 by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Crystal Jones.
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