Kid 'n Play
Kid (left) displaying his trademark high top fade, and Play, in a promotional picture from their 1992 film Class Act.
Background information
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genre(s)	Hip-Hop, Old school rap, Comedy, Pop rap
Years active	1987 - 1993
Label(s)	Select Records
Former members
Christopher "Kid" Reid Christopher "Play" Martin

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. Image File history File links Kid_n_play. ... A hi-top fade is a style of haircut where hair is cut like a Flattop, and the sides and back gradually fading from the thickness at the top, to almost bare skin. ... Class Act is a 1992 comedy motion picture, released by Warner Bros. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... The very first hip hop to come out of the block parties of New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s is called old school hip hop. ... A comedy is a dramatic performance of a light and amusing character, usually with a happy conclusion to its plot. ... Pop rap (sometimes referred to as hip pop) is the name given to a style of hip hop that has a strong pop music influences. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Select Records is an American record label Throughout its rich history, the recording industry has produced relatively few genuine and innovative independent label owners. ... Christopher Kid Reid (left) and Christopher Play Martin(right) in Class Act in 1992. ... Christopher Play Martin (right), with Christopher Kid Reid (left), in Class Act in 1992. ... Hip-Hop music is a style of popular music. ... A comedy is a dramatic performance of a light and amusing character, usually with a happy conclusion to its plot. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Christopher Kid Reid (left) and Christopher Play Martin(right) in Class Act in 1992. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... Christopher Play Martin (right), with Christopher Kid Reid (left), in Class Act in 1992. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ...

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. Face The Nation logo, used until 2002. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Salt, DJ Spinderella, and Pepa on the cover to their 1999 CD single, The Brick Track Verses Gitty Up Salt-N-Pepa is an American R&B and hip hop group, consisting of Cheryl James and Sandy Denton (Salt and Pepa, respectively), and Deidre Dee Dee Roper (DJ Spinderella). ... 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. ... Hot Rap Tracks is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ...

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...^{[citation needed]} Hip-hop/comedy duo Kid N Play sporting two variations of the hi-top fade. ...

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. 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. ... Luther R. Campbell (born December 22, 1960), also known as Luke Skyywalker, Uncle Luke or Luke, is a record label owner and rap performer (taking the non-rapping role of hype man). He is perhaps best known as a one-time member of 2 Live Crew. ...

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" [2]-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 Tisha 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". For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... 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. ... House Party is a 1990 comedy film released by New Line Cinema. ... House Party is a 1990 comedy film released by New Line Cinema. ... Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence (born April 16, 1965, in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. ... Tisha Campbell-Martin (born October 13, 1968 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA) has starred in television shows such as Martin (as Gina Waters) and My Wife and Kids (as Janet Kyle). ... 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. ... House Party 3 is the third installment of the House Party film series. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... TLC was an American music group, whose repertoire spans R&B, hip hop and pop. ...

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). Class Act is a 1992 comedy motion picture, released by Warner Bros. ...

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. The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming which was typically scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the 1990s. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the comic book company. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... Square One, also known as Square One Television, was a television show produced by the Childrens Television Workshop to teach mathematics and abstract mathematical concepts to young viewers. ...

It has been stated on Kid's MySpace that there will be new film from the duo around late 2007. MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. ...

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. Sister, Sister is an American television sitcom about twin girls, separated and adopted at birth, one day find each other face to face after fourteen years. ... Showtime at the Apollo (formerly Its Showtime at the Apollo) is a syndicated music television show, first broadcast in 1986, and is produced by the Apollo Theater. ... Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ...

Discography

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

Face The Nation logo, used until 2002. ...

Filmography

• Kid 'N Play (1990-1991, animated cartoon, NBC)
• House Party (1990)
• House Party 2 (1991)
• Class Act (1992)
• House Party 3 (1994)

Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn) film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot (even if it is a very short one). ... This article is about the television network. ... House Party is a 1990 comedy film released by New Line Cinema. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... House Party is a 1990 comedy film released by New Line Cinema. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Class Act is a 1992 comedy motion picture, released by Warner Bros. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... House Party 3 is the third installment of the House Party film series. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ...

References

External links

• Christopher Reid (I) at the Internet Movie Database
• Christopher Martin (I) at the Internet Movie Database
• Kid (Christopher Reid) on MySpace.com
• (Christopher Martin) Brand Newz