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Kid n' Play

Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop and comedy duo from New York City that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop and comedy duo from New York City that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

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Kid n' Play Biography

The duo was composed of Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond.

Besides their successful musical careers, they are also notable for branching out into acting.

The pair met while performing in rival high school groups The Turnout Brothers and The Super Lovers, and initially formed their duo under the name The Fresh Force Crew. In 1986 She's a Skeezer and Rock Me were recorded. By 1987 they had changed their name to Kid 'n Play.

Kid 'n Play in 1992 Kid 'n Play recorded three albums together between 1988 and 1991: 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 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 ten inches high at its peak. Martin regularly wore eight-ball jackets.

Kid 'n Play were also notable for their dance known as the Funky Charleston, first seen in their video "Gittin Funky". Also affectionately known as the Kid and Play Kickstep, it was influenced by the 1920s era dance the Charleston.

The Funky Charleston featured the New Jack Swing-aerobic dance moves typical of late 1980s urban street dancing. Unlike the original Charleston, The Funky Charleston requires two participants instead of one. This dance also was made quite popular in Kid 'n Play's feature film House Party, in which Kid and Play have a dance competition with Tisha Campbell and A.J. Johnson. Acting careers

In addition to their music, Kid 'N Play starred together in four feature films, 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 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. House Party was originally meant for DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. Years later in an interview with Halftimeonline.net DJ Jazzy Jeff revealed

“When we did ‘Nightmare On My Street’ New Line Cinema sued the daylights out of us, but they liked the record and they thought Will and I were talented from ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand.’ So part of the settlement was that we had to pay them some money, but they offered us two scripts to do two movies. The first script was House Party because if you think about the premise of House Party one dude was a Dj and the other was a rapper so House Party was set up for Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. We weren’t thinking about doing movies back then. Then Kid N Play blew up off of that.

Class Act, produced in 1992, was a comedy in the same vein as the House Party films. For that film, Reid traded his trademark hi-top fade in for braids instead. 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 teenagers, 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) performed in the animated portions of the show. 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 and Sesame Street.

Kid 'n Play were featured in the Adult Swim animated special Freaknik: The Musical as themselves.

After the duo Reid continued acting, guest starring in a number of television sitcoms, including Full House, and hosting shows such as It's Showtime at the Apollo and Your Big Break. Martin became a born-again Christian, and devoted his time to working on Christian-based hip-hop music projects. He 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.

He also founded Brand Newz, an online syndicated magazine focusing on positive community leaders and events. Martin became a professor at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina (where he now resides).

Martin was also a judge for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards.The duo is currently on a tour of the House Party anniversary along with other rappers such as Salt n Pepa.

In 2009, State Farm released a commercial featuring LeBron James dancing to the music of Kid 'n Play.

In October 2009 the duo appeared on the BET Hip Hop Awards where they did their trademark dance. On Feb 9, 2010 the duo appeared on The Mo'Nique Show.

On June 23, 2010 the duo appeared on Lopez Tonight and performed 'Rollin' with Kid 'N Play' from their album, 2 Hype.

At 2010 Tribeca Film Festival Kid stated that "Play and I also have a television series in the works, so the future is bright."

Reid makes a cameo appearance at the end of the LMFAO video for Sorry for Party Rocking which recalls Kid n Play's House Party movies.

On February 27, 2012, Kid N Play released an "open letter" detailing planned future events.

On July 30, 2012, Kid 'n Play joined Salt-N-Pepa onstage at a concert in Brooklyn, NY.

Kid n' Play Videos

  • Life After for Play of Kid 'n Play Part 1
  • Kid n Play-Interview with Dialogue Magazine

FAQs on booking Kid n' Play

  • How do I book Kid n' Play to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Kid n' Play for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Kid n' Play, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Kid n' Play or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Kid n' Play

    Speaking fees for Kid n' Play, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Kid n' Play are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Kid n' Play, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Kid n' Play speak about?

    Kid n' Play is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Comedy.
  • Where does Kid n' Play travel from?

    Kid n' Play generally travels from New York, NY, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Kid n' Play’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Kid n' Play for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Kid n' Play for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Kid n' Play or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Kid n' Play is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Kid n' Play for your event is available upon request. Kid n' Play generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Bell Biv Devoe, Adam Newman, Carmen Lynch, Max Amini and Dan Harmon. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Kid n' Play for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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