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Kid 'N Play

Band formed in 1987

Disbanded in 1993

Kid 'N Play's Genre:

Pop-Rap, Rap, Party Rap, Old-School Rap

Biography

Among the first groups to tame rap's hardcore mentality into a positive, message-oriented music suitable for teens and mass audiences, Kid 'n Play debuted in 1988 with the platinum album 2 Hype, which the duo later spun into a deal involving films and a Saturday-morning cartoon show, the first involving a rap act. Though their recording activity became limited during the gangsta-dominated '90s -- 1991's Face the Nation was their last album -- the group managed two sequels to their original House Party film, as well as the 1991 teen flick Class Act.

Kid (born Christopher Reid; Bronx, NY) and Play (born Christopher Martin; Queens, NY) first met while performing in rival high school groups (the Turnout Brothers and the Super Lovers, respectively) and initially teamed up as Fresh Force. Play's former bandmate, Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor, became the duo's manager and signed Kid 'n Play to Select Records in 1987. Despite the predominance of James Brown samples during the mid-'80s, Azor gave 2 Hype a production job more rooted in disco and pop; thanks to the near-Top Ten R&B hit "Rollin' with Kid 'n Play," the album eventually reached platinum status. Though many rappers were more successful at the time, Kid 'n Play became film stars due to their clean-cut image -- Kid's six-inch "eraserhead" hairstyle, which seemed outrageous to white audiences, was vindicated by his honest, well-scrubbed face. The film House Party became a moderate success upon its release in 1990, and the duo even managed a proper LP that same year, Funhouse. During 1991, two Kid 'n Play films appeared: a sequel to House Party and Class Act. That same year, the album Face the Nation showed a growing reluctance to pander to pop audiences, but the duo was already entrenched in their style. A second sequel to House Party appeared in 1993, and little has been heard from them since. ~ John Bush

AOL Radio Stations Kid 'N Play is Featured on (3)

Old School Rap

Yo, yo, it's Old School Rap radio taking you on a ride to when hip-hop was in its truest form. Rhymin', beatboxing and the dopest beats ever made. From Run-DMC to Snoop Doggy Dogg, you'll only hear the illest joints on this station.

Underground Hip Hop

Underground Hip Hop is something that rap fans could easily define in the 90's. However, as rap music has grown, it has branched off into many sub-genres. So, to keep it simple, this station features artists you won't find too often in the mainstream. It features true lyricism, bangin' beats, dj's cutting up vinyl, and music that embraces the original gritty sound made popular in the mid 90's. The station spans the 80's, 90's and today. Yes, underground hip hop is alive and well today. You'll find it right here.

Kid 'N Play

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Heavy D, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Doug E. Fresh, LL Cool J, Kool Moe Dee, Rob Base, Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, Digital Underground, Big Daddy Kane and more.

All Stations

Kid 'N Play's Selected Discography (4)

2 Hype

1988 Select Records199611 Songs

Face the Nation

199111 Songs

The Video

19917 Songs

Kid 'n Play's Funhouse

SOUNDTRACK199011 Songs

All Albums

Artists Related to Kid 'N Play (50)

	Heavy D	Hip-hop's original overweight lover, Heavy D parlayed an eminently likable persona and strong MC skills into a lengthy career in music, television, and film.
	DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince	To many present-day listeners, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are best-remembered for launching the superstar music/acting career of the latter, now known by his real name of Will Smith.
	Doug E. Fresh	The first human beatbox in the rap world, and still the best of all time, Doug E. Fresh amazed audiences with his note-perfect imitations of drum machines, effects, and often large samples of hip-hop classics.
	LL Cool J	Hip-hop is notorious for short-lived careers, but LL Cool J is the inevitable exception that proves the rule.
	Kool Moe Dee	A member of one of the original hip-hop crews, Treacherous Three, Kool Moe Dee later became a solo star in his own right in 1986 by teaming with a teenaged Teddy Riley (later famed as the king of new jack swing) on the crossover hit "Go See the Doctor.
	Rob Base	Best-known for his 1988 platinum hip-hop classic "It Takes Two," Rob Base (with DJ E-Z Rock) rode his hit onto R&B radio stations as well as dance clubs, providing a touchstone for the style known as hip-house.
	Run DMC	More than any other hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C. are responsible for the sound and style of the music. As the first hardcore rap outfit, the trio set the sound and style for the next decade of rap.
	Salt-N-Pepa	By the late '80s, hip-hop was on its way to becoming a male-dominated art form, which is what made the emergence of Salt-n-Pepa so significant.
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	Big Daddy Kane	Emerging during hip-hop's massive creative expansion of the late '80s, Big Daddy Kane was the ultimate lover man of rap's first decade, yet there was more to him than the stylish wardrobe, gold jewelry, and sophisticated charisma.
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	Whodini	Coming out of the fertile early-'80s New York rap scene, Whodini were one of the first rap groups to add a straight R&B twist to their music, thus laying the groundwork for the new jack swing movement.
	Sir Mix-A-Lot	Inextricably linked with his pop culture touchstone "Baby Got Back," Sir Mix-A-Lot parlayed a gonzo tribute to women with large buttocks into hip-hop immortality, even despite his failure to score another hit of its magnitude.
	Grandmaster Flash	DJ Grandmaster Flash and his group the Furious Five were hip-hop's greatest innovators, transcending the genre's party-music origins to explore the full scope of its lyrical and sonic horizons.
	Tone-Loc	Tone-Loc (born Anthony Smith) soared from obscurity into pop stardom in 1989 when his hoarse voice and unmistakable delivery made the song "Wild Thing" (using a sample from Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'") a massive hit.
	De La Soul	At the time of its 1989 release, De La Soul's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was hailed as the future of hip-hop.
	Public Enemy	Public Enemy rewrote the rules of hip-hop, becoming the most influential and controversial rap group of the late '80s and, for many, the definitive rap group of all time.
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	A Tribe Called Quest	Without question the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest jump-started and perfected the hip-hop alternative to hardcore and gangsta rap.
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	Ice-T	Ice-T (born Tracy Morrow) has proven to be one of hip-hop's most articulate and intelligent stars, as well as one of its most frustrating.
	Nice & Smooth	New York City rap duo Gregg Nice (born Gregg Mays) and Smooth Bee (born Daryl Barnes) had an underrated 1991 debut release Ain't a Damn Thing Changed.
	KRS-One	KRS-One (born Kris Parker) was the leader of Boogie Down Productions, one of the most influential hardcore hip-hop outfits of the '80s.
	Das EFX	Das EFX's wildly playful, rapid-fire stuttering -- dense with rhymes and nonsense words -- was one of the most distinctive and influential lyrical styles in early-'90s hip-hop.
	Arrested Development	One of the major success stories of 1992, Arrested Development are a progressive rap collective fusing soul, blues, hip-hop, and Sly & the Family Stone-influenced funk with political, socially conscious lyrics.
	Beastie Boys	As the first white rap group of any importance, the Beastie Boys received the scorn of critics and strident hip-hop musicians, both of whom accused them of cultural pirating, especially since they began as a hardcore punk group in 1981.
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	N.W.A	N.W.A, the unapologetically violent and sexist pioneers of gangsta rap, are in many ways the most notorious group in the history of rap.
	Kris Kross	Thirteen-year-old rappers Chris "Daddy Mack" Smith and Chris "Mack Daddy" Kelly became the pop sensations of 1992 as Kris Kross.
	U.T.F.O.	U.T.F.O. was a Brooklyn, NY-based rap group, comprised of the Kangol Kid, Doctor Ice, the Educated Rapper, and Mix Master Ice.
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	Cypress Hill	Cypress Hill were notable for being the first Latino hip-hop superstars, but they became notorious for their endorsement of marijuana, which actually isn't a trivial thing.