MY EXPERT OPINION EP # 197: "KID N PLAY"

foreign [Music] my expert opinion show the greatest show in the world world world world we gotta do that over because they got it they gotta touch up everybody hit that like hit that share let everybody know you went ahead on course you know paper unless she's a mother today bro shut up what's good with you everything's good man uh shout out to Mr Gyro YK TV magazine shout out to my boy young sleep he got a new record out with uh Mickey facts uh that following Mickey facts for a while I like him and young one of the Bronx Flyers yeah shout out to him and shout out to the closing clothing line uh love not for sale appreciate your merch and everything big chass in the building hey Sean bigger man of God peace get facts you're all ready we're in the building shout out to Gusto with the Queen's pin and Flash shorts and nobody else can get but me appreciation word who should be here right now yeah already but he's busy he has some other Pride engagements yeah so yeah yeah what's her name whatever but we ain't gonna talk about stars who ain't here we're gonna focus on the ones who showed up and what stars we have ladies and gentlemen straight from Queens one of in my opinion one of the under celebrated Duos in hip-hop history who deserve way more than they get way more than they get Pioneers in movies Pioneers in clothing lines pioneers and dancing Pioneers in production Pioneers in The Crew Love situation type thing and and then they still go on to kill it more and more and more and more and more and not to mention the fact that they from Queens which automatically puts them a couple of levels up ladies and gentlemen fellas how are you hold them on a ride and it's not supposed to be the first thing you say intro I did my research on YouTube that's what you get Trader jumping out the window I'm from Harlem you good money Harlem Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Queens Queens Queens you're supposed to help me yes I'm talking about error again yeah but yo really really happy to see y'all in the building like the BET Awards like I said in my opinion you guys are under celebrated it was yeah it was yeah it was good to you know that's I think that's how we that's how we made it you know yep absolutely so uh yeah it was the BET Awards was you know it was something to see you know getting funky you perform my favorite kid and play song we did right I was glad because um we got uh Kid Capri shout out to Capri musical director um for the show that ended up becoming pretty much the host but uh he had picked that and I was glad he did because I wanted to do something either that or last night or something but I'm glad I was able to do something that was uh come from our beginnings you know before things went more uh hey Pop which I ain't mad at either it's about getting money so you know what I'm saying but uh no that was a good he always looks Joshua he always chooses those beats he's like it's all right with the hola hola and ain't gonna hurt nobody but let's let's keep it hip hop so he put that whole set together though pretty much I think it was a kid between him and um him and um hi-hat no it was him he put the whole set together she had to work from that point up yeah did you guys did you guys work with Kid Capri prior to that uh we got an interesting uh story about Kid Capri tell us about it well [ __ ] he's usually brings it up before I we bring it up is that the first tour he ever went on was with us we had our DJ shout out to DJ whiz Queen's native as well uh I felt you know we needed double power for a particular I forgot what tour that was going to be but I just felt we needed more power so um him being a friend of ours I was like yo let's bring him out to you know to bring that you know what Kid Capri does and we brought him out on the road was his first tour he ever did you know coming out seeing different cities and states and yeah all that he always he always yeah at that point I think he he had he had New York you know Tri-State online but I don't think he had ever really traveled like that before and um I had to talk my crew into it a little bit because you didn't really see the vision right right right I didn't see the vision at first but once he got out there he killed it the vision was very clear very clear we should do what what math normally does and start from the beginning yeah let's go down to chronological I'm gonna do my best to not jump in because I know so much about y'all right like from the cartoon to non-stop to like right I know so much I'm like y'all but I'm gonna jump in and sprinkle it so yeah started off with two separate dance crews you guys weren't in the same separate wrap Christmas you guys weren't in the same crew to begin no it was not well you guys were the crews Rivals give me the story just give me the story turn our brothers super lovers there's Quicksilver and the super lovers we had a theme you know all of the rappers had a like my full name is Playboy we had Herbie Love Bug we had Prince Charm we had Romeo so all of these were legendary lover lames so we was appealing to the female demographics you know we love cold Crush you know they did a lot of singing and stuff like that I remember one track we did was off of shalimar's make this a night to remember and so if you get ready ready not tomorrow but tonight Playboy is gonna make this a night we got the harder ones which was the turnout Brothers they were more towards the male demographic and it was kid cool out that's his full joint Marky B right Rockin B uh I'm in raw Ron Lawrence who is known the hitmakers yes his name was Ronnie tough Ronnie tough back there he's responsible for biggies or no uh notorious no no no no um Aretha Franklin and all of that and then him and DDOT had a group together two kings in the side two kings Rothschild so the the connection was there DJ who became an MC rocking B was literally biological Brothers with Romeo and our crew so it was always a friendly competition but a competition never nevertheless because back then something went on that you don't hear about with Cruz today there was something called practice these routines so they would be like precise when it was time to hit the stage so those are the two yeah we were all we were all homeboys we were all friendly but when it came time for these you know local gyms or all right Flushing High or you know local Heights we're trying to yeah we're trying to you know we're trying to win we were trying to win you know we get get real secretive you know what I'm saying like you know me and my basement practicing they they had herpes practicing and um you know if we would go back and forth well some some nights they would bust our ass and other things we we would come out on top right so uh you know it was so funny because we would always have to go okay who won the last one because whoever won the last one were more than likely the other the group the other girl was gonna win the next one it was always go back and forth because you because you was mad you was Aggie you know yeah so you know you got to get your outfits right you gotta oh all of that you know what I'm saying well we ended up doing all the world all of those the big rap contests and stuff they would have it would be a big thing to see our name on those flyers you know if we was prepared I could show you them but uh because like we said we save all that stuff you know what I'm saying I collect gold slides from back in the day um but with all of this being said it was interesting as we grew competitive wise because they became a favorite of the Supreme Team they would hang out with that radio station for Some D's the whole nine coming out of Staten Island we became favored with uh Curtis blow we won at the Disco fever like three times actual trophies in the whole nine that's how I met Curtis and jelly beans and Jalil from Houdini that introduced us to Jelly Bean Benitez who was like the number one um remixer he would like remix people's hit records his girlfriend at the time was Madonna So say no more whatever happened to her yeah so as we're climbing and climbing but just fast forward you almost remember that scene in the The Five Heartbeats or either The Temptations movie where it's like the groups ain't making money so the cats begin to say you know what I'm quitting we ain't doing anyway go to get a regular job that's pretty much what happened with both the crews and just fast forward we were the two two men left standing out of our individual groups and we're just like you know we're became fresh for us so I'm pretty sure you're ready to get into that so no we don't I'd rather bloop over there all that has to happen oh yeah well but to the place Point um you know everybody started because I think I don't think we were at that point but but not not everybody in the groups was at that point where they really saw a significant future doing this you know we were still just kind of doing it to be doing it we wasn't really making any money with the girls yeah doing educate with girls get problems neighborhood wives queenswise what have you um and and I think it got to the point where everybody else could have just kind of broke out and it was you know it was me and being uh being played and you know we were already hanging out like every day anyway we lived around the corner from each other before you go any further I'll be with missed if I didn't give a big shout out to DJ Baby J who used to be at the USA roller skating rink in Jackson Heights that place was phenomenal because they were the ones that first brought around Run DMC with sucker DJs so Sonic forced all of them he believed in us and then you know went on to other people we met Richard Ahi and Lenny Brown and then Jelly Bean Benitez and all of that but DJ Baby J I gotta give him shout out uh baby hold up he's still alive very much so you just came out with a book just came out with a book a lead broker that's that's part of the story that I find so interesting I don't think people understand that you guys were literally the bridge between schools the bridge between errors like the guys who you're mentioning that you came up wanting to impress are like Founders like founding fathers and then for you guys to go from that and then enter into the ERA with Run DMC salt and pepper like haircut redhead King Here Comes this whole other error that you you end up fathering but you bridge you were the you were the bridge between those two schools well and I think we were you know we're old enough to remember when there wasn't hip-hop you know what I mean yeah and so we were one of those groups that we we initially we had one foot in that old r b flavor you know WBLS type [ __ ] um and then and then yeah part of the part of a bridge or spanning to this this new this new kind of era which was like I said was was very exciting but I don't know that we really saw a future future future future um I think at that time maybe we were like um I don't know we wasn't trying to have a Joby job we were happy enough to have enough money to get a cheeseburger deluxe yeah I was still in school anyway I was I was going to school play was always working you know play working he had every job not in the beginning but wow he worked at the airport we grew up right near LaGuardia Airport right not in the beginning so we had well let me jump to that because this is a good story I wasn't legal for a minute you know what I'm saying no he wasn't but but you know what we we both had really we both have really uh dominance and strong fathers his father and my father my father was a Jamaican you know force of nature you know with his father was a uh you know I mean was a was a really you know a dominant and and um you know just a strong strong uh image and you know that that's who we were you know that's what we were doing some serious you want to go back and talk about it oh I mean we're keeping the 100 yeah my father when I do my speaking engages I describe him as an urban pharmaceutical engineer Guy Fisher the whole nine so my father actually made the front page of the New York Post for robbing a bank you know what I'm saying so you you try either subconsciously or consciously to be like your father or impress your father and especially coming up in the age of That 70s exploitation films you know hell up I mean um uh cotton comes to Harlem and black season all of that so seeing how my father was living with the big all-white Continental Mark IV car dressed to the nines the whole nine and his associates and things of that nature that was my hero subliminally or consciously and that's what I wanted to be then we're coming up in an era of fat cat um Alpo all of them these are my you know here we didn't I have rappers to look up to he didn't have a black president to look up to all we saw was what was before us and seeing people survive and trying to make it so my father was about that life he was getting to the point where my father turned his life around and became a minister after doing hard time and all that stuff but in the meantime I got kicked out of five high schools I was out there you know he was five for five I was I was out there sticking people up to myself you got kicked out of them button design yep Hillcrest Jamaica flushing yup and I want to say Brian and ended up did you have a you didn't get thrown on a new town no I wasn't in that dead zone it's a good deal to go there yeah just missed it so I mean I'm not glorifying this this was the path that was before me at the time but to go a little bit further like when I finally got introduced to him he was refreshing because I'm seeing someone that's making an effort to to be cool but at the same time very educated and it got to a point in my life where things started getting scary my father was fed up because when my father did his last bid he was on a real lengthy probation for the grace of God that he they cut his time but he was on probation with me I had certain tools that weren't supposed to be in the home that they would do a surprise visit with him and find that there he would go back to finish doing his time he didn't make no difference what was in the house who brought it in what's supposed to be around him so he took it out on me when he would find those things like yo what a yo you know you trying to get me one of those mans is this so that was just a very interesting section so in order for kid and I to like just to jump real quick and we could go back the reason why we love the movie Class Act that we did that's my personal favorite is because we were able to draw from what really happened on our lives and our relationship and our home environment you know to a certain degree yeah I got to ask this before yeah no that movie was really intended for some other actors yeah big time but they had it they rewrote it on the shelf for a long time and when we met with Warner Brothers who wanted to do business with us real bad they were able to find that script and wonder they gave us scripts to want to know what we were interested in when we read that script we like both looked at each other like somebody eavesdropping in on it they just had to rewrite it they just had to you know they just had the blackened it up you know what I'm saying my question if you play before we moved forward so you um is what was the defining moment at that time in your life when you know your father's in the crib and you know he's on probation and he's getting his life together what what was it that happened to destroy that broken camera was back that made you said I'm not [ __ ] with this no more the one that quickly comes to mind was the birth of my first son you know like how old were you at that time oh mid-20s okay around but like when it's like it was time to get my life together I'm seeing my father who was like subconsciously my hero like some young men don't really want to say that about their fathers but we all want that father you know what I'm saying it's right in that era and just seeing him admitting he's wrong seeing everything that he went through to get his life he went back to school uh two schools a matter of fact and got his degree and he just had to because a lot of people when he claimed Christ Jesus in his life people thought he was just claiming that to get you know get a break and it just took a while for people to really see he was really about that new life and stuff for me to see that get around better people to be affiliated with like kid Bronx High School of Science Herbert H Lehman College all of that stuff and just things like that I'm seeing these signs meeting a grandmother that I never really met before who was you know born again Christian and just the signs was there and just seeing people that I did admire getting either killed or going to prison and I didn't see really how things was going to be any different for me you know what I'm saying so yeah yeah and yeah and that was that was like a thing and and so like I said eventually uh you know as as our friendship was kind of evolving you know we I don't know we we tend to tended to kind of lean on each other because I didn't know nothing about none of that stuff that he was doing you know and I'm back then I got a big afro I got these the thickest glasses you ever want to see I'm like you know but he always had the fresh Adidas Real Talk he was like a real you know what I'm saying that thing you would iron your jeans so his jeans would be cool enjoyed after surgery and I'm like this guy's kind of corny but he kind of cool so I could take a little of that and mix it with my things you like corny fresh yeah and I can do something with this I want to get a whole different level of woman too you know it's warm I was like woman what's that yeah it's funny because none none of that is reflected in the music that you made right it's a complete 180 the life you're describing versus the first kid and play album right where we got to know who you guys were none of that is reflected but is that any different than your job you know what I'm saying it's like when you think about a person that you know just say a young lady and it's a bank teller dude you know you see them what they supposed to be wearing but when you see them on their day off they ain't nothing like different it's the Persona or the image and stuff so to me they said you know I like I said for me it was about girls so it's like they told me girls like guys who spun on their heads and break dance I'll try that the girls like guys who rap okay okay I got a little Talent with that with the help of him and some others I could do that I ain't got to go be behind bars and all that kind of stuff and this will work you know and we had the luxury to have still living in our parents home so there was a lot of coverage you know what I'm saying yeah there was coverage but that coverage comes at a cost oh yeah you know what I'm saying what course is that well I mean you know my you know I think I think for both our fathers but but you know in particular my father um they did not understand what this hip-hop thing was about yeah you know what I mean they didn't know about it at all and my you know my father you know Jamaican immigrant he was all about education you know he he just didn't he didn't get it he just knew I was out late at night coming in three four o'clock in the morning you know so you know no money no no money no money but you know I'm still in school but but you know I think at that point maybe I I we had enough for cheeseburger deluxe yeah no money White Castle on a bad day on a Tuesday so you know my father was like he just and I think I'm sure a lot of parents from there they couldn't they couldn't see you know we could barely see it right but we were attracted to it like like a moth to a flame right so we're going out every weekend we're going in and I would um you know I'd come in three four o'clock in the morning he comes in and then so you get a beat down and then you know you want to punish me for two weeks you can't go nowhere then when the punisher's over right back out do it again three four o'clock in the morning come back me down you down for two weeks as soon as that's over right back out so my father he doesn't he doesn't know what to do so that's saying that house party was exactly exactly that's exactly what happened to you on house party one I wouldn't do that just yet no no but no you no he never went for the belt my father was about them hands he had these big Jamaican ham hands it was conceptualized and he was following you he was confused and he was you know I would hear him talking on the phone excuse me to our relatives and he said I don't know what to do I beat him and I beat him and I beat him again I still won't go to the party so this is what we were going through but then this is this actually happened he um we were doing a show probably at the Holiday Inn something like that right he snuck he saw a flyer maybe I left a flyer sitting around on the table and you know my father's a curious man he's just like man I got to figure out why I can't beat beat it out of this kid so he said okay he's right down the block uni so unbeknownst to me he goes to the show the local show you want some water bro um you see that word you just said but notes to him there's a word no [Music] um so um when when I got back from that from that show he was there sitting in the kitchen and he's flying and and I'm like what's going on he said I went to your little show tonight and I got I got excited I'm like well you know what'd you think he said the music was very loud but he started to see what it was he saw he was just young kids playing music kicking it wasn't no nefarious [ __ ] it wasn't you know we wasn't hustling we wasn't doing nothing like that so then you know they start to understand and I think your father was the same way you know when they when these these these men have to see some kind of results do you remember the first time you heard your record on the radio mines happened right on time because the day that that happened WBLS played it it was last night yeah he did the first time he was calm because I think he was at his end with me and to make a love story short he was saying the speech to kick me out it was time for me to leave the nest out right but as she's talking to me I guess the words were you know I love your son this hurts me more than just gonna hurt all of that kind of stuff like that I'm beginning to hear last night so back then was the all-in-one the record player the radio and the cassette player all at once so I'm hearing it and I'm looking over I'm trying to be respectful of him getting ready to do what's inevitable to do and I'm looking over the thing and I'm thinking okay maybe it's the cassette tape cassette tapes that I left in the player and maybe back then it had an automatic rewind if it went to the end and flip over so I said well maybe I left the tape in there whatever and I'm looking at the tape part and ain't nobody moving but I'm looking at the wrestling and I'm seeing the radio and he's saying this thing like son I'm sorry and I just oh yo yo yo he's like and it was my record I'll record playing for the first time on the radio WBLS didn't give him a chance to finish that's like something right out of the movies rushing out of the house trying to find somebody trying to find him trying to find Herbie yo did you hear whatever so it gave me more time to live what was it what was his response to hearing you on the radio you know I don't know because I didn't stick around to see but I do know years later we were sitting in his car sitting in front of the house and wondering about one of the several humble moments I had with him he said in his way apologizing for just not seeing what this would come to what we were doing the kid described never giving up hanging in there never knew after the umptive car bought him you know everything is just lovely now and I'm just saying wow I just had no idea that this would come to this you know movies and you know yeah but like he said there was there was no way to see that there are careers in this when we were starting out you didn't have that we didn't have that luxury we didn't we couldn't think that far ahead we we had no idea what the the things that we would eventually accomplish that would that would even come into play and so if we didn't know about it um Bay sure didn't um but you know you know later on later on when they see the the benefits of the fruits of our labor we took them out to L.A we took our fathers out to L.A and all paid expense trip could have been the fanciest cars they could probably imagine one and I know they were fun Alexis and all of that stuff that was the thing at the time but five-star treatment my father lost his mind his number one fighter is Tommy Hearns right so to me time turns came to one of our premieres and he's got this picture still in his place today of them two putting up a pose oh uh telling them meeting people like Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and Phyllis Hyman and all of these people that became friends you know it just was amazing you know he had a has a crush on Yolanda Adams you know all of that my father you know my father his thing was um we brought him out to the image Awards and you know I think I got nominated for image Awards we bring them out there you know we're out there and he had a thing for Dion Warwick so we're in the things he's like I'm like yo what's going on is that Dion Warwick [Applause] and blew their minds and and you know this I can't I can't tell you what kind of satisfaction is that and I know these cats these young instead they do the same thing I know they do for their families and their people um and they have a lot more Revenue with which to do it right you know we were at that point where like first first big chunk I got you know first big chunks we got that's what we went I didn't even know where the next chunk was coming from necessarily I said but I have to do this I have to do this I had to buy this man a car you know you got you know what I mean or whatever you want to do or come out here and this is landing they riding in limousines and they just saying you stood out to Boston I mean we was we have a great relation with the NBA we was always doing this stay in school uh NBA All-Star weekends and I remember was when Shaq first did his first All-Star weekend I'm not as knowledgeable of the players as he or my sons and my son is little at the time so I brought my for having a father and son bringing my father bringing my son out to one of the weekends we did so I'm making sure they're laced in the room my father was like oh you really got me I had to be babysitting you know and I'm calling to check on them and they're like I said how's everything going well everything's good Sun's on the on the floor you know playing with his friend his new friend you know games and stuff like what friend I'm not a girl like using your room whatever go in there and like a big kid which he is Shaq and my son is playing video games and my father is like this is what it's all about you know this is just to be able to just be able to do those things and for our baby mamas as well you know all of that as well hey yeah you gotta look out man I mean no and then they hold it down and then the funny part is how when they get into that I know as far as my father was concerned now now he's getting into it he sees we're having success I'm having success so now he wanted to get into it and you know Yes mine yes my Missy your boy upon the TV man yes I said don't you mean Heavy D Heavy D chunky recipe I remember one time with his father had complained to me and another good friend of ours Romeo that he felt like stardom had gone to his head because he kept trying to contact him and he wasn't getting any response and we're like yo you taking it too far down you're not responding your father you know and this is the time I think he was always wearing the wafer is like even at night time he's wearing dark glasses so we we we're hanging out with his father in the street talking his father's like I don't understand him he won't return my calls today and we're like Boo Boo this ain't no good finally kid rolls up and um we make them deal with the issue he's like yo why aren't you returning your father's Court written when do you call when do you call us and back then it was 1-800. it was one of those come to find out the whole time his father was dollar 1-800 Sky King number 1-800 Sky King anymore I don't want to answer me so tell me about all this time communication yeah cause he's dialing the wrong thing and his son's not getting back to him but I know we did a lot of editing and fast forward where we last left software's um yes because I definitely wanted that and I don't see I'll say this um if this was our path yeah you got to make bad records before you make good records or you got to make bad you got to make records that P people don't know or that aren't successful before you hit your stride and you learn about how what it is to make a record and what the Dynamics of the group are so some of our early records was like we're just trying to get on right so we're making records that are just uh taking advantage of what's going out there we're trying to we're trying to latch on to what's going out there and trim so yeah so my idea this is hot my uh do this right so we made a record called she's uh excusa yeah parody what you call parody yeah right I don't necessarily agree with his I think those records did what those records needed to do and if they were that bad I don't think anybody beat how many times we performed at the Latin quarter based off of the we have one called all hail the drum she's a schiza Falco had a record called Rock Me Amadeus we did a parody called Rock me yeah we also did uh we wrote one for some girls call it girls rule the world which was a a comeback on Curtis blows if I ruled the world right I get what he's saying but I saw what those things did yes they did help us hone our craft and our skills and all of that but we we we performed we did a lot of shows off those we did a lot of Latin quarters they got to the point we'd be like letting Carter wants us back again we did a lot of stuff in Ohio believe it or not a lot of stuff in um Philly Philly doesn't get the props that they deserve for hip-hop period because yeah because New York now New York didn't put hip-hop on regular rotation before Philly did and a big shout out to lady that's interesting you know what I'm saying lady yes Colby call them all them Philly dudes they was playing hip-hop during the day yeah and on Prime Time not no you know because with uh Mr Magic on the weekend he was on whbi what was it the thing he was on hbi before he got to BLS BLS so they we were doing a lot of shows it would be so interesting because there was a popular place in Queens my man would know um uh the uh what's the you had um what's the diners or diners the deer head the deer head Buccaneer and what's the other one it was three of them so the buccaneer was a spot for whatever reason if Kane would have a gig somewhere in Far of Jersey or Philly we would have one in Philly Bismarck all of this this Dino would be where everybody would come everybody rocket no matter what time we all finished coming in late at night one two three o'clock and really the three four o'clock in the morning we'd all meet there unintentionally to enjoy our food cheeseburgers Deluxe he was able to afford like you know uh uh Surf and turfs and shrimp scampi and all of that kind of stuff but that was very interesting that we would all end up coming from shows from other places outside of New York you know so then so I think we um has Kid and Play been born yet no that would be no not yet that wasn't and um and that was that was to me that was the The Game Changer right because by this time you know we're out here we're on suture records which is the same label the Fat Boys was on and whatnot and you know we're yeah we're we're doing our thing we don't making a little bit of noise but certainly not anything really loud but at the same time this is when Herbie is blowing up playing a game salt and pepper and so and this you know and Herbies you know they was in the same group we all we all still know each other you know and we felt like um they had you know they had kind of passed us by type stuff um but we still had a desire to kind of work with each other and so I think at that point I think the suture deal went left because it was just like we weren't making enough noise right and so we coming back to the to our neighborhood and and Herbie's like well you know what y'all want to do he said you know y'all y'all gonna do something together we gotta we got maybe we gotta Rebrand well he didn't have to reinvent the wheel as well right but we had a nice little momentum going in the tri-step a little bit at least you know yeah at least we knew our way around the recording studio right so at that point kid cool out and Playboy became Kid and Play whose idea was that yeah to shortened it was both ideas well when you become like you know my full name is Christopher if you're real familiar with being close you're gonna call me Christmas short it's got the same name so we already had that name because we're all close with each other and then guys ain't really interested in dubbing another guy Playboy so he's gonna call him Playboy cool out just call them kids for short we all know our full joints but we're all extremely close to each other so it really just evolved it was just organic it's just like yo kid and play and I didn't know why my name was last but they tricked me in well more things rhyme would play I'm like yeah okay and I think we were taking a page but I think we also took a page out of the like like salt and pepper just flows so easy salt and pepper Kid and Play you know and sometimes when when you hear what you know it's like anything it's like an idea about a concept or or idea about a record when you when you hear it you know it Kid and Play yeah that's it yeah he was half listening to what somebody was telling them my name was it was like oh Sid and Clay so I mean Kid and Play just seemed like it really um naturally described who we were at that point we weren't fresh for us anymore because what the [ __ ] boys it's some you know yeah yeah exactly who came over and then they came up with that name yeah yo that's French yeah but it's so old that it's back it's coming back around that's true that's how that [ __ ] I say it too I say groovy I say monkey bread you said groovy I say groovy all the chess so the new so this new she takes on Fridays this new name wrong this new name we got is coinciding with the fact that we're working with Herbie Love Bug now this is a whole another bowl game right who doesn't get the props he deserves as a producer I agree one of those Mastermind producers who put all these groups together yeah it was a blueprint he was part of a Beyonce's earlier to get a deal over select records um which at that time had UTFO uh real Roxanne you know they were up and coming independent label um the the the guy that ran select was a big fan of Herbies I mean a lot of these independent labels the profiles the the sleeping bags all those they always wanted to know like what's Herbie's next group going to be because they saw what he did with Dana Dean they saw what he did with sweet tea they saw what he did with salt and pepper so they were like well what is it who whoever the next [ __ ] that he's [ __ ] with we want to we want in and I remember being there where is that that was a great time in music and an independent labels it was a great time you know when they ruled because they were able to see the vision where the majors didn't want to really recognize rap you know so the thing was we was at some industry party or something like that and Fred Madeo rolled up on him and said yo I want to know you know what you're doing you know who's next whatever and I was standing right next to him and he pointed yeah you might have been there too I just don't point it right she wasn't and said them and he's like let's get together it was on a weekend let's get together Monday and let's make it happen sight unseen I don't think people get that that significance of what you just like Majors were not signing rap battles they could only be signs as a hip-hop artist on an indie lady and if they did they weren't putting the proper support and muscle behind him it's like let's throw them out like a novel like the Indies that meant everything that meant everything sorry that meant everything to the Indies in regards to these are the patches you know and then later on they gobbled them up but right what's the difference well they first of all like when you look at real estate with Mom and Pop stores what the malls end up doing to the mom and pop stores you know the hardware stores the all these and just came so now that's what when the Indies finally saw the vision and saw the payoff they bought a lot of them out they bought their um you know I know from us yeah but the thing that were under the big umbrella of uh yeah yeah they came later the big the big um conglomerates came later to buy and they would pick and choose they would look at select records roster and say and say okay we want hands we don't want them we don't think you know what they wanted they won't get in play you know when Atlantic comes or electric comes A1 kid in play maybe they want chop rock yeah full force full forces yeah so back at back in that era of um the record labels if you were on the independent prior to uh major coming into play it was almost like the growth and development of the artist right and also too this is what I say it look you could the label's so small like you you could walk right into the dude's office and be like yo what's going on you know when when you get to those big big labels that's not that's not you can't walk into around that time the 80s or early 90s it was the Indies because they had Run DMC uh I think the thing that went on too is Russ able to get um because Run DMC people don't remember they were part of an indie the Curtis became part of was it Colombia because I think it was because it was a big label he was the first that's why you don't get he's one of the first ones first was assigned to a major wasn't it was an Aristotle because I wasn't I was really around that it was but it was it was a big one he was one of the first big ones that they poached yeah they had him then you had um the labels were profile Sutra all of that I'm trying to think um because you had Eric being Rakim that was Broadway fourth and Broadway fourth and Broadway it was all India which was I think which was Island Records outside you know what I'm saying all these different but um we were part of this thing next Plateau that was who salt and pepper was science so Run DMC was on profile profile you know mantronics and and uh and when EPMD first started out sleeping bag first you know what I mean all these different independent labels were they were they were leading the the charge fever records they were doing all them clubs to change but um getting back to the thing once when we started started making records with Herbie the whole thing changed because of him now we're making records at a much higher level he's he's giving his you know he's given us his producing talents which are killing the game like I said you got salt and pepper salt and pepper killing it and what he also does is he makes he makes us raise our game I know he made me made me raise my game you know as a as a writer right because I'm thinking everything I write is a [ __ ] he's like and he's like that [ __ ] it's black my game had already risen but anyway but I do want to you know what because this is a good part I don't want to leave people out as far as those early records from which we learned and got better with and they did its thing big shout out to Charlie Casanova that was the producer that was um producing those right and believed in US big time because what we went through what we call the van ERA this van he had no windows in it how does I don't know what in the summertime no furniture in the back no seats or whatever there we are a matter of fact when we were shopping around to finally get a deal before they would suit your records uh we people knew us like we was out there every week trying to get a deal we're trying to get it and Charlie Casanova well known for his remixes a little under um John Jelly Bean Benitez says the word was out there yeah we saw Charlie and his two little [ __ ] that was called back there you know out there trying to get it that sounds crazy did Herbie then well the majors but as far as the once in my world it had to have been profile will Run DMC and they had Dana Dan on that label and then that's when Dev James started to pop off and that's what I was going to ask trust me but Def Jam ended up being distributed by Colombia they did eventually right and but they couldn't get run in them on there because running them was locked on it so with Def Jam you had LL Cool J BC boys all of them so that was a defining moment that was huge and I was still running right managed by Rush yeah and trust me we were so determined to to get with and I think this was even before we started working on Herbie we would go down to rush management we'd be down there like damn near every day and we were sitting there waiting room hoping that they would call us in and we could talk about and they never did no one time he let us know remember when we met him and we were it was almost like Andre no no no I'm talking about the Russell uh it was almost like meeting The Wizard of Oz because we ended up going and he just had just one desk and chair he was eating a Subway sandwich I don't remember nothing big no because remember me said there's nothing I can do with y'all I wouldn't know what to do with y'all because that was when he was managing a lot of artists that weren't on it was uh yeah he was that's why it was a big deal when Eric B says it was a big that was a statistic no we met him I remember it was he was eating a Subway sandwich I remember Andre used to be down there and it was like down there nothing we could do right now I wouldn't know what to do with you guys did not figure out what to do with it but never mind no when at that time we weren't even kid and play then okay yeah and they like you I don't even know if we had a deal with Sutra at that time or whatever it was just us he wouldn't be out there we are doing them Subways open existence yet nor was not see okay it was not not in the fresh four states it was sponsored by uh Benetton we was rocking yeah spicy and we had a mannequin that looked like a a space like a robot really he was in the that was the force it was I saw both sides with our better like I said these are the these are the bumps yeah you get you know before you get the thing and so um you get with her B yeah so we wear Herbie and now um you know he got us a deal over at select and what they used to do back in the days they didn't give you an album deal right off the rip single deal single deal so we had last night it was that was it was a good you know uh Tri-State how that record was hot you know it was hot we made some storytelling song and it was a good story we're talking about going to Union Square and this [ __ ] probably try not to get robbed and he set you up with a girl and you think she's ugly mind all that [ __ ] and then um that was that was my favorite yeah um so then this is what they broke on the face said it was a crime he said you had so bold I could read your mind so so we do last night first single let's make some noise second single let's do this my way father got a visit music video which our first music video which which made even more noise but Yahoo was frustrating just to pause on that one we knew for sure like last night was a had a great Buzz great job but when we did do this my way we knew well first of all what we went through for Herbie to finally get it the way he wanted it to be that was a perfectionist but we knew we had a hit this is it the beat is banging Ain't No Way in the world this thing's gonna fail literally we know somewhere in Harlem there was another similar beat same sample same sample Rob Base and easy rock oh wow right but he left the woo yeah in yeah but we took it out but still yeah that that just cast a shadow on our joint at best when you catch would rock his beat the beat that they could put in with it would be ours but the thing was with red alert and then played it you know they playing while basis joint we're beginning to hear our joy being mixed Fitness now it's time for commercial so we will always have these so close but yet so far moments in our career so all right so that's two singles in we still don't got an album deal with a dope video dude videos yeah all right but then the third song is getting funky I made that a video for that after that video now they want to sign us for for the first um out of the kid will be at the first round of two hype that's how they used to do it like you had to prove yourself one two three you know at least singles that made noise Street wise or whatever then you then we got the deal and then that's when we made all the others and the great thing about getting funky was I believe most DJs felt they kind of owed us one because of how hot Judas my way was but we had to deliver so with that music video featuring all these dances we put in it that was shot in Harlem you know the video was dope 145th saying hey the video they talked about it but I felt like you know what this drawing is dope we can go ahead and and rock wait yeah I ever run into raw Basin easy rock during that time do shows with them all the time no no no no no I mean it wasn't and it wasn't like no beat that was this is this is the thing um excuse me it worked out for them because I don't know I don't even know who produced that song but Herbie was such a perfectionist and such a surgeon he didn't want the woo yeah in there yeah so he sliced it up out of there which if you think about it was really was super fly but in retrospect we probably should have left the [ __ ] in there well the thing was it wasn't even it wasn't easy to remove that part but he he did it that's how dope Andre Deborah okay yeah that's the cat that he kept yeah yeah you know it was frustrating and like cats wanted to fight that night he's like what do you want he's like you wanted that part like kid is saying out and I remember that and it was just we want to be cold we want to be pure we don't want the whoa yeah right we didn't want that that was a James Brown sample right around College it sounds like I think it does it does it might be well it was all down together how did that camp yeah so it was all down together yeah but getting funky slaps on a different level that's the hardest beat quick still like that and yeah DJ Quicksilver started it Herbie landed the plane you know yeah you know how it is like it would be like you know the Hitman come up with a thing but when it's time to mix it here comes Diddy you know or Here Comes Here Comes her gray I gotta yeah I gotta you know I'm going to polish this we're going to land the plane like yay um but yeah after that then you know this is when you really have to um all right we got the album deal now we really have to kind of commit to you know this is it man this this might be our only [ __ ] shot at this you know I I had a Joby job at the time you know I'm working out too yeah about that I was I was working um I was a homeless shelter counselor I worked for the city I worked at a um at the Sumner Armory in bed style that was a homeless shelter back in the days you know my dad got me the job my dad used to be um the head of the whole homeless shelter system in the shelters in New York at that time so I had that job out of college and then you went to college if you know excuse me if you know um Bronx High School of Science you know just a block away is Herbert age Lehman College so that's why I went to college you know yeah I have a bachelor's in English literature yeah that's five and a half years of my life but I got it and and so um um that's that's you know that's you know that's what I got the job based on that but it was funny as you know and I'm still pursuing this you know as we're both working and we're still trying to jam and we and this is the thing I knew that I had I I had to give well you know everybody had like different duties when when it came to this first album you know in terms of what we looked like in terms of what we sounded like in terms of what we were about and I I didn't feel like I could do that or I could live with myself I so I had to quit this job I had to quit this job that my father gave me mm-hmm and I I did and he wasn't happy about it but I knew that meant I could I could go to the studio every day every day every day every day every day every day and then I I figured that you know whatever happened with it I felt like man we you know we put it all out there and um and and we did and you know all a lot of other things are happening at the same time Herbie is growing in stature salt and peppers growing in stature thing the dean he you know Herbie is establishing Idol makers not just the groups that he producers but the um the groups that he manages he's got Antoinette he's got Kwame he's got sweet tea and so before you know we're part of a we're part of a a squad a crew well the two things I want to say that's interesting is that we come out with last night we come out with do this my way we come out we're getting funky and whatever follows that the great thing that's happening is a CD slash album is being developed so now when this album comes out cat's already got three joints that they already love you know what I'm saying now it's time for touring or whatever you know we got we ain't just worry about no one song and got whatever we're known and we got something good you know I know for me you gotta have more than two or three joints for me to be interested in getting a CD right one album so we're delivering that but the other interesting thing that's going on is the fact that as like he's saying things are developing now we got music videos now and that was one of the big things about Kid and Play was the visual things taking place now because now with dude is my way we are introducing the flat top now that is in play right now excuse the pun so now when it's time to start touring and I want to give a big shout out as we always do to the girls because one of the things in our camp which was called Idol makers is that the strong is going to help pull up the next one it was it was by Design so when you saw shake your thing we're in that video right you saw a thing where you're beginning to see these two guys with these these haircuts in there and that was by Design the girls looking out for us to be very Visual and then us with Kwame and then with sweet tea you know all of that was going on at the same time marketing early morning that's what you would eventually call now yeah so because that passed on to the tropical video and here's Miss Melody yeah yeah but you know for I don't know I don't know if we kind of I think we kind of did that first or made it very prominent we made it very delicious we stood out a lot the hair yeah you know managed to stand out and then the tour they went on which was the slamming 88 tour where they call line call headline would keep sweat part of their deal but you know I I don't know if it was there was Ricky Walker but whoever I think it was Ricky Walker had us as the opening act on that tour you know for your seating pleasure you know what I'm saying but uh we're almost a kid and play fourth single when they dropped the album The Single they dropped in conjunction with the album was was now that Go-Go thing is beginning to happen because that's what I was getting to now we start now we start into the pioneering album you guys developed a lot of the dances that you were doing not just the kickstep but a bunch of those other dances that you did in the um and they get a funky video yeah well you know the thing is the question raises about who came up with what whatever it was always a collaborative thing because okay so you put them on the map so many dancers and you whatever the dance the latest dance was and people had a certain style and certain things so it was really just stuff that was like jambalaya you just putting things together in whatever stuck and stood out it did yeah they're getting they're getting funky video was kind of our our love letter yes New York dancers yes a lot of those cats that we came up with in the last good foreigners yes freaking um I really used to beat everybody else yeah you know what I'm saying the world so that that's kind of what that was and that was uh all the all the big dance crews at the time that we knew we invited them down and we gave them all some shine as we did as we did our thing um and and that that was that that's what that time of hip-hop was about dancing was very prominent like you had to that was part of the safer yeah and part of the way you had to entertain that was part of it um you know if you talk about kalenzie and then with the James that was a big thing um you know uh that that's just kind of what it was and you know we're all young and active at that time so that's that was definitely a part of it so um so you so you're saying that it was a collaborative effort where your signature dance came from right yeah so when it was time no what happened was when it was time for um us to tour because of the music videos You couldn't play had to dance and we had dancers in it but the promoter wasn't willing to pay us you know we're barely getting paid ourselves so we couldn't afford to bring dancers so what we had to do was dance and rap you know what I'm saying and we went to our dancing friends and along with dancing we already did and say hey you know what could we put together and do but that right there was just really the Funky Child I mean the Charleston with just two people standing in front of each other kicking and that's all dancing is I mean I did a documentary called and I danced where I got into the history of what you see even the Michael Jackson moonwalk he didn't come up with that that thing was Way Way Back in Black and White movies and stuff like that so it's like sometimes it's hard to pinpoint okay so-and-so did this and so-and-so did that you're just there having a good time and what could we do in order to breathe to breathe and still dance what's the easiest thing to do what can we take along with that till we can afford dancers to bring on the road with us but we had non-stop TLC uh mopped mopped iOS I owe you dancers you know what I'm saying we had all those dancing crews in that video and we you know and we the the goal of that video was to celebrate them you know they wedded down the whole street you know and it looked like it looked like a like a Hollywood uh set back Studio yeah you know what I'm saying nobody like yo-yo it was it was a great thing they just wet you know you know wet it wet it so it looks real fly and also to to celebrate New York period you know what I'm saying uh we had friends who had their motorcycles we'd representing that thing everything we just tried to get as much in there to just show a block party at night I guess then the next single you're implementing go go yes yeah which which was um and that was like um well Herbie had already done that would shake your thing right and that was a big big hit for them and that was that that just that that was a video we were if you look at the shake your thing video you see us in the back and we you know we were all doing the kickstep and all this is the girls was doing it too um and this is the thing about Herbie Herbie knew I don't know if you guys remember um everybody kept saying Go Go's coming Coco's coming you know so close from DC that Coco's coming it's coming in with Chuck Brown but you know what in all those groups it never came it never came here to New York like that not to dominate or not to be on the radio all the time excuse me but Herbie understood that and what he said was I'm gonna take a smidge get a little girl and then when I make it more more hip-hop that's what he did with shake your thing and that's what he did with rolling with kid and play yeah is that a go-go record yeah it is but it's got you know it's not too much go go it's still you know it's still gonna hip-hop uh you know on the Morse hip-hop side of things so I think Herbie was always really good at finding out what that that blend was because you know the gogo as we know it like you um your [ __ ] been to to DC and been to go but that's go boy that's harder that's you know what I mean the music ain't gonna stop for like two hours you know we used to go see Chuck Brown music ain't gonna stop that's the thing and that's the real that's the real deal that's the Raw Deal he was like oh no no no no let me give him we give him a smidge then we're gonna have a great hook and then we're gonna wound we're gonna and that's that's what that was and I and to that point that was our biggest record um I reckon it was that record was a game changer okay so let's let's start from that let's start from that you guys are putting that album together you understand that there's momentum behind it the singles that you now got that what were the discussions like putting that album together because you guys think you know what you're doing here comes Herbie you know you want his input I can imagine what some of those debates sounded like well if I may say I think we were trusting Harvey you know for the most part it wasn't like we said earlier we all had our roles you know Herbie with the beach it was always a conceptual thing but Herbie with the beats kid with the playing game me with the look and even you know Concepts as far as music videos and stuff go but still yet we all would have a say-so you know or we're feeling this whatever but for the most part we're trusting each other with it because it's proven we're proving ourselves you know what I'm saying and having fun in the meantime I don't think we made it that serious you know what I'm saying it was it was cool to be we recorded out of our Bayside studios in Bayside Queens uh big shout out to David Ing and Jimmy young and uh Andre uh the board um so you know I think when kid when Herbie would bring the track and kid would hear it um as far as um courses go or themes you know nothing was uh nothing was like whack you know what I'm saying no because we were we because we were all really honest with each other like and anybody could say anything was whack oh yeah it doesn't mean it doesn't matter like though every you know every hook I came up with was not if it was dope it was dope you know whatever it is whatever anyone any one of us brought to the table um but we I could feel you know I could feel us getting into a Groove and and you know what our first album Herbie was a herbie was a big part of it he came there you know he wasn't there every day but he was there a lot of days and he was also there when it was time to like mix these joints and then put his put his polishing you know give it a little some ditty [ __ ] or whatever like that some for real [ __ ] that they end up doing later but yeah he super duper great ear and and you know and we we were we were cool with that you know um we were trusting it yeah we trusted each other he wasn't a very on time person you know what I'm saying no let's show up crazy like uh yeah stuff that we would have because if the thing was set for our studio session and four Herbie might show up at eight or nine or whatever you know what I'm saying where are you gonna go we got we got and we we don't want to talking to talk about how frustrating frustrated he made these independent owners because he never made the deadline the deadline as far as delivering the finished piece oh forget about but people couldn't argue because he was delivering hits you know what I'm saying so between a Rock Hill and a hard place when he came he would come in he's like with waffle baby take that out bang bang do this all right do that again say it like this say it like this say it like that and I remember in the in the the the middle of the of the rap making making that first album um he would make you do it 20 30 times in a row he would make you do it over and over again because you didn't say it right because his thing wasn't just like we wasn't just rhyming like kid nah we was doing it like he could sign up time we got to stay on them the same way but but with emotion that's that's just that's right that's like with how you did salt and pepper you know we just met we can't do that yet I'm not a pickup oh this ain't a sticker makeup man gonna turn the kick off yeah just rock baby pop don't stop stick out your bud and Jake what you guys at that time what made it so frustrating was we didn't know what was in his head every time I say do it over do it over it's like what do you want what do you mean you wouldn't necessarily like kid is saying it he didn't do it like that like say it like whatever he just knew in his head how he wanted to be and until you did it and then he'd be like okay that's it but we would say it the way you were he wouldn't he didn't communicate he'd just be like again but the thing about I knew Herbie for a long time were and still is like good good friends The Genius of Herbie was he's from Haiti okay and when he came to the country and got introduced to pop music that was and then to hear people like the cold crush and all of us taking these pop records and turning them into routines that we would call them and stuff he when hip-hop came about and seeing how you can fuse all this together because some of these things he came up with was Melodies and stuff from pack records and stuff things from Casey Cason from the 60s and 70s early routines and stuff we would do so when he had the idea because I originally salt and pepper was him and Cheryl they would have salt and pepper haven't seen she was supposed to be him and her together it wasn't two girls and stuff at first and everybody was pretty good you know he did his wrapping thing he's a pretty good rapper and stuff but he was but that that that wasn't really what he was supposed to do yeah when he found his place and his wife on his place it was on in park I could run the whole [ __ ] I ain't gonna just be over because I could show you a record we did before all of this is called The Lover's law by Quicksilver the super lovers you want to talk about bad big bad records oh my God this is on YouTube but uh yeah we all we all had to learn and found our pockets and help the girls girls helped us help Kwame held the two original members of the Kango crew which was day to day Slick Rick Lancet Omega that's the original Kango crew before there was a slick rain you know and the thing go ahead yeah no and the thing was we would be we would all be in each other's sessions yes so you know I mean you know I'm sitting in a salt and pepper session now and you know they doing a joint I'm like oh try this try to try this and that you know that that's the type of thing that's the vibe that was going down and then when salt and pepper was trying to do a thing on the album cover or the gear or whatever like that okay then that's what he that's what he show up at because that's his field of expertise that's that's his Super Bowl what about actually getting on records with all of these artists yeah but there's the thing we kept we didn't it wasn't that time when you jumping on records that [ __ ] that's not in your Camp it was all about our camp it was all about items yeah we're gonna jump on each other's records man we don't know these like that you know even if we like them but that's not done I mean that's how we were raised it was very competitive you know what I'm saying yeah I I do I put a post stuff about that because we had a good time doing good one in America recently with tretch and uh Raquel and when I saw the picture of us all joking again or whatever there was a time where that would be you'd be like yo what's up what's up and either one don't even answer the question everybody goes into their dresser rooms or whatever it was very competitive which was a good thing because iron sharpens iron but at that time like kids said it wasn't he wasn't doing a little like that I mean well finally they did like um self-destruction you know and things that's why it was such a big deal I became a big deal but for the most part it's like nah nah unsaid no the way we were kind of raised was yo we got like four five six groups in our camp you know jump on jump on they record jump on their record and bring them up or jump on it you know that wasn't you know and and guess what I'm not saying it was right or wrong but that's just how it was at that time everybody kind of kept things in-house now it's a different time cast gold cross they go they cross phase yeah cross-pollination yeah while some of it may be creative a lot of people sound like a lot of other people yeah and maybe that has something to do with it too I think so so when y'all turning all this down like people that wanted to do features with y'all did you turn all this down yeah and they kind of and they kind of kept it they can't you know by the time okay our restaurant of Luke and them you know all of this kind of stuff was obviously yeah not rivalries going on you know we're gonna take this five minute break and come right back yeah because the album is out the new album The album's out the crew is solidified you guys are seeing success and now here comes all this other stuff and in the mix of you pioneering things clothing line were you the first rapper with a clothing line absolutely I'm pretty sure I'm an outsider and I could I could say that as a fact I like that foreplay yeah all the leather goods and jackets that we couldn't afford well my my mentor and and friend was Dapper Dan um for the girls clothes the first ones being the jackets that they won't push it that I didn't have a star at that time so I designed it but I beca I got to meet Dapper he loved the design because most people were coming with him with the Fendi and the Gucci's you've never seen something original but the funny thing about that was that anybody who messed with him was that um I'm waiting for a pause coming in yeah I watched my words this is me but anyway um the thing about adapter anybody was you know getting stuff from them very very rarely were they done on time and what Harvey and I knew we had to do was once he was gonna put the outfits together that I pretty much slept there I stayed because we had a deadline for those jackets to be done for the pushing video it was been done I think it was in New Orleans oh no it was in Florida and um I literally had I lived there because being in front of somebody the whole time they know they got oh we got to get these jackets back so I was there I was in the back way you know what they call the Africans where they were yeah so and what made it so crazy was getting those jackets because they already left to practice and get the video going so they was trusting me to get the jackets done and if you notice in the music video their big logo is behind them I I did that by hand in my place which I almost died because I didn't pay attention to ventilation putting the windows up so with the spray paint and all that stuff I had to do so I had to bring that big I made jackets there and get that done but then when I finally got more money things was getting good that's what I put my money to was my own operation which was foreplay and at that time that's when dap got in trouble with that whole Tyson and Mitch green thing right and Tyson uh when Miss green was messing with Tyson in front of his spot everybody that was looking the guccis the fendies everybody was looking for this guy Dapper Dan that was putting the stuff together by that thing taking place in front of his place that they knew where he was at now and that's what kind of knocked him out of operation for a while and I wanted to be that dude you know in that spot you know to his return or to walk to work together and put together other stuff from all stuff I did stuff for Michael Jordan I did a lot for Heavy D for uh Public Enemy a lot of cats he was the first hip-hop dude to do close that's just facts on facts on stacks on Flex on tracks he's still got cartoon 2 Live Crew no we're getting we're getting there we could get to the drama what happened with 2 Live Crew this is probably um this might be in chronological order okay sure yeah you know so all right we did bet with the girls explain that part and um the girls being so salt and pepper yeah we was on one of the shows it might have been videos or something like that one of them shits and the question came up about uh girls being um use objectified objectified you know that that means my own word no it was salt them salt I believe in particular is one in one of all of them they had every right to feel a certain way about women being portrayed in that way so we were guilt by association you know say we didn't say a word so when Luke wanted to go in on the situation talking about the girls first then he went and said what he said about us right yeah what was our time for because I didn't get mad let me do it in order like he said no no no wait no that wasn't the first one first um to to react to that Luke he used to have this record on a lot of his old um albums and cassettes it was called I ain't bullshitting and basically he was just like talking they had a beat playing in the background he's just talking he's not rhyming he's just talking about [ __ ] that he don't like right so then he said some he said some [ __ ] about us and it was like hold up I said yo [ __ ] talking [ __ ] about us we like we didn't even we didn't even say nothing that day you know we were in the back Chuck chuckling about something else you know but it had nothing to do with that but he kind of you know he jumped on us so I think we had an album coming up so you know you know we wrote something we wrote something about him what's the next question it was called next question let's go next question that Pete Rock produced and it you know we we dealt with um Vanilla Ice a hammer and and um dish records totally disregulars [Applause] right so we just you know we boomed him you know we boomed them out we was talking about Luke we took them out thing we talking about all that right and then we put that out on one of our albums and then the next record that Luke came out about us was called [ __ ] ass kid and whole ass play and they're just talking about us like a dog like supposed to do to combat that that's like you know I'm thinking you know what we might gotta squash this because that was on Street Sounds they was on Street time they was on pause you need to vote um and and but what ended up happening was uh luckily you know we had so many kind of um common friends and that's how they ended up getting dead but there were times when we were you know we were like running to each other at airports and you know he got I never I never saw him on them this makes it so crazy I just met him for the first time like this year or the end of last year we did a thing together and I walked by his thing the girl his girls his dancers wanted to take a picture with me and uh he popped out and we both said hey that's why we never met each other shook hand I just seen them recently for the BET um yeah so I I had never saw him but you know when I heard the term I was like yeah I understand about uh you and this dancer situation you're stripping somebody uh putting them in the elevator and oh okay oh you're talking about peekaboo okay so when we're on what when we were waiting for it I was kidding play Antics oh all of us as a crew yeah this this is when we were on those Public Enemy tours with Public Enemy and Heavy D and Digital Underground and uh um I think Kwame was on some of those stores and we were and you know there were always lots of um yeah that you could get into Antics so um I think they and this this footage is available it's online like at one point there was some one of them I think it was one of kwame's dancers this guy named peek-a-boo who was he was so he was always getting into some [ __ ] he was always like you know pranking [ __ ] so everybody was just like yo today this bill comes due so we're walking we going and we you know we know where he's at we know roomy's in we know what dressing roomies and whatever so on our way there we come past Tupac and Tupac was always down for whatever he's like yo yo yo what's going on what y'all doing we said man we getting ready to hem this [ __ ] up right there he's like oh he was like his beef was your beef and that was one of the the beautiful things about him but it was always like you know that could be a dangerous thing too but not that day we're just like you know we finna get this dude so showing up when we go I'm sorry yeah you know we go and we get the dude and I think we we stripped him naked and then we threw him in the elevator and set them back to the lobby catch more boots and stuff then we take off our things like oh we beat his ass with like Doc Martens yeah whatever we were wearing at the time beat his ass butt naked then put him on the elevator send them back to the lobby and said like we had this other thing called um the uh when you got with whoever got with the woman it was the least attractive of the girls you saw that night because there was always every night getting what they could take a loss with it so whoever was with the one that looked the ugliest sorry women that we had this thing that was when Batman was popular like first Batman movie we had an all-black shirt because Batman wait because the ugly uh ugly girl or you know whatever if she was they called up yo that's a bat you [ __ ] bad I'm here yeah and whoever was with who we considered the worst looking one that night had to wear that shirt for 24 hours on the entire tour but one day for 24 hours 24 hours this shirt could not be washed away yo this is a 40 this is a 40-day tour exactly so you had to wear that shirt so whoever the next one so as this shirt is getting mustier and whatever and the other part is for that 24 hours your name was Batman right so guess what I never got the shirt yeah here we go yeah he wasn't happy about it but he had to put that great the shrimp this is this everybody else did what was part of the crew they were doing the crew stuff I had to wear it on a day where I had to do the show he had a show so I couldn't wear the normal stuff that we would normally wear the Flash Batman all sweated up I am sweating it up we in town in front of like 10 20 000 people and he's like yo yo yo kid what we gonna do today [Applause] it was all kinds of antics and just crazy fun stuff yo we were we were out there it was uh but that Batman shirt a Batman shirt now by the time that toy ended that shirt you could put it and it stood up a funky and cruddy and stuff nasty crazy you wasn't allowed to watch it any whoever and you got it I just sleep in it and everything oh wow 25 hours on top of it yeah yeah yeah you know that was you yeah I mean you [ __ ] yeah beat downs well we did the Peak at other people because Pika refused to get dressed when we put him in the Elevate he's walking around the hotel different floor butt naked staring staring up the people hey we're looking through the peak hole and he's he was a very but this was the thing like it wasn't like look and these were the same um towards that for example I think it was the same tour where um where Troy passed away it was yeah wow when he fell off the thing this is what I'm saying yeah it was on the same tour so I mean this this thing and we're all young and so it's it's it's exhilarating but it's also like and that just came from a game we had this game where it's like you know you pick up an apple or something I throw it to you real quick and you wouldn't know but you had to catch it but if you didn't catch it you're gonna get a beat down so that was a whole thing like catching somebody with God I'm throwing it to you real quick and I'm looking at you if you dropped it you're gonna get a beat down you know what I'm saying but the thing was first it was a piece of fruit then it turned into different items then it turned into a big laundry cart one of them and when we when our road manager at the time threw the car to him he decided to jump up on this ledge it was all black on the third or fourth floor of the building it wrapped around the parking deck or something and the cart hit his foot and he lost his balance and went down head first and that's right that's some murder ain't it no oh well yeah but you know what that is that's like [ __ ] play too much yeah the gentleman remember that one he never got over that it just see no I don't think any of us did that was like that was one of the most horrible names that it was safe to say that's like one of the worst experiences that happened on tour absolutely one of them yeah I mean yeah we had a lot of fun too because one of the things we would do with Public Enemy and uh s1ws and stuff we put on their gear and go out there and do the stuff during their live show and put the Hat on his high top figures up there but we didn't tell flavor so what flavor came out would do it okay he's like oh here you go he's like [ __ ] it out so we do stuff like that they let us be s1ws which is kind of disrespectful but we were just like and then like they let us though we were on the toilet uh ended up the first toilet NWA ever did yeah kid and play in NWA it just all out of that movie Welcome to Compton and all that stuff that thing that was all of us yeah they didn't they didn't put us in the movie because that doesn't really that's not really on brand they didn't really mention anybody else's because it was public enemy and all of that stuff but that was uh that was defining and historic that was interesting because when they wanted us to do that tour I said no because we were familiar with NWA from times we was hanging out in L.A during the movie so we was hearing the cassette tapes before they even like blew up and at the time my curse like the best of them but this was like something dude these cats was like Angry you know what I'm saying so I'm like I just didn't think that was a fit but um I made a bet I when we wrapped up one of the tours with Public Enemy it was that last night so everybody's going to as we normally do hang out in the hotel with girls girls give guys a whole nine all I wanted was a virgin pina colada but I came down kind of late everybody's doing so I'm go to the bartender like yo can I get a virgin pina colada evidently he was having a bad day he couldn't wait for his shift to be over he's cleaning up I very rarely play the play card so I'm like yo let me get better light let me see who I really am yo I don't care who you are I'm close this is it for tonight so I get with the crowd or whatever guy Daryl Brooks who's the uh part of G Street one of the producers of most of the tours comes and wants to I already said no I was like yo I'm not feeling this so um I wanted to be fair so I said well you know what I'll make a deal with you you give me a virgin pina colada we'll do the tour he didn't know that I knew that this guy was angry and he wasn't making no more virgin Freedom he wasn't making them for nobody right I get talking to a girl whatever the case may be I get this tap on my shoulder he doesn't come with one virgin one virgin pina colada comes with two you and the girl you told me no it was for me he could care less about the girl he's like wanted to do this deal right so I didn't realize at the time why it was so important for Kid and Play to be on this tour but come to find out the promoters for insurance reasons wasn't feeling the tour with NWA and Public Enemy the Fella's gonna be too violent you know what I'm saying they needed a group like Kid and Play to be on there to come bring balance and a Heavy D or whatever the case may be so we were a big part of another thing that a lot of people aren't aware of in regards to how things came along no it was hard to get insurance in some of those those buildings some of those Arenas you know so a lot of times look Public Enemy they will call us you know those early 90 tours you know they were going out every summer Public Enemy tours so you to get that call like about February you know Chuck is going to call you and I already got a call up on the phone we gotta Get It On all right Chuck we're going to beat it already we're gonna need again [Applause] NWA and Public Enemy you know what I'm saying we gotta get in the building that sounds like that doesn't sound like you're crowded no but that's what that was our mistake we thought there was two different audiences they were not hmm that was part of our thing we was like yo man we [ __ ] with these gangsters [ __ ] they they need the same flavor yes it is they like this sometimes they like that sometimes they're like oh this is all hip-hop it's all hip-hop whatever you talking you all had a ball it wasn't like yeah and we got to know each other but pranks all kinds of stuff jokes I was dating very seriously one of their dancers it was a very nice girl you would thought she was a stripper or something nothing furthest from the truth cats had the Persona they had they did what they did to survive where they came from but these guys with nice guys man it was like really really good and we got to know each other and that was east west coast and we was just like yo these dudes like they just you know we're all chasing broads you know what I'm saying that that's a that's a common Bond you know we shooting pool we you know what I'm saying we're blowing we're blowing trees whatever like that I remember and these are friends so to this day and getting funky is don't even mess with us we're getting funky but we changed the lyrics of the Troy don't even f with us we're getting funky we went to a town where they were gonna arrest you for cursing any foul language so everybody now is like okay what are you going to be you're going to stick to who you are I swear you're probably getting me so that particular one we came out instead of saying no uh don't even f with us he said don't even mess with it we're getting funky you joke from that whole time every time we ran into anybody from that crew don't even mess with me no no no no I remember we was in the we were in the van back to the hotel with Ice Cube in him Ice Cube looked at me said don't even mess with me yeah I'm not trying to get a resident like you see me to jump in the van as soon as the show was over we had to jump in the van and get the [ __ ] out there he looked at me he said oh I'll see you all tonight don't even mess with me a lot of fun what you trying to say Ice Cube It's very interesting in this um I know we already introduced you guys but it's so so much of an honor to even be sitting here with two gentlemen right now I just want to say that at the age I am I'm the child that was listening to y'all one of the first hip-hop songs that I ever remember listening to is you know the one that you just mentioned earlier yeah yeah I used to listen to it over and over and over so what I wouldn't say is uh my parents was one of the parents that thought hip-hop was a bunch of noise you know they didn't accept it they didn't want to hear it it was you guys that actually helped usher in You Will Smith LL Cool J with I need love help introduce them to a whole different life to accept hip-hop and listen to it in a different year so what I'm wanted to say it now that we're bringing all of this up that you guys yeah what in my generation yeah I like legitimized hip-hop which you just said about the insurance which I didn't even know anything or like that that was right y'all legitimize Hip Hop for the older people which actually opened it up for the whole world so everybody that's watching it that don't understand that we wouldn't even have hip-hop the way we have right now if it wasn't for kid and play these guys were the Pioneer for commercial and not commercial in the way if it wasn't for the commercial it would have never got introduced to the world let's make that clear you know because I even heard earlier you say something about your greatest hits from your song like oh you want to fix it but if it wasn't for those kids that you named that was what my parents heard and was like this is not that bad so fast forwarding some I want to know sure so get into this NWA thing you know um so I was the kid that was listening to the cameras one you guys and everything like that and you know that was pretty much a positive type of throw and then NWA did drop and as a child I went from a shift from you know listening to the dance music good music to now thinking I'm a [ __ ] on the run you know what I'm saying my life on the line the cops want to kill me [ __ ] whatever you know what I'm saying I'm a [ __ ] with an attitude my mindset wasn't even like that my sister's a [ __ ] you know what I'm saying I didn't even hear anything like that because I was raised awful right you guys so and my world and my mind I often take was that a systematic setup to get rid of you guys and or you know the original people that I grew up for that was actually making my generation a positive generation basically I had a um message yeah you got a message shifted to this gangster what you talking about if you're talking about um you know there was a time like in the mid 90s we have to get low because the the vibe had changed we have the late 80s into the early 90s a thing in the movies music in the movies and everything but by 93 94 95 the Bible changed a gangster rap was hitting and we were we were considered you know we were obviously we weren't hard and so and and so I think yeah we we I think we took some we took some blows on that tip um and so I think what we did and I think it was the right thing to do at the time we kind of got low you know um thankfully we had we had some other things to do individually and collectively but yeah um those those groups you know that that got your uh you know you excited and your parents excited that wasn't that wasn't what was happening in the mid 90s mid 90s the gangster stuff was was was hard was was and was very popular did you feel pushed out you know I feel differently about it or it's like yeah there was a time where there was a Hiatus that I would call it because there was a certain type of vibe taking place where you had people who experienced a another thing of life that wanted to talk about it all glorifying in some ways so you know us in our lives because of the fruits of our labor which was so Grand there was things going on in our personal lives we got married got divorced had children wanted to experiment in regards to individual things that we were into that we could afford to do which would be hard to do that and do that we didn't want to insult our audiences or our fans by um being something that we weren't you know all of a sudden we talking gangster nah but when we did the album Face the Nation that I really loved we dealt with more typical issues then like uh one was called um about you know what was going on with the epidemic with crack you know uh things that was going on politically and stuff we wanted to bring attention to that did people buy into it yeah it was okay but it wasn't as big as the more commercial stuff we did but we fell back because like I said we're taking care of stuff happening in our personal life we know we didn't fit with what was becoming popular but it's interesting to fast forward today how all of this stuff cats it together even backstage at the Pastor Mike thing that we just did so many different representations of Lifestyles and the music from Onyx being in the building we hanging out with them uh nice and smooth stretch but the cats that you think is the hardest and they are when they need to be they're the most comical pranks to guys whatever like you know one and two or the cats talking about how much we meant to them we talking about how much they meant to us stuff we weren't even sharing with each other we didn't even know that we were all paying attention to each other's stuff and silently kind of bigging each other up but based on what you're talking about I didn't get it at the time but I was proud of our place when it came to that tour and what it meant because these guys was talking about what was going on in their life things weren't always a house party for them so they did it the way that they they expressed it but when we all hung out behind after the curtain we were all the same cats love girls poetry watching certain kind of movies certain people will watch you know what I'm saying and music outside of hip-hop like with bug this out is Flavor flavors stuck in that big uh earthquake in 93 in L.A and we was in there with John P Kee LL Cool J flavor was there the whole night we all stuck in the Nico hotel that's what it was called at the time I know what to do earthquake just happened Flavor Flav gets on the piano and this cat classical music I mean playing it like yo just like this is Flavor Flav you know what I'm saying Jamie's boxes singing you know all of that because we all try to keep our mind off of this this earthquake just happened but just to see people be something different and more to what you see at face value because Eazy-E was a was a nice guy man I know in his element He had to be what he had to be but the girl I was seeing at the time and was serious about she he was like a father to her so I had to go when it was time for her to come with me and come live with me and all she really wanted his Blessing so okay whatever he's like he liked me he was cool you know and good just take care of my girl take care how many of those people knew that they were chilling with a former stick up kid exactly son of a drug dealer who had things in the house that could have sent his father back to like I think people know people people you feel it you know what I'm saying without having to say it you know what I'm saying it's a certain Vibe or whatever the case may be because kid and I we know game you know what I'm saying we've survived here in these streets man I mean what we were doing the things we were doing we wanted a rare Queen's people out of our area each other's Corona and big shout out to even Corona with Kool G Rap and and Polo Polo coming up out of there as well along with Eric B and the rest but we would venture out into areas that cats would wouldn't dare go because cats out there get you for your sneakers your sheepskin coats all of that stuff we went to Harlem we went to work we went to Brooklyn we went to other places that's how much what would have inevitably to call hip-hop meant to us see but you would figure that a group like Kid and Play would get a pass oh yeah most definitely we got mad passes but I also think that particularly when we started traveling and we were we were hanging in L.A [Music] [Laughter] are you talking about it being with the Ghetto boys that was you know oh touring with them you know it was Monumental to me is because I was a big you know celo player dice game right my biggest biggest loss was with Willie D 1700 you know what I'm saying it was like whoa and you gonna get paid really his money you know what I'm saying yeah I mean we we got especially when we started spending more and more time in Los Angeles we were doing all these movies and all this and that you know TV shows and whatnot so we're spending way more time in Los Angeles than we were spending here so you just gotta kind of check check your surroundings and be like okay how are we gonna maneuver this and then you see what's going on but what we found out was if if you and this is what we did um you gotta figure out who these bosses are and when you run up on them or when you when when y'all run into each other you just give you give them theirs you give them theirs and then there's never a problem after that well the one that comes to my mind where you're saying that is my conception I don't know if you're familiar with him yeah my conception and I remember we were doing something it might have been a music video or something or one of his people came over and said Mike wants to meet y'all I'm like who the heck is Mike you know what I'm saying and he has this dude in wheelchair but powerful cat you know he's like yo you know I just want to let you know anything you guys need or whatever he ain't asking nothing of us or nothing like that you just no but and like and I think we were I think you know yeah and Mike was I I mean I spent a lot more time in LA and you know what I mean you know he was a he was a boss he's a boss of bosses and the thing was you know I don't know people people just they just like us even the gangsters they like us and we knew enough coming from New York when you know you got to show respect and so we did so when you got that tap on the shoulder and you say oh man might want to holla at you you like man well yeah let's go let's go and we just chit chatting this is a snack and and you know that that's that that's how we work we had no problem uh acknowledging who the who the bosses were in these new places that we were um had you know venturing into so I just want to say something reference to what biggest stated right he asked the question about did you feel it was systematic right yeah I feel like a lot of times it is systematic for the simple fact that when you look at how hip-hop has evolved over the years from the 80s up until now when you have positive groups coming out with positive music and there's an influx of people that buy into it and then there's a shift automatic shift because now you have gangster rap what happens is the the the business of Music they're gonna go with that they're gonna say this is what's going to make us money this is how we're going to pay these artists whatever we're going to go with the general narrative get that happy [ __ ] out of here yeah exactly it's too much positivity going on now the problem with that is I mean the good thing that happens later on is stuff like this right yeah is that you're being recognized everybody's going back now and saying how we didn't know this stuff right the thing that I'm mad at remember how good he had it well we had it we had it good we ain't even we ain't even know the thing I'm mad at is that this isn't documented like what you're talking about watching you know Flavor Flav playing the piano how great of a guy Easy E was right of the phone question you don't hear those stories and there's no footage of it but it's now it's now being recognized in the 50th year hip-hop so I do believe it's a systematic thing like over time it's like we gonna go whatever the general narrative is right that's gonna make us everybody do what's refreshing to the ear right because sometimes it gets to a place where so much of it so much of it they just someone comes with something different that now happens to be what would be called Gangster Rap right and now you have a lot of people who are wannabes right because just like we sit back and we enjoy Martin Scorsese films with the gangster stuff or whatever or Scarface you know you're you're feeling that way in the music now where some people want to be that or they just like with their hair because it's like a good movie that's the great thing about biggie he was a great Storyteller absolutely where Tupac it was the energy and the passion and stuff so people are living vicariously through these people as they're telling these stories but as a good friend and pastor friend of mine Dr A.R Bernard out of Brooklyn CCC Christian Cultural Center says when you take a truth to an extreme it becomes error and now you're doing so much of it and it's it's it's now it's like life is imitating art right instead of art imitating life and it gets basically out of hand and now people that are have the power to misuse that and that is where the systematic kicks in now it's like this is what we want to do let them know one of the things that Disturbed me in Godfather I think it was the first one where they're sitting around the round table and uh Don Corleone is back from getting shot up or whatever and they're talking about selling heroin right and he's like we'll go ahead and sell it but I don't want it in our communities let it be with the [ __ ] because all they do is just paraphrasing destroying themselves same thing with the music go ahead and let them overdo it with that kill each other show them for what they are when they start getting money material gain look at what they do with it and that's embarrassing to me you know when I look at how far we take that and we take that too far but I do believe on that systematic tip you have people yeah okay can we get back to like hit and play okay wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait we don't need them it's necessary because I also I also agree with with bigger but my analogy is a little different I always see it as all good things come to an end right everybody's era eventually comes to a stop right sometimes it's violent sometimes it's quiet but eventually everything in hip-hop shifts now they're all they're always going to be people who take advantage of the turmoil in the any upheaval right fights get more attention than somebody giving somebody a hug yeah you know two people hugging on the Block nobody stops two people fighting everybody stops to watch yeah if NWA is talking about the kind of lifestyle that he kind of came from but he's not talking about it and all we've had up until that point is Heavy D talk about being dope talk about getting girls kid and play talking about being dope talking about dancing talking about getting girls Kwame talking about being dope talking about getting even the nurses smoothie yeah but that that's again one guy you know what I'm saying who stood out because of what he was saying in an era full of dudes who all were just dancing kicking it ain't gonna hurt nobody was a big record you know what I mean yeah I mean I know people need that right now oh dude but that's where I'm going with this I think the first switch was inevitable NWA the exiting of the feel-good music it ain't gonna hurt nobody music the exiting of that and entering the gangster music I think that was inevitable yeah what I think is being done intentionally and systemically is the force stoppage of the errors switching back you think what I mean I think what's being kept out of the mainstream is we don't want to be we don't want to talk about just spinning the block and Ops how about we just talk about being dope how about we talk about girls right how about we talk about something smart like we can we can be we can be hard and gangster but how about we talk about I think that part is being purposefully kept out but yeah but that's doing that in in our community do we be doing these I love the 90s joints for like the last seven eight years and they have no problem bringing that whole flow back back to it you know what I'm saying yeah I mean I mean you call it what you want but that's all I mean I was on our audience like I'm telling you that that that Radio City sold the foreground all New York Old School artists no nothing you know what I'm saying like you know every honest you know every joint you know what I mean that's that that that that audience is still out there I think it's being that's why I said it came back around what is left is the diversity we remember a time in radio the playlist you had individualities you knew what heavy you knew that was Heavy D you knew that was Public Enemy you knew that was whoever can't tell the difference that's what kind of came back at uh Radio City was that playlist the diversity now when you listen to like I've been in a car where I've been with younger cats playing today's music and it's just so repetitive I don't know when one artist begins and the other one ends all due respect but even the music isn't anything that makes you uplift you or encourage you it's more like put you in a trance lyrically you don't spark you yeah and literally it don't spark you now I think you're dealing with things coming to an end the best it ever did it to me or among the best would be Public Enemy because Republic enemy you had some of that NWA in it which just wasn't too extreme they dealt with issues that we could all relate to in real life then you had some comedic thing in there with a Flavor Flav and it's 9-1-1 is a joke all of that stuff goes slap and it slapped that was just great for them to headline and then Chuck appreciates everyone's message in their music he sees the value in every other artist from Digital Underground to Kid and Play The Heavy Deeds or Queen Latifah all of that everything but um yeah well it's just a very I don't know where hip-hop is headed now um and if it should even still be called that you know what I'm saying it's this issue we shouldn't be run off the name because of what no you don't run a lot I just think there's a certain error that's definitely hip-hop was love peace unity and having fun that was the the motto with it when you're dealing with Afrika bambaata Zulu nation and the whole nine or winning now I'm not saying it's bad to say that it should be called anything different I just think maybe it should be something of its own because to me it's not like what it was it's definitely not you see the last BT freestyle Cipher yeah did y'all see that well I didn't even know that yeah no no what was it terrible wait it wasn't at the bet it was they didn't have one there you talking about last year at the hip-hop Awards or whatever yes [ __ ] you don't know is that the problem the problem for me was that first of all I couldn't understand nothing they were saying yeah and then what was the problem that they all sounded alike absolutely they all sound like I can't differentiate me neither and that's the problem well we lost we lost the individuality because that's not where the corporate Powers believe the selling point is yes business okay all right but but this is what this is what just we know from Facts from having lived through it and there was one of those great things about this Cassidy show because it showed how how diverse that that hip-hop from that ever was the evolution and we were and we were all right alongside each other so get in place right alongside MC search right alongside a specialist especially that I got it made right alongside Co school right alongside KRS writing on all these groups they don't sound nothing alike right but why does it still fit because it's still fit it's still here it's still hip-hop it's still hip-hop and and and like I said I don't have the answers to it but I do know that and and this is look we what we did and last week at Radio City was something we've been doing since we first jumped out the box we talking about 80s early 90s we played with all these groups that's why it was so great to see me like oh my God it won't fit even though we weren't all clones of each other well can I ask this question to everyone what is hip-hop beats to the rhyme we're talking about the music are we talking about the culture I was answering musically but it's it's a culture it's it's it's bigger than just it's bigger than just music it's b-boy and it's it's djd it's graffiti it's emcee it's it's it's it's all the elements that Encompass the culture I believe that hip-hop is a universal language for those that don't have a voice or didn't have a voice it became a language for you to express yourself in a way that was creative that is acceptable and that allows you also to you know have some financial gain as well but it's a universal language that allows the unspoken to have a voice it became I think that um from my understanding that hip-hop is some form of a culture that was made in the inner city that um happened to be that black people come from that black people created and um it's a culture it's a and it was this and you know it would have graffiti great dancing along with the rhyme to beat and it all of those things is combined him so talk about what's going on right now what's up right here today well I'll never forget something great friends said that broke it down his and his definition of hip-hop and it's interesting when you talk about words you know groovy all that stuff people will use he says hip hip used to be yo are you hip to this yo you have to like you hip to what's the latest thing are you hip to this building things your general information what's happening are you hip to it the answer is hopefully yeah or you're if they ain't you're telling them what's hip hop is an action it's like you now that you have the information you act on it you move on you get it in motion and I never forget when he gave me that definition so to me when you say hip hop people normally automatically go to the music part of it but to me I think it's just so much more I think it is actually a culture maybe a subculture but it's a culture in regards to it's just so many things to it I mean I don't think Obama would have been president if it wasn't for him yeah so how do you just put it in music how can you just put it in clothes because this man affected and inspired that's so much going on that's what he knows about he knows about that so for us always just putting it into music music is just it's music is the music exactly exactly right so now listen to what we're listening to now like I said all due respective cats might come in me because the young girl is like would you say that that's what's going on with what's in our ear that's that's rap music it may it doesn't necessarily have to be hip hop to be rap music yeah you got Neo Soul yeah well Lauren Hill is considered a hip-hop artist like Mary J Balaji of course she is of course she is the queen I know you're not a question but I'm saying the queen of Hip-Hop soul universally recognizes queen of Hip-Hop soul would you consider Usher to be a hip-hop artist sure why sure but I think but I think he's I think he's a classic he's leaned on hip-hop his producer one of them anyway Jermaine Dupri two of us and Lil John him and d i is a hip-hop child a child of hip-hop a child of the culture who's an R B singer and that's how I feel about today's artists that are rappers I feel they are some people would call it what's that word they call as um a strain like when you're dealing with chemicals you know what I'm saying because and I don't I heard something that was really funny one time and it's all due respect to the new artists they say the rappers from the 90s who were once drug dealers and became successful but they were arrested drug dealers today's rappers bought those drugs from those artists and that's why they sound the way they sound like you're on drugs and when I heard that I was like wow that's pretty they're the children of all the guys you sold drugs to yeah exactly you sold it also a bunch of people they had kids yeah but what's amazing to me and there's something you come out with the whole pause thing is the fact that when you get with today's kids listening to their music of today they understand what they're saying in that sure you know let's kid and play the first group to ever have a cartoon I know Hammer did but I think we were the first rappers before Hammer yeah yeah after we was on NBC he came on the year after that yeah yeah the clothing line cartoon uh comic book movies and multiple movies um House Party come about well it's interesting because they pursued us Reggie warranted hubland they gave us updates every step of the way of how this screenplay the script and stuff just this idea they had for a movie uh it was originally uh supposed to be for groovy chill right you know if you listen to some of the names and it it's them right but um because of our popularity because of how Reggie Warrenton felt about us um they pursued us I didn't think it was worth it because we were making money on the road with our music that we had never seen in our lives I'm thinking breaking it down like I normally do looking wild style it's a cult classic but not a box office hit very heavily anticipated didn't really do much and kind of most Hip-Hops didn't feel it meant the mark even though we was excited about Harry Belafonte being behind it in the whole nine then you had um break-in Quest group I love Crush group um okay but then there was a powerful uh rap group that beta movie A lot of people don't remember or even know Run DMC called Tougher Than Leather yeah that was an action movie but that movie didn't do well at all Tougher Than Leather So in my mind is if Run DMC can't do a hit movie who is Kid and Play they think we could pull it off and we ain't really know these cats or whatever but I was out voted because the crew was or the trio was myself kid and Herbie it was always majority rules and anything that got to that point so they outvoted me and um kid looked at the script felt it had promise well no question I I mean I didn't I didn't I didn't look at it that way I understood what what place concerns were but I didn't look at it that way when I read the script I was like you know what by then they had been putting some scripts out in front of us but I was like you know what this is the best one that I've read and maybe it was like you know maybe it was like 70 percent there and I was like I think I think we can bring it I think we can bring it the rest of the way so that that was my that was my you know report I was like yo I was like we can [ __ ] with this um and then you know then we went you know down that line or whatever you know meet with them them bringing us in front of new line Cinema um did you guys hierarchy and [ __ ] like that and you know if you guys have a say someone who acted in the movie because I see Martin you have Martin yeah well no not at that point let's back it up a little bit something that always comes up is that nuanced Cinema wanted to hedge their bets more in regards to investing in this movie so they felt that the best people that would be would help that would be will and Jeff right uh that's who they wanted but behind the scenes they were it was an interesting Dynamics going on because at the same time New Life Cinema was trying to Sue will and Jeff for nightmare on my street was a rap record they made yeah on Elm Street so willingness thing is like you got to be crazy as soon as she wants to do a movie but Reggie and Warrington always wanted us to do it and that's why we went and did this thing that was very awkward in front of them where they would name out stuff for us to do and to do you know some uh impromptu acting I thought we did miserable and kind of left in my spirit move my head down low but when it was time to leave was in the city downtown go uptown East car whatever and um school was just letting out we didn't know it so we're getting ready to leave our music videos and stuff are out at that time okay all the music videos so one of the VIPs was going to leave for lunch or something like that so he said well let me walk y'all down and right when we came out all these kids was out from school and they mobbed us like we were the Beatles or the Jackson 5. he rushed back upstairs and said no these guys are it that's right right so that's how that happened but in regards to uh what he asked about other people being in the movie did we ever say so I know you went to L.A because I was building my foreplay at that time so I know you went out there to uh to see you try out I mean I had to I had to read with a lot of people like I made myself available to like read with people that they had yo what we think about this dude can you read with him I was like yeah you know I read what I read with [ __ ] I want the best people and um that was the great thing about house party the original house party is that um yeah was kidding play the the stars of it the on the top line yeah I mean but everybody else was really really great Lawrence Tisha Campbell yeah wasn't in it she looked like like I think about a little shop of horror yeah yeah because he would say like that Aj Johnson yeah what was the second movie so cartoonish though well the different director yeah that was a different um that was good for Martin though that was his breakout performance because that was the one where he and I get into it right and we not only did we not not I don't want to say like we let him but we we encouraged him we we we gave him the best opportunities yo we had one and it's not like he came up with these shits you know a lot of times we was back behind the camera say yo my [ __ ] dude you know Martin or the director I'm telling her we telling Martin that oh [ __ ] because we know it's going to be good so the events yeah and we'll tell the director too you know what I'm saying but but but also that was the the environment that we had you know you could tell yo yo my [ __ ] dude you know this take you know you know just do this just do this go for that you know what I mean I don't I don't care yeah I'm you know we're not even in this scene and we're just like yo money and so to place point that the house party too that's where he really he got off right and then after that that's when you cops the comedy gym his big scene was with us having I did something with his check and we're in the car and he's sitting in the back thing he's like looking at my ass out and that was when we was watching with an audience and they laughed I mean and I said I said and I said I said I said out loud I said this is it he's out of here I knew it right for me but we wasn't we but we was about that we was like yep that was intentional yeah let him you know let him get best you know these cats are comedians let them go let them do their thing you know what I'm saying yeah you got the script that's the guidelines but the great thing about Reggie is how would y'all say it you know I'm saying say it how you would say it and yeah but Reggie was going by then now I'm just saying in regards to you know the original yes I mean in good good directives do that they let you they give you some they give you some stretch if you're talking to my house party too where um Martin had an opportunity to break out yeah that's that's um that's George Jackson and Doug McHenry who we had a great relationship with and they let us participate and you know they you know they would they would let me every day uh they would I would go to watch the um dailies I would watch the dailies man and that was that was unheard of like they just you just didn't do that back in the days you didn't want these actors all over your thing but you know they let me do that and then so you know that I can I can get a sense of where we're going I could relay that to play um and you know these different house party movies one two and three they were great opportunities for for a people other than ourselves to kind of get off immature and a lot of them do they got off and then went off and things rest in peace all those comedians in it oh are you oh [ __ ] I'm mad I just started I'm mad I just remembering this Sam the rumor is that sure y'all saw a baby boy right yeah the rumor is here you're Jody's father yeah I remember saying that going viral it was another rumor too that Martin is your cousin all right and it's like when people approach you with that and if I have the timing I said listen his first name is Martin my last name is Mark that's where people was always thinking his first name is Martin my last name is oh that's right but she still might be Jody's father play might be Jody's father you dated AJ in the movie she don't show up for part two she could have had a baby had to drop out couldn't go to college they say you know she's living in Mama's house and she got Jody your ass is nowhere in sight cause you're the original [ __ ] Jody so you do you know we're Insight now we got babies y'all never came back to revisit these other House Parties that they wanted they were in the last one the last one within LeBron James Cameo you know what I'm saying they were in the Illuminati yeah about getting the bag that's what I'm saying you know you know what I'm saying like it ain't nice can we see kitten play on screen no doing anything like it's got to be right you know what I'm saying I mean we had the privilege of hanging out with Quincy Jones for a while because he wanted to know if if anybody would ask me what's my one regret might have been us not doing uh uh comedy because he just came off a Fresh Prince of Bel he wanted to do another sitcom and um he had this idea of kid and I living with an older white man having to share an apartment and that man was Don Rickles oh my God and I didn't see it but I'm like man looking back at it I said you know I said who knows you'll never see nothing yeah it's been a few times but that was a mutual thing it was like but he wanted to be in the kid and play girl like what do we want to do in still to this day I would want to do a remake of Uptown Saturday Night because I feel it's very age-appropriate about two guys who just want to have one last fling going to the doing to a club and the Sidney Poitier character just happens to have the lottery ticket a lottery ticket it ends up hitting but that club they go to gets robbed and the robbers don't know gichi Dan played by Harry Belafonte didn't know that one of the wallets that they had in this thing has the lottery ticket so it doesn't have to be exactly like that but he loved it he wanted to get Sidney Poitier's blessings and Bill Cosby we went to Sidney Poitier's home more like a villa and had his blessings and bestowed great wisdom on us we did meet Bill Cosby that was a little shaky at first but he warmed up to us it was a sun function and he offered me a drink but I ain't drinking and you even have no house party in my butt that's a pole um thank you thank you it started developing the script but um it just was getting crazy or just was it had Holograms and all the stuff that was going on and um a friendship came out of it it was just real cool we hung out with him like for a while to try and get something popping but uh it's hard man sometimes it's hard to get those especially when when you're thinking big and you're trying to get these big projects off the ground it's it's hard yeah but I would love to do that I would like I don't think that would work you know Uptown Saturday night that would be you know really really do you guys I don't want to keep you here all night but I do you guys feel appreciated I know you're still tall I know you're still active I know the crowds are still loving you but as far as your contribution is concerned I do because it's interesting you know the way you even started the show which I I get it but when people go the most underrated or they don't get there what you call it it's like we do it's just something that we didn't hire our publicist to be showing whatever but among you know when we get around some of the hardest rappers even relevant rappers today and I see them in the airport stuff you know they start bowing or they turn into Fanboys and fan girls themselves with the crowds the people we meet you know is crazy love or whatever but you know it's interesting you know even when I met Allen Iverson for the first time you just oh you don't understand man you know I wanted to be you I wanted to be Blade Brown I'm like I was Iverson you know what I'm saying so cool so cool what a cool guy I love that dude but uh pull up me pull up stop playing at all so I mean maybe if we hired a publicist to show every moment that we're appreciate and see the love but it's there you know it's there yeah no I think we're confident in ourselves we know what we've done I know I would I would totally agree with that though and and now that you know the phone's still ringing and you know we travel a lot together and separately yeah but there is it's a Vibe it's a Vibe and it's kind of weird sometimes it'll bug you out that after all this time you know I mean you know I'm you know I'm big with you know I'm big with something on people's moms and [ __ ] you know what I'm saying I was it I was it I was at um I was at a uh I was at ATM I think I was in Dallas you know and it was you know a little shorty a little shorty a little slimmy over there she's you know you know getting them and then I noticed she looked at me she was and I'm like oh man the young shorty trying to holler at the Players let me let her get a little money out there and so she grows around waiting on the side and she comes out and she says oh my God I I can't believe that did you hear I was like yeah you know yes it is but it is and then she whipped out her phone she's like can you talk to my mom can you talk to my mom and I'm like give me that what's up Arlene you know she had an old school name she wasn't around what's up Arlene yeah I'll tell you what does bother me that those that I don't feel get the credit they deserve would be Heavy D you know you don't hear about him as much as I feel he should Houdini you know hear about them as much as you should there's like there's artists that just like even with this whole celebration of hip-hop and like to me even like Grand wizard Theodore cat responsible for the scratch to this day don't DJs do that and here's a guy that invented it why isn't he not more celebrated and and no and known about a lot of these people are still living you know hip-hop is different man we don't celebrate our elders a little bit but not not the way not the way rock and roll dude they got into a major label first woman on television SNL um so much Kurtis Blow more you know what I'm saying it's like I I that's what gets to me in regards to those that are not getting I bring those two names up uh Houdini and Kurtis Blow anytime I get into a debate with a younger cat who wants to tell me that his generation pioneered Melodies and I have to stop him and be like you just didn't go back far and of course ill rappers like where's spoonie G yeah they mentioned in this Jordan bed you know what I'm saying no I don't hear about Molly more that much neither man no you bullshitting bro every producer that comes in here not enough anybody say anything about anymore did you hear Molly Malone being shout out at the beach no it's true yes all this they do give Molly Mars Flowers in here name's Marley absolutely no you yeah you're right though you're right you're right no no that's what I'm saying you're right no you're 100 right but the producer The Producers never let never let Marley's name get any dust on it every producer we've ever had come here he's not just a DJ he was a he was a producer he producing [ __ ] in the [ __ ] doing the book Supreme Team all of that all all of that man it's like God that's what gets to me is why those aren't more guys do realize that hip-hop would not be what it is now if it wasn't for you guys I begged it different but I hear where you're coming from I think we played an intrical part yeah it is one thing that I will accept is that all contribution where hip-hop met movies met theater we showed that there was a little bit man it's a little bit more yeah I did a lot of firsts and what biggest what biggest singing needs to have more sauce on it because there was a time when we were fighting for credibility and our parents did not [ __ ] with hip-hop dude we were being shut down and it took a kid in play to be like listen I Love Heavy D fun house Listen to This Record there's no shooting in this there's no killing in this we're not talking about they're not talking about going to jail no ma listen yeah look at the clothes they don't look like Hooligans they no and even after Class Act television wise the door opens up for um when we talk about Ron and Dwyane Wade who are they it's not these two dudes in college absolutely like that's the blueprint for that and that's what I said earlier about systematic somewhere somebody saw something and said oh it's not the way I want this angle to play out I wanted to play out here don't take no offense Ice Cube in NWA because you know I understand but I understand that yeah some things should not be promoted to the children and that's what I wanted to ask you earlier I know we got to wrap up but why didn't you promote to the children in your room that who you was because as a kid I when I was growing up that was told to me that who you was and it was like you know we listening to that but then real people on the street told me no that dude is really this well you know well but you never said that in your room no no no and guess what these are the same some of these same cats as the place said these are the same cats that we've been on tour with so we wasn't trying to we wasn't trying to knife them or stab that we were just like we were more like yo this is who we are this who they are you should like all of us you play your position whatever yeah whatever whatever so it's all hip-hop and it's how you feeling at that particular time and and it's and it it does go together we thought it didn't go together that's why we didn't want to talk with NWA that's why we didn't want to talk with ice cream and all that and we had to be proven wrong once we got out there they was like yo it's still all hip-hop it's just you know it's what they want at that particular time so I and it would it didn't make sense to to reject on our hip-hop brothers and sisters just because that wasn't our particular style of music right you know we were like nah be like nah and we were by then it was too late we was all friends we when we got on the tour with each other we was just like yo man I like yo I'm sorry I know he wants to kill people and police but I kind of like the guy if you know what I'm saying like play you know what I'm saying I got a question for you this is one I think bigger would have asked like my bigger question you you had a moment remember that last single the last record I saw you do when you were talking about going through the life and how it ended and everybody's run comes to an end or they decide to stop making active records et cetera et cetera but you you stepped out on your own and kind of made a point it looked like that come to Jesus moment where you went through this whole thing hey it's okay you know I had a good it was at a good time but this happened and this happened and this happened and then you were very very publicly giving your life to Christ right the [ __ ] the guy who we knew got all the girls all of a sudden is living a righteous life what was the moment that made you um kid and I and me in particular because I can't speak for him in regards to what's going on inside of him we reached the Pinnacle of success reached it Point Blank you know odd thing was we wanted to be like Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier in regards to how many movies they did we did that you know what I'm saying married some pretty hot women you know I'm saying my ex-wife Sherry Headley known from Coming to America you know he got married uh cars all of the materialistic things so all this stuff they were supposed to fulfill me make me feel content and this is it the more we were getting the more miserable I was getting because it wasn't doing for me what I thought it was going to do for me so I remember I lost interest in wanting to do any more recordings as far as you know Kid and Play um I kind of overwhelmed myself with the clothing shop then I had barber shops just doing the most and then getting married and that's a new world and all that kind and then she's pregnant you know with my second child so it was a lot a lot going on and then the change with the gangster raps coming in now so so much was going on and now I'm not being a hundred percent in a lot of these Endeavors and one in particular my marriage is this woman that wants to get a divorce now we're public so this is public with the public thinks of me it means everything to me you know I'm saying being a part of being famed the businesses at that time is pages every time the pager goes off I know it's something some breakfast I got to deal with in one of the businesses so to make a long story show which is too late I wanted that in my life I was trying to work up the courage like three days to pull the trigger to one of the very guns I used to use to stick people up with 38 snub nose revolver and I carried out on that but what came which I know is going to sound odd is I had a pretty impressive sound system in my home all of a sudden I didn't press the button This Record came on by Ron kenoly called if you could use anything Lloyd you can use me and that story was like speaking to me so I just started playing I don't remember pressing the button or whatever the case may be so at this time kids doing his thing I'm not really not always up to them hearing things you know who's doing living is like whatever but for me I just wanted to end it but I didn't and then I got involved with uh yeah you know I got involved in uh gospel stage plays interesting enough that's how I became really close with Ralph Tresvant he was doing a little G from silk Damien Hall from guy Tony Terry Shirley Murdoch Hollywood from The Temptations was having a ball but I was still going through a life so in my prayers and just get right to the point Lord just was started speaking to me and saying listen you did pretty good on your own give me a shot not literally give me a shot just do what I need for you to do I'm asking you to do just say my name tell people the truth about my life that it would encourage other young people it's about to go through what I was going through because see what the angle was is by me dropping out of school you can be able to tell people want to end their life when they have nothing I want to end my life and I have everything but I don't have him so by me now and the gospel plays doing my part which was like church on the road or whatever he's like I'm going to restore everything back that you had before but me and Ralph used to have this phrase go we're going to get it back because Ralph was going through some things we're gonna when we get it back we're gonna do it the right way that's still our joke to this day do things the right way treat that woman the right way handle that money the right way handle your friends the right way and that was my promise and fast forward here we are today you know and the interesting thing is when we're not doing this I'm an artisan resident at some University I'm at my fourth University now as a director of production at Virginia State University a person got kicked out of five high schools my relationship in The Higher Learning thing but it's to tell people I can't tell you what's right to do but I can sure tell you what not to do that's my thing you know what I'm saying but a very instrumental cat in my life a lot of us don't know what we do for others and don't even realize what we're doing but would be not going to high school you know I did went through a through a very unorthodox way of learning because he didn't know words he knew things so I would get intrigued with words he would say things he would say how to say it and active and another person help me out if I'm saying a word wrong or if I interrupt you and I ask you what word what that word means we went through that phase so that was my schooling in a way to be able to hopefully articulate myself as I do today what's next for killing clue you should apologize I deal with each other is when it ain't fun no more we're good so just you know right now we're you know we're very fortunate the phone's still ringing yeah you know what I mean phone's still ringing we got a good support system yeah legendary a cat is by the name of Valentina is a blessing and other people yeah other people in our camp as well so we gotta got a good location Savant yeah you know with Widow Henny Oh Henry Savant yeah if you guys go to my Instagram page and see me posting this doodle Henny Savant this is this is the contact but this is the guy behind yeah well ohani Savant self-made monster but this is this guy's great both of them actually also yeah that's that's super dope that's great music like that fellas one of the things that should be next to Kid and Play is you apologize in the Kaepernick for that sketch you pulled on whoa boy you pulled that out I'm done I'm done I'm done right hold on hold up what was it like date Instagram you did all that anyway one thing I say about that is look if you in this game long enough you may bump your head from time to time and that was a situation where I clearly didn't understand the moment and I you know I was not yeah you know I [ __ ] up on that and that was you know that was a yeah that was a bump um but one of the cool things about it was um we had enough um stock in the game that people you know they kind of not not look past it but it was like yeah they said we can weather this and I was like yeah I mean when I look back at it and I was like I don't know what I don't know I don't know what the [ __ ] I was thinking about um and I think uh that that that our fans um you know they gave me a pass and so not a pass but they they were understanding and I I think you know because I don't I don't have a right to [ __ ] up the kitten play Brand and I and I almost did that um but I think man that time was like really different um and normally I'm like really really cognizant of things like that but in that respect I wasn't and so you know I took a hit I took a hit but um I think our fans and and my fans were they were like all right Bros don't do that [ __ ] again ladies and gentlemen turn that game over here the legendary you do Legend again we want to see you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you up

Channel: MATH HOFFA

Views: 118,127

Keywords: Math Hoffa, My Expert Opinion, mathhoffa, my expert opinion math hoffa, expert opinion, math hoffa my expert opinion, Breakfast Club, Viral, Viral clip, Joe Budden podcast, Drink Champs, Best podcast, Top 5 podcast, Joe Rogan experience, The daily, Barbershop, Entertainment, Asmr, Million dollar worth of game, kid n play, hip hop, 80's hip hop, class act, house party, new jack swing

Id: bEWBx_ASW2Y

Length: 156min 40sec (9400 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 20 2023