Talking ‘House Party’ 20 Years Later With Kid ‘N Play

Talking ‘House Party’ 20 Years Later With Kid ‘N Play
by Wilson Morales

April 20, 2010

Last night at the Tribeca All Access kickoff, which is part of the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, rappers Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin of Kid ‘N Play celebrated the 20th anniversary of the their film ‘House Party.’

Also at the event were producer Warrington Hudlin and original cast members Darryl “Chill” Mitchell and members of Full Force (B-Fine, Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou).

Released by New Line Cinema in 1990, ‘House Party’ was directed by Reginald Hudlin and starred the rapping duo.

Also featured in the comedy were Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson, Gene “Groove” Allen (of Groove B. Chill), Kelly Jo Minter, John Witherspoon and Robin Harris (who died of a heart attack nine days after the film was released).

Due to its popularity, two sequels were made: ‘House Party 2′ in 1991 and ‘House Party 3′ in 1994.

Black Voices caught up with Kid ‘N Play, along with Mitchell, shortly after they performed.

How does it feel to be celebrating 20 years?

Christopher “Play” Martin: You know, the great thing about it, is that it doesn’t feel like 20 years. It’s amazing, and the good thing about it is not to take yourself seriously, which I can say I wasn’t perfect with. I got a chance to rest and look back and see the groundwork that me and Kid laid out. When I look back at the music and comic book that Marvel put out, we accomplished a lot of good work.

Daryl “Chill” Mitchell: Warrington and Reggie [Hudlin] knew that we were really green at this thing. A lot of influences that people could have taught us wasn’t there. It was a real family environment, and they protected us.

Christopher “Kid” Reid: It was great, awesome and very humbling. It was a collaborative project, and I had the opportunity to work with some great people who made me and Play look good. People think that this makes you feel confident, but it’s totally the opposite. I feel blessed and humbled by what people think of our work.

You almost went unrecognized without the famous high-top fade. How long did you have it before you cut it off?

Reid: I actually stop wearing the high-top fade in ’91. It’s so distinctive, and people always reference it with me and it’s cool. I appreciate that. All of that stuff is art. The music is art. The awards and hair are art. Play and I are artist. Everyone from the Hudlin Brothers, Martin Lawrence, and Tisha Campbell are artists. Art was being created at the highest level when we did this film. Twenty years later, people tell us that they grew up with us and we were a part of their lives.

How cool was it being on the Mo’Nique show back in February?

Reid: That was great. As Play and I were talking about doing new things together, we talked about things we wanted to be a part of and the shows that we wanted to do, and Mo’Nique has been a great proponent of our work from day one. It just seemed natural that the first time Kid ‘N Play was on TV for the first time in so many years would be her show. We were overwhelmed to be there and had a blast. That was a blessing.

Martin: Yes, it was fantastic to be on the show and see the love people gave us. A big thanks to Mo’Nique.

What’s next for you?

Martin: I’ve been teaching hip-hop at North Carolina Central University and also have a news organization called Brandnewz.com, where we put out positive news.

Reid: We’re preparing for a lot of things, and we have the Tom Joyner cruise coming up. We have the 20th anniversary tour that we are doing with Full Force, Lisa Lisa, Chubb Rock, Big Daddy Kane and Montell Jordan. Play and I also have a television series in the works, so the future is bright.