Christopher Martin | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Play |
Born | July 10, 1962 |
Origin | Queens, New York, U.S. |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, actor |
Years active | 1987–present |
Labels | Select Records Elektra Records |
Christopher Martin (born July 10, 1962) is an American rapper and actor, who is the latter half of the late 1980s/early 1990s hip-hop/comedy duo Kid 'n Play.
Martin's stage name, Play, is derived from his original MC name, Playboy, which he began using while in a music group, Quicksilver and the Super Lovers, [1] which featured producer Hurby Luv Bug. While performing with this group, Martin met Christopher Reid, who performed as Kid Coolout in the group The Turnout Brothers. When their respective groups dissolved, Martin and Reid decided to perform as a duo. By shortening their nicknames, it would lead to the start of the group Kid 'n Play which featured the pair rapping and dancing together.
With Kid, Play recorded three albums and starred in five hip-hop based comedy films: House Party , House Party 2 , Class Act , House Party 3 , and House Party: Tonight’s the Night.
After the duo split in 1995, Play became a born-again Christian and focused on Christian hip hop. He is the founder and CEO of HP4 Digital, a pre- and post-production multimedia company for film, digital media, and theater.
In 2010, Play starred as an undercover DEA agent in the independent film The Return. [2] [3]
Play was one of the judges for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists. [4] [5]
Play was married to actress/model Shari Headley from May 1993 until they divorced in June 1995. In April 1994, Headley gave birth to their son, Skyler Martin.
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt, Pepa, and DJ Spinderella. Their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986), sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album included the single, "Push It", which was released in 1987 as the B-side to their single "Tramp", and peaked within the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014.
House Party is a 1990 American comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin. It stars Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin of the hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou, and B-Fine of Full Force, and Robin Harris with supporting roles by Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell and Gene "Groove" Allen, Kelly Jo Minter, John Witherspoon, with a cameo by funk musician George Clinton.
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, new jack swing was most popular from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Filipino hip-hop or Pinoy hip hop is hip hop music performed by musicians of Filipino descent, both in the Philippines and overseas, especially by Filipino-Americans.
Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop duo from New York City who were most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo is composed of Christopher Reid ("Kid") and Christopher Martin ("Play") working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond. Besides their musical careers, they also branched out into acting.
Christopher Wong Won, better known by his stage name Fresh Kid Ice, was a Trinidadian-American rapper and a Miami bass pioneer. Wong Won was born and spent his early childhood in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, before emigrating to the United States. In his early twenties, Wong Won was in the United States Air Force and he co-founded 2 Live Crew while he was stationed in California. Early 2 Live Crew singles gained so much traction in Florida that they relocated there. By 1986, the group released the single "Throw The 'D'"; it is now considered the blueprint of Miami bass.
Class Act is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Randall Miller and starring hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play. An urban retelling of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, the film was written by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper from a story by Michael Swerdlick, Richard Brenne and Wayne Allan Rice. Filmed at Van Nuys High School in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, it is the third of five films starring Kid 'n Play, following House Party (1990) and House Party 2 (1991), and preceding House Party 3 (1994) and House Party: Tonight's the Night (2013).
House Party 3 is a 1994 American comedy film, starring Kid 'n Play, Bernie Mac, Gilbert Gottfried, TLC, Immature, Michael Colyar, and introducing Angela Means in her film debut as Veda Pratt with a special appearance by Tisha Campbell. It is the third installment of the House Party film series. This was intended to be the last film in the franchise, ending it as a trilogy, but a stand-alone direct to video sequel, House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute, was released seven years later. This is also Chris Tucker's debut on film as well as the first film in the series that Martin Lawrence does not reprise his role as Bilal, nor was he mentioned. Also absent in House Party 3 are three of the members of the R&B group Full Force, who played the bullies in the first two films.
Christopher Reid, formerly known as Kid, is an American rapper, actor and comedian. During the peak of his career with the rap duo Kid 'n Play, with Christopher Martin, Reid was notable for both his seven-inch, vertical hi-top fade and freckles.
Hi-top fade is a haircut where hair on the sides is cut off or kept very short while hair on the top of the head is grown long.
Asian hip hop is a heterogeneous musical genre that covers all hip hop music as recorded and produced by artists of Asian origin.
Funhouse is the second and penultimate album by American hip hop duo Kid 'n Play. It was released on March 13, 1990, through Select Records. Recording sessions took place at Bayside Sound Recording Studio and at Soundcheck Studio in New York. Production was handled by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor and the Invincibles. It features the lone guest appearance from Salt-N-Pepa.
Face the Nation is the third and most recent studio album by the American hip hop duo Kid 'n Play. It was released in 1991 via Select Records.
Kid 'n Play is a 1990 animated cartoon series based on the real-life hip hop duo Kid 'n Play. It ran for one season on NBC from September 8 to December 8, 1990. On the show, Kid 'n Play were portrayed as teenagers, along with their friend Jazzy, their producer Hurbie and their DJ Wiz, but their recording careers remained the same as in real life, as did their character traits. Production was by Marvel Productions and Saban Entertainment.
"Make Her Say" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, released as the second single from his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009). The single was digitally released to iTunes on June 9, 2009. It features fellow American rappers Common and Kanye West, the latter of whom also produced the song. The song is perhaps best known for its sample of the US number-one hit single "Poker Face", as performed by American singer Lady Gaga. The song received a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Daniel Domingo Carrillo, better known by his stage name Termanology, is an American rapper and record producer. He first gained major attention with the 2006 single "Watch How It Go Down". A solo album, Politics as Usual, was released in 2008. He has made a number of collaborative albums, such as 1982 and is known also for his prolific mixtape output. He is of Puerto Rican and French descent.
Mark D. Ross, better known by his stage name Brother Marquis, is an American rapper and a Miami bass pioneer. Ross was born in Rochester, New York, in his teens, and with his mother, they moved to Los Angeles, California. By the early 1980s, Ross started to release music with his group The Cautious Crew, and shortly after he made an impression DJ and producer David Hobbs due to his battle rap abilities. At the time, Hobbs was part of a group named 2 Live Crew, who had just created the Miami Bass blueprint, and were successful in Florida. Eventually a member of the group left, and Ross accepted an invitation to replace him. Due to his comedic sensibilities, Ross integrated easily into the direction the group was taking. Alongside Hobbs, Christopher Wong Won, and Luther Campbell, they became the most well-known line up of the group. In 1986, they had a breakthrough with their Gold-certified debut album, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are.
"Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" is a song performed by American hip hop group Kid 'n Play. It was issued as the first single from their third studio album Face the Nation, as well as appearing on the soundtrack to the film House Party 2. The song samples the Brick song of the same name, as well as "Funky President " by James Brown.
The House Party franchise consists of American comedies, based on a short film written/directed by Reginald Hudlin in 1990. The franchise consists of the original short film, three theatrical releases, two straight-to-home video sequels, and one theatrical continuation movie. The events of each installment centers around high school teenagers, who are tasked with responsible duties ranging from studying for class to house-sitting, but instead go against the regimented instructions and plan large parties to increase their popularity at school; while eventually leading to comedic unfortunate circumstances. The plot additionally involves these characters' attempts to fame, in the Hip-hop/Rap music industry.
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