Published: Monday - February 26, 2007
Words by Charles "Cza" Sweet II
Chris "Play" Martin (Photo: n/a)
Hip-hop owes a debt of gratitude to its founders to be sure. Artists like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane defined what "street" was with their sub-culturally correct commentary. "Pioneering" in itself isn't difficult; what makes it admirable is the person's courage and strength of will to be different. Chris "Play" Martin, one half of the hip-hop group Kid N' Play, was a trailblazer for the crossing over of the genre in his heyday.
Accredited with being the first commercial act to successfully go from music to movies with titles like "House Party" 1-3 and "Class Act," he is synonymous with early 90s fashion, slang and attitude. But what does the duo credit their success to? Uniqueness. "Kid and I were just two guys trying to do something different," says Play. "All we wanted was to show the fun side of hip-hop. Everything was dark, grimy and having a lack of color. We wanted people to dance again, you know, to party again." Just as hip-hop has evolved with every passing generation, so must its founders.
Like their idols, Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby, Kid N' Play did four films, and although their movie careers seem to be at a standstill, should the right script arise, the pair say they are open to another film. But movies aren't Play's focus right now. He currently has a documentary in-stores, called "Welcome to Durham," about gang life in North Carolina, and also teaches a hip-hop class alongside producer extraordinaire 9th Wonder in North Carolina as well. But, Kid isn't completely out of the picture, according to Play, he's got Showtime At The Apollo and a new television show in the works. And if his former partner-in-crime calls, he ready and willing to work with him again. "Kid's wit is ingenious, I look forward to our next venture together," says Play.
Play's documentary project, "Welcome to Durham," is a gritty, unforgiving account of the rapidly expanding gang life of one of the most industrious cities in North Carolina. Seeing the original documentary, Chris saw that it was grossly out-of-date and not accurately reflecting upon the day-to-day scene, one easily rivaling that of a Los Angeles or Compton. Martin had been producing various projects since 1997, and thus this project was brought before him because it needed a music video to accompany the included soundtrack. After completing the video, he was asked to come onboard as producer of the entire film and he agreed. Wanting to give a facelift to what was shown in the original; he focused not only on the bad, but also on the good aspects of the city. "When I saw the original, it inspired me," explained the former rapper. "I saw the meaning behind the film, and I saw what it could be, if translated to audiences of today. It was and is, powerful."
Moving from music to now documentaries, it seems as though Play has abandoned his music roots, as far as the creation of music, but why? To him, today's hip-hop is a graveyard. "Hip-hop is indeed dead. Nas was right, you know?" admits Play. "It used to be, artists WERE artists, not modern day harlequins of record companies. They weren't puppets either; they were masters of their crafts who respected it enough to at least attempt to be different. [They] at least would strive for a sound like you've never heard. Now, it"s a factory of sorts that spews out clone after clone. Like Nas said, hip-hop is dead. And redundancy killed it."
Even without music, Play wants to make an impact on the youth. And with "Welcome To Durham," he plans to open the world's eyes to the gang culture that is no longer the exclusive to urban cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, but today infects small cities and towns all across America.
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