Kid’s all grown up but can still throw a ‘House Party’

By Allison Duck (contact)

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 | 1:13 p.m.

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Christopher “Kid” Reid is all grown up, but is just as funny as ever.

“Knowing who Kid ‘N Play are has become a line of demarcation.” Christopher “Kid” Reid hit the nail on the head with that statement. When exactly did "I Love the ‘80s" morph into "I Love the ‘90s?" Younger generations may not have seen "House Party" but there’s a chance they at least remember the iconic Kid ‘N Play dance or Kid’s ridiculously tall hi-top fade hairstyle.

When I told Reid the friends I had just had dinner with didn’t know who I was talking about when I said I was going to see the Kid ‘N Play guy do comedy, he made me feel a little bit better. Instead of feeling old he said, “Think of it as a club, an exclusive club. They might not always get it off the bat if they’re not in the right demographic but you can always get them when you say the guy with the hair.” Though he now has a more close cropped coiffure, Reid says, “People act like it was just yesterday but I haven’t worn that hairstyle since 1991 when I cut it as part of the movie we were in called 'Class Act.'”

As one half of the dancing, rapping and acting duo Kid ‘N Play, Reid has seen many facets of the entertainment world. After movie roles with Play and co-hosting shows like "Your Big Break" and "Showtime at the Apollo", comedian friends like Bill Maher convinced him to throw his hat in the comedy ring. While it’s hard to escape his past as a member of Kid ‘N Play, Reid said, “It’s good to be known for something. Until my next big thing, I can live with the hair and the dance and the big eyes. “

After seeing your act, I am really impressed with your physical comedy. How do you come to learn those skills?

I’m old but I’m older than I am in terms of my influences. The people I studied were OGs like Charlie Chaplin and folks like that, back when you couldn’t speak and you had to express things with your facial expressions and your eyes.

Do you ever feel you can’t escape your persona as the House Party kid doing the Kid ‘N Play Dance?

To be quite honest, I appreciate the fact that they remember that and that it’s special to them. Recently Play and I appeared on the BET Hip-Hop Awards. It was a surprise performance and we busted into the old dance and everybody went nuts. We’ve done a line of Kid ‘N Play T-shirts in Hot Topic and Wet Seal stores. Now people send me pictures from all over the country because their kids are wearing them. The more I think about it, that image of a young dude with a crazy hairstyle stuck around for a reason. For every young generation, I think that’s going to be attractive because kids of today want to be different and look different and when they see a guy who looks that (f-ing) bizarre, they’re going to identify with it.

What’s next for Kid ‘N Play as a duo?

I want to acknowledge the fans who liked that stuff and then gently bring them into what I’m doing now. There will be more Kid ‘N Play stuff in 2010. We’d like to do another film. We’ve done enough House Party films and I think the Kid ‘N Play brand is strong enough. It implies House Party, you know, some kind of fun, rollicking thing. Next year is actually the 20th anniversary of the first House Party so we think that will be a cool way to come back they way we want to.

In your comedy act, you mention your dad didn’t dig the hairstyle. Was it your own idea or that of a stylist?

That was my style. In my neighborhood in Queens, New York, people were getting what are known as fades -- tight on the side and higher on top so the side kind of fades in. I kind of kept letting the top grow and kept cutting the sides. I was getting a reaction from the beginning when it was only a few inches tall because nobody was doing that back then. My gut was telling me to just keep letting it grow. We didn’t look like everyone else. I know I must have looked just crazy to people but I didn’t really care. It kind of took on a life of its own.

Do you think you’ll ever break out of the world of comedic acting roles?

In addition to the funny stuff, I’m trying to get into the more dramatic stuff in the coming year. My agent is determined to get me some more dramatic stuff. The hard part is making people laugh. Ask those drama dudes if they can make people laugh. I bet I can get on their block quicker than they can get on mine.

Does your silly side ever get in the way in relationships or is it always appreciated?

I’m not nearly as active on the scene as I once was. I tell my friends I’m like an old short stop. She’s going to have to hit it right at me. If you throw it right at me, I’ll catch it but I’m not going to and pull a hamstring. I might just let it go into the outfield. The thing is women love to laugh and I think the testament to that is how so many really ugly comedians have really hot girlfriends. As long as that fact remains, being funny will always be helpful.