Christopher Reid Recalls How Kid ‘n Play Lost Out On An NBC Deal That Went To Will Smith And DJ Jazzy Jeff Instead

What’s truly meant for you will always find its way.

Christopher Reid, popularly known as “Kid” from Kid ‘n Play, has recounted a timeline of events that shows it.

Back in 1990, the rap duo released an eponymous cartoon series on NBC. Following the first season’s run, the network pulled the plug on their show.

In an interview on the “Hip-Hop Confessions” podcast, Reid shared that he and Christopher Martin (“Play”) were heated about the cancellation. Their anger at the time made their emotions outweigh their business mindset, and they missed out on a major TV deal.

“We was feeling some kind of way because that cartoon was really important to us,” Reid told host and rapper Mad Skillz. 

“We told our managers, ‘Look, if they’re going to clip this cartoon, we don’t want to do a sitcom with them,” he continued. 

Reid shared that he and Martin believed that putting their foot down would give them both their cartoon and a sitcom. However, NBC moved on and gave the sitcom deal to Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, which became “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

Looking back on the time, Reid admitted that he and Martin failed to see past their wants and consider the bigger picture.

On the same podcast, DJ Jazzy Jeff previously shared that he and Smith were offered the movie “House Party,” but turned it down because they weren’t interested in movies at the time. The offer had come from New Line Cinema as part of a settlement the distributor had agreed to with the duo, despite copyright infringement in their song “A Nightmare on My Street.” The leading roles of the new movie instead went to Kid ‘n Play. Following the success of the 1990 release, Kid ‘n Play went on to star in “House Party 2” and “House Party 3.” 

It appears that the turn of events worked out for all involved, Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Kid ‘n Play.