Kidz in the Hall is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop duo from Chicago, Illinois.

History

Group members Jabari Evans (

Naledge Jabari Miles Evans, better known by his stage name Naledge, is an American rapper and one half of the hip-hop group Kidz in the Hall. He is also an assistant professor of Race and Media at the University of South Carolina in School of Journalism ...

) and Michael Aguilar ( Double-0) met in 2000 during a talent show at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. They began recording songs, making demos, and performing at local shows which eventually led to Double-0 and

forming Kidz in the Hall. Double-0 made a connection with

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his m ...

through a job he had at T-Mobile. Blaze then aligned himself with the duo and oversaw their debut ''

School Was My Hustle ''School Was My Hustle'' is the first studio album from Kidz in the Hall, a Chicago hip hop duo. It was the first release from a reactivated Rawkus Records, after its catalog was purchased by Universal Music Group. Track listing #"Hustler's Intr ...

''. Kidz in the Hall signed a group deal with Rawkus Records, and released the album in 2006. In early 2007, Kidz in the Hall created a song entitled "Work To Do It" in support of democratic presidential nominee

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, who has ties to Naledge's hometown of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. They were among the first artists to support Obama in their music. The song features a sample from

The Main Ingredient The Main Ingredient was an American soul and R&B group best known for their 1972 hit song "Everybody Plays the Fool". Early history The group was formed in Harlem, New York City in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Dona ...

's version of the

Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group **Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...

original of the same name. In November 2007, Kidz in the Hall were officially signed to Duck Down Records, an independent label started by founding members of the

Boot Camp Clik Boot Camp Clik is an American hip hop supergroup from Brooklyn, New York City, which is composed of Buckshot (of Black Moon), Smif-N-Wessun ( Tek and Steele), Heltah Skeltah (Rock and Sean Price) and O.G.C. (Starang Wondah, Top Dog, and Louievi ...

. The duo's second album, '' The In Crowd'', was released in May 2008, with the lead single "Drivin' Down the Block," which samples

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut " The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice ...

's song "Born to Roll" for the hook and contains an interpolation of Outkast's "Elevators (Me & You)" on the bridge. This song was featured on the game Midnight Club Los Angeles: Complete Edition from Rockstar Games. Many other tracks on the album use samples and interpolations of early 1990s hip hop, including their song "Snob Hop" featuring Camp Lo which uses the hook from Black Sheep's song "Flava of the Month" for the chorus. Their song "Blackout" was featured on the soundtrack of

Madden '09 ''Madden NFL 09'' is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 20th annual installment in the ''Madden NFL'' video game franchise. The game was released for the Ninten ...

. The group's most recent album Land of Make Believe was released on March 9, 2010 and features guests

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first ...

, Just Blaze, Chip tha Ripper, Donnis,

Amanda Diva Amanda Ingrid Seales (born July 1, 1981), formerly known by the stage name Amanda Diva, is an American comedian and actress. Since 2017, she has starred in the HBO comedy series '' Insecure''. In 2019, HBO released her first stand-up comedy spe ...

and co-production by Just Blaze and Picnic Tyme. The album was declared the most "commercially viable" album the group has made thus far and was well-received critically, receiving an XL rating in

XXL Magazine ''XXL'' is an American hip hop magazine, published by Townsquare Media, founded in 1997. History In August 1997, Harris Publications released the first issue of ''XXL''. It featured rappers Jay-Z and Master P on a double cover. In December 2006 ...

.XXL Staff (March 9, 2010). “”.

is also planning to come out with a solo album in the near future. He was quoted by rap website Hiphopdx, "My solo album is still in the process of being put together. I’ve been busy with shows, but I have some tracks in the works," says the rising MC. "I got beats from 9th Wonder, Black Milk, Double-O, Pete Rock and wo or three fromJust Blaze. Just Blaze has been my 'yes man', okaying tracks for the album."Hiphopdx staff (2009).
He released a solo mixtape
.

Discography

;Studio albums *''

'' (2006), Rawkus Records *'' The In Crowd'' (2008), Duck Down Records *'' Land of Make Believe'' (2010), Duck Down Records *'' Occasion'' (2011), Duck Down Records *''Free Nights & Weekends'' (2017) ;Extended plays *''Wishful Drinking'' (2013) ;Mixtapes *''Detention'' (2007), Major League Entertainment *''Geniuses Need Love Too'' (2008) *"The Professional Leisure Tour" (2009) LRG *"Semester Abroad" (2011) ;Singles *''Wheelz Fall Off ('06 'Til...)'' (2006), Rawkus Records *''Drivin' Down the Block'' (2008), Duck Down Records *''Love Hangover'' (2008) *''Take Over The World ft Colin Munroe and Just Blaze'' (2010) *''Jukebox'' (2010) *''Pour it Up'' (2011) ;Music videos *"Wheelz Fall Off ('06 Til...)" (2006) *"Drivin' Down The Block" (2008) *"Love Hangover (feat. Estelle)" (2008) *"I Got It Made (Reebok Classic)" (2009) *"Jukebox" (2010) *"Break It Down" (2011)
/ref> *"Occasion" (2011) *"Pour it Up" (2012)

References

Sources

"Jukebox" Land Of Make Believe (2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kidz In The Hall American hip hop groups Musical groups from Chicago American musical duos Hip hop duos Midwest hip hop groups