Remembering Kid N Play’s ‘Class Act’ A Classic Comedy for The Ages
Blade Brown and Duncan Pinderhughes. Two characters that we can't really describe as "iconic," but if you're a hip-hop fan of a certain age, you probably remember the 1992 comedy Class Act.
The film, a quasi-retelling of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper as a screwball rap comedy, was the third movie for hip-hop stars Kid N Play. Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin starred as the main characters who pretend to be one another after their high school records were switched. Motown’s Suzanne de Passe co-produced the movie, which was directed by Randall Miller.
Kid N Play’s musical career dated back to 1987, but they blew up in the early 1990s on the big screen. Class Act was their third movie in just two years, following the first two House Party films. They'd also released a self-titled NBC animated series.
The film, which also starred Karyn Parsons, Doug E Doug, Pauley Shore and the late Tommy Ford, debuted at No.7 at the US box office and went on to earn a total of $13,272,113. A moderate success, but not the level of widespread appeal nor the enduring classic status of the first House Party.
Nonetheless, the comedy has been referenced in several different songs. For example, Smoke DZA raps on “New Jack”: “I’m a class act, you looking at the real life Blade Brown/ You acting like I won’t abuse n---s/ Square ass lame Duncan Pinderhughes n----s."
Check out a clip from Class Act below.
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