Kid N Play "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody"

Album: Face The Nation (Select; 1991)
Songwriters: Regi Hargis, Eric Johnson and Christopher "Kid" Reid
R&B Peak Position: #26

"Look in the closet and pull out the hype gear/ Pull up the hightop fade and I'm outta here..."

An accomplished Atlanta band that merged the worlds of funk and jazz for some of the most feel-good R&B/ disco jams of the late-seventies through early-eighties, Brick kept bodies moving with the driving, dance floor grooves of, amongst others, "Dazz", "Dusic" and "Push Push". One of their biggest hits emerged with "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody", a #7 R&B charter from their 1977 self-titled peak set.

Draped in playful guitar licks that teased the listener with brief moments of rest in the groove, "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" urged anyone and everyone to dance their hearts away through the early morn. "Someone said that it was ten to four/ It's not too late to throw some more," the lyrics encouraged, while the sprawling arrangement's dazzling utilization of strings and horns aided in making you forget that you actually had to be at work in a couple of hours time.



DL: "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody (Brick)" (YFH)

The song was revisited in 1991 by pop-rap act Kid N Play, a teen-friendly NY duo whose far-from-gangsta sound and image helped in crossing them over into the big screen (with "Class Act" and a trio of "House Party" films) and even amongst the Saturday morning cartoon field.

In the context of the rap scene at the time, KNP stuck out as hopeless squares, aligning themselves with harmless uptempo raps that embraced the fun-loving innocence of the old-school hip hop world. Their last Billboard chart hurrah arrived with "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody", a solid exercise in their signature dance-rap style that coupled a vibrant New Jack swing with youthful hype concerning weekend good-times ("Call up the homies and hope they might/ Say they down to paint the town red tonight") and the requisite after-party hook-ups. Sprinkled with energetic R&B hooks, the record successfully translated the celebratory mood of the Brick original for a younger generation to embrace.

It was also the lone hit to come from KNP's third album, Face The Nation, a critically panned release trashed for it's awkward attempts at more serious lyrical content. While their musical career had definitely plateaued, the duo's shelf-life enjoyed an extension through their movies, which saw them dabbling in a more appealing "Porky's"-like raunchiness.

By the mid-nineties', Kid N Play were no more, but they have since remained cult phenoms thanks to the "House Party" flicks (always good for a repeat viewing). Plus, you can't help but crack a smile when fondly recalling Kid's unforgettable high-top fade or their own two-man, "hokey-pokey-meets-the-streets" dance we nearly sprained ankles trying to emulate.

Best Moment: That hot female-sung bit (3:12)



DL: "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody (Kid N Play)" (YFH)