Secret Agent 23 Skidoo began performing in Asheville as a member of local funk collective GFE, but shifted his focus to making children’s albums (“kid-hop,” as he calls it) after finding success with a self-produced storybook designed as a gift for his daughter (who occasionally performs alongside her dad as MC Fireworks).
His first album was a breakout success, landing two No. 1 singles on satellite radio and catapulting him to the forefront of the burgeoning “kindie” scene. Skidoo’s endlessly entertaining rhymes focus on family-friendly subject matter, like the importance of individuality, creativity and imagination. But his beats stay true to old-school hip-hop, offering something mom and dad can jam to as well.
“When I was showing some early tracks from this album to a friend, he said, ‘Yo, this is way too hot to be kids’ music. You should rethink this. You should put grown-up lyrics on this. I think you’re doing the wrong thing here,’” Skidoo recently told Xpress.
“Now that’s a good compliment.”
— Dane Smith
