Kidz in the Hall

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• Genre: Rap/Hip-Hop

About

Once thought to be purely an old-school artifact, the MC/DJ duo makes a comeback in the form of Kidz in the Hall (Double-O is the DJ, Naledge is the rapper), an innovative duo whose sound reflects influences like the hip-hop jazz of A Tribe Called Quest and the out-of-this-world productions of Outkast. Having met in the halls of the University of Pennsylvania in 2000, the two started recording and distributing music on their own, leading to a valuable relationship with production heavyweight Just Blaze, who put his executive producer stamp of approval on their mixtape The Amazing Race. While their 2006 debut School Was My Hustle went largely unnoticed commercially despite critical acclaim, 2008's The In Crowd fared much better based on the strength of its titular single. Along the way, Naledge and Double-O's track "Work to Do" found its way into Barack Obama's hands, who immediately tagged it as an anthem for his presidential campaign.

- Rachel Landy