Bratfest is returning again this weekend at the Alliant Energy Center, and this year will have an exciting opportunity to catch Hip Hop legends Kid ‘n Play and Tone Loc performing. The stars from Hip Hop’s electric beginnings will be bringing the energetic music that pushed the genre and culture into the limelight that it holds today. Tone Loc and Kid ‘n Play will be some of the last musical acts at Bratfest as they will be on the Everlight Solar Grand Stage rounding out the last day Sunday evening.
Tone Loc (Anthony Terrell Smith) will be performing from 6:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tone Loc’s career took off in the late 80s with his hit singles “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina” and a successful album with Loc-ed After Dark. This success would lead to a future career working in entertainment and music. The danceable and sample-heavy sound Tone Loc brings is a memorable piece of what connected many to the emerging sound going into the 90s.
Kid ‘n Play will then perform from 8 to 9:05 pm to close out Bratfest on Sunday. The duo may be most recognizable for the high-top fade hairstyle that Kid (Christopher Reid) rocked during their rise to stardom. Play (Christopher Martin) is the other half of the pair that claim hits such as “Rollin’ With Kid ‘n Play” and “Gettin’ Funky.” Along with their musical achievement, Kid ‘n Play played a vital role in exposing many to Hip Hop music and culture through their House Party movies that helped boost the career of many up-and-coming Black comedians and musicians in the 90s.
These two acts also serve as an important step towards efforts to bring a spectrum of musical genres and offerings to events in Madison. More information about all the activities and musical performances Bratfest has to offer from Friday to Sunday is available at their website here.
