A handful of classic rappers have made forays into the children’s entertainment and content arena, and sometimes into related licensed products, in the past year or so:
- Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC partnered with Nickelodeon and Paramount Global last November in a wide-ranging deal in which McDaniels lends his voice to the new Noggin series What’s the Word?, as well as launching a consumer products program encompassing apparel, books, and other products. The first licensing partnership under the agreement is with Random House Children’s Books for a hardcover picture book for kids 3-7, Darryl’s Dream, published in January of this year. T-shirts, totes, pillows, and other items under the Young DMC brand are available on the Nickelodeon store on Amazon.
- Chris “Ludacris” Bridges created a TV series, Karma’s World, with 9 Story Media, which debuted on Netflix in October 2021 and saw its third season premiere last month. 9 Story and Bridges partnered with Scholastic on a picture book, Daddy and Me and the Rhyme to Be, starring the character Karma, who is based on his eldest daughter of the same name. The publication was timed to the debut of the TV series’ third season. Scholastic has also published three tie-ins to the TV series to date, starting in January, with two more titles set for fall and another for February 2023. 9 Story recently announced a number of international agents for the property; Mattel is the master toy licensee, with a range of playthings set to debut this fall.
- Taboo (a.k.a. Jimmy Gomez), member of The Black Eyed Peas, paired with Gaumont, along with Flying Bark Productions and Skyview Way Studios, to create a children’s TV series that highlights indigenous cultures. KB & JJ is a CG-animated series about an orca whale and a jellyfish whose adventures rely on the wisdom and practices of Australian First Nations cultures. Taboo, who is of Hopi/Shoshone and Mexican descent, is heavily involved in curating the music for the preschool series, as well as the overall development. Taboo is also working on another series with Gaumont, Journey’s Farm; has authored a children’s book called A Kids Book About Identity; and has written a volume of the Werewolf by Night comic book series from Marvel. (The Black Eyed Peas are known for combining rap and hip-hop with pop, Latin, and EDM music styles.)
These musicians bring a lot to the party within the children’s entertainment space. They add authentic diversity to the screen, with content that is rooted in their personal experience. They are eager to have a positive impact on kids and have vast entertainment-industry knowledge and contacts to help reach that goal. And they lend name recognition, especially among their large fan followings of all ages, colors, and genders. These attributes give producers, licensors, and licensees an advantage in the difficult task of launching a brand-new intellectual property and related products in the current world of kids’ entertainment and merchandise.
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