Sprockster: Hello 23. Congratulations on being our featured artist for the month of September. Since this is your first time being featured on our site, can you tell our visitors a little bit about yourself and KID HOP music?

23: I’m an MC that’s been rapping and performing nationally for 13 years, and acting childishly for most of my life. So this creative avenue fits like a foam Hulk fist. KID HOP music is hip hop with classic drum sounds and sophisticated beats and rhymes that deal with the interior of kid world. The main difference between it and the hip hop on the radio is that KID HOP is more positive. And probably more complex at this point.

Sprockster: How did you get your start recording and performing family music?

23: When my daughter and rap cohort got old enough to have good mic control, I figured it was time. Sprockster: Can you tell us a little bit about your team? Answer: We got MC Fireworks, the rap phenom I just mentioned, who just turned 9, and holds her own in any arena. We got Bootysattva, my stunning wife, who sings, dances, and shines like a binary star. We got Mahira, the dreadlocked rocker who alternately uses the moniker Black Jack Sparrow-- who raps, sings, adds some heavy metal feel, and knows how to dance like a dragon. We got DJ Mr. Strange holding down the beats and wax scratches, and controls the mic like a paintbrush. And yours truly, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, storyteller and beatsmith.

Sprockster: I’m a big fan of your debut record Easy. For new listeners, what songs should they start with?

23: Gotta Be Me is my flagship song, in the defense of the weird. Luck is my life philosophy, that you create your own life path through belief and love. And Last Dragon is about conquering fear and flying to other planets.

Sprockster: At what point did you know that KID HOP was officially “kid-cool”?

23: When we rocked our first run of shows and had all the kids shouting Gotta Be Me with us, that’s when we got the kiddo pass. When we got booked for Lollapalooza, we knew we were really onto something.

Sprockster: There are so many talented artists in the family music genre right now; it’s becoming difficult to make an impact, but you manage to do it. How do you stay fresh and innovative?

23: By not watering it down, and by respecting the roots of hip hop, and what it’s supposed to sound like. We don’t do impressions.

Sprockster: Do you have any specific advice for up-and-coming family music acts?

23: Study the kids entertainment of the 60’s and 70’s, and completely ignore the 80’s and most of the 90’s.

Sprockster: Congratulations on your new release, Underground Playground! Can you tell us a little bit about the concept of the record?

23: Underground Playground is my favorite album I’ve ever made. It’s got about 45 musicians on it, from steel drum to Moog voyager to Gift of Gab from Blackalicious. I got as deep as I wanted to, because my experience playing Easy live let me know that kids and parents are ready to go there. And everything is right in the pocket.

Sprockster: I like the artwork. Who manages your visual direction?

23: The artist for both Underground Playground and Easy is David Hale, a tattooist/painter from Athens GA. He’s mind bending and face melting.

Sprockster: The entire office has been singing “Road Trip.” What’s your favorite song on Underground Playground and what is the meaning behind the song?

23: Sky Music is our family favorite. It has to do with being creative and taking your own strange path instead of swimming the mainstream to be popular.

Sprockster: I hear a lot of different instruments in your mix. Do you have the instrumentation planned out before you go into the studio or do some ideas just magically pop-up in the moment?

23: I owe the amazing musical landscape of both albums to the Asheville NC music scene. I’ve been playing with most of these musicians for years, and when I come up with a concept, I know exactly who can pull it off. I bring em in, have em lay down the raw funk, then chop it up with an MPC 2000 drum machine and simmer it in a fine broth of post production, heavy on the analog.

Sprockster: Being “behind-the-glass” can be really fun. As an experienced music producer, can you tell us one of your favorite family-friendly stories from the studio?

23: The last track of the album, “Never Stop Asking”, which is both an “I love you forever” song to my daughter, and a cautionary tale to parents about taking time with your kids while they’re young since it doesn’t last, has a cello solo that’s a very important piece, as it basically ends the album, along with the melodica. I brought the cellist, a great guy named Billy Jack, into the studio, and he was close, but just not quite nailing it. So I showed him the recently recorded rhyme that MC Fireworks laid down for “Mind Over Matter” and told him this was who he was playing for. Then he rocked the perfect line, first take.

Sprockster: Any big plans to promote the new album?

23: Beyond touring constantly throughout the country, we rocked a show on SiriusXM that they’ll be playing a few times, and we’ll be getting some reviews through some pretty sweet avenues. If any of the kids reading this end up wanting to write my website address on the wall or see how many times they can say Underground Playground in a week, well, I would never put that sort of idea in their heads.

Sprockster: Tell us about your next big show.

23: For the first time ever, we’ll being doing a show with just Daddy and Daughter to promote the release of Many Hands, an all Kindie compilation benefit CD we’re on, with all proceeds of the CD and show going straight to Haiti. It’s in Northampton, MA on Sept. 26, with Dan Zanes. Elizabeth Mitchell, and other greats. If you can’t go to the show, you should buy the CD online. Today.

Sprockster: Where can someone purchase a copy of Underground Playground?

23: Here's the link to where you can check it out and buy it on Itunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/underground-playground/id386669616 and http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/underground-playground/id386669616.

Spread that link to your friends! They make great gifts…… And you can get hardcopies through Amazon.com, some Barnes and Nobles and Best Buys (if they don’t stock it, they can order it), and you can get all my merchandise, including Tshirts and books, through my website www.secretagent23skidoo.com.

Sprockster: In addition to your Sprockster profile page, where else can people learn more about you?

23: My website, and I’m Asheville Skidoo on Facebook. Also I’ve heard of this thing called Google... Sprockster: That’s it. Any last words? Answer: Be yourself all the time-who minds doesn’t matter and who matters doesn’t mind.

Sprockster: Thanks so much, 23!

23: Solid.

To learn more about Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, please visit www.secretagent23skidoo.com. 23 Skidoo’s new album is called Underground Playground and is available on iTunes and Amazon.