Cactus (a.k.a. 23 Skidoo) and his daughter, Saki (a.k.a. MC Fireworks)
We are big fans of kid-hop artist 23 Skidoo, so we contacted him and asked for an interview. Read what he has to say about making music with his wife and daughter (a.k.a. DJ Bootysattva and MC Fireworks) after the jump.
What music did you listen to as a kid? Growing up?
My first tape was Beastie Boys-License to Ill (ed note: released 1986). I still can’t believe my mom let me blast that when she did. Guess it worked out for the best though. I was a skater as a teen, so a lot of Mettalica then. That was back when they were still good. And later, the two MCs I attribute the most influence to, KRS-1 and Q-TIP from A Tribe Called Quest.
How old were you when you started making music seriously?
I got into performing pretty late, started rapping in ’95 when I was 19. I learned to freestyle before I learned to write rhymes, and for years myself and my crew did that, both street performing (busking) and onstage. In 2001, the same year my daughter was born, my wife organized that all my friends pitched in and got me an MPC 2000XL (beat machine) for my birthday, so I’ve been producing since than. At this point I’ve been consistently onstage for 12 years. But I’m not trying to be serious, this is party music.
Can you tell me a little about making the decision to stay closer to home and make kids’ music?
Honestly, making kids music keeps me on the road as much as I ever was. The difference is now I can take home with me. My daughter raps (and loves to run he merchandise table) and my wife sings and dances, and sometimes DJs. They are formally known as MC Fireworks and DJ Bootysattva, respectively.
My decision to make kids music was based on becoming a parent and realizing how much of the music available to my kid sucks. And because I never really grew up. It’s like the joke; A little girl says to her mom: “Mommy, when I grow up I’m gonna be a musician!” and the mom sadly replies: “Oh, honey, you can’t do both!
Kids are, by far, a better audience than adults, because they are less scared. I never have to try to make them dance or yell, they are totally ready to do that anyway (as you all well know!). Some folks think kids have a short attention span- this is untrue. They will simply pay attention to the most exciting thing around them, and if you aren’t it, then you’re not getting their attention. Oh, and food. They really like food.
My stunning wife Brooke (a.k.a. DJ Bootysattva) is a yoga teacher and herbalist, so she adds the natural grounding down element to our lives. She is HOME.Saki (a.k.a. MC Fireworks) is a wellspring of creativity and stories, and modern day Punky Brewster eccentricity. She is LIFE.Cactus (a.k.a. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo) is an absent-minded professor of self taught theory and a hard boss to himself, who would rather make a song than book a show any day, but books it anyway. He is FOCUS.Together we are a 3 star constellation, hurtling through the universe and sharing a common gravitational pull called POSITIVE EVOLUTION.
My daughter is like everyone I perform with – super talented, a ham, somewhat shy, a natural diva, and a little lazy. We pay her per show on a $5/5 point scale system. The five points are: Remembering All the Words, Mic Control, Stage Presence, Dancing, and Whether or not she practiced beforehand. Overall, she does great, and she’s learning both that she’s awesome, and that even if you’re awesome, you gotta practice and focus on it to make it work for you. [She] and I are slowly developing a band called Giraffe Wings.As far as the videos, we just released a DVD that includes the music video for Family Tree, which is mind-blowingly fresh, starring Saki a.k.a. MC Fireworks. You can get it at www.secretagent23skidoo.com or look it up on Youtube.
