Our ‘Hot Cheetos And Takis’ Kids Are Back With A New Jam And A Mess Of Controversy
A few summers ago I wrote about the totally adorable and talented Y.N. Rich Kids (Why enrich kids? LOVE!) who rose to YouTube fame with their jam Hot Cheetos And Takis and the group is back with a new song called The Business all about how people need to mind their business, because these kids do their homework.
As I’ve bloviated about previously, I hate kids, and kid’s music, and music performed by kids, but I love the Y.N Rich Kids and any bands that come out of the Beats And Rhymes program out of Minneapolis, which provides an amazing after school program for low income, culturally-diverse youth from the area. From the Beats And Rhymes website:
Beats & Rhymes is used as a vehicle to help young people more fully develop their writing, technical, business, academic and social skills. The program uses positive youth development principles and project-based learning to promote leadership skills and cultural tolerance. They teach youth technology skills in the area of music production and engineering.
It’s a fantastic program, and even though Theresa Edwards would argue with me about which song they have produced being the best due to her own personal bias, I think we can agree that they are all pretty banging.
One unexpected issue that has come up due to all of this musical cuteness is that there is a lot of controversy surrounding the money generated from this. From SCPR.ORG:
“So far, the money is modest ”” perhaps $10,000 ”” but as the KIDS prepare to sign a national recording contract, their parents want to protect them.
” ‘We’re not saying the Y shouldn’t get a share to continue funding this program, but our kids deserve some of it for their college educations,’ said Tiffany Powell, mother of Jasiona ‘Lady J’ White.
“The parents, meanwhile, are getting a crash course in the recording industry. The tipping point came in October, when ”” after a 12-hour video shoot for a follow-up single ”” they refused to sign a waiver from YMCA representatives that they thought would cut their children out of any legal rights to their work.
“Alicia Johnson, director of the North Community YMCA in Minneapolis, denied that but admitted to confusion over the ‘Hot Cheetos’ affairs.
” ‘We’re running a community center, not a record label,’ said Johnson, who likened the situation to a kids’ basketball team winning a tournament. ‘If the team got $1,000 off that win, the money wouldn’t go to the individual athletes. It would go back into the program.’ “
I think the only solution to this whole issue is that more people and organizations donate more money to this program, which takes place at the Y, so that funds can not only be redistributed back into the program so more kids can partake, but these pint-sized stars can also start saving some money for college.
(Image: beats and rhymes)