Christopher “Play” Martin, one half of Kid-n-Play and Cheryl “Salt” James of Salt-n-Pepa fame, have teamed up with New York Knick’s basketball player Allen Houston to create a gospel hip-hop musical.”Rise” was written and conceived by Martin and James and centers around a character named “Rapp.”The character faces tough decisions on how to handle the temptations that come along with being a successful songwriter/musician.The play features 22 cast members that include members of the pioneering group Whodini, Tamika Scott of R&B group Xscape, Trina Braxton, and comedian Chocolate.The play kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia on December 14 and will hit 19 other cities across the country.Both groups hail from Queens, New York and rose to fame under the tutelage of producer Hurbie “Luv Bug” Azor.Kid-n-Play released several successful albums and starred in the popular “House Party” franchise of films, as well as “Class Act.”At the height of their popularity the duo had a Saturday morning cartoon and a Marvel Comic book series.Salt-n-Pepa are one of the most successful female rap groups of all-time.The duo released several gold and platinum albums, appeared in movies and invested in a chain of clothing stores.
