Fresh Kid Ice, Balli & The Fat Daddy – “The Master Plan” Video (Fresh Kid Ice and Henry Stone)

photo ©Jacob Katel. All Rights Reserved

R.I.P. Chris Wong Won, better known as Fresh Kid Ice The Chinaman, a hip hop legend whose soul and influence will live forever in the hearts and minds of millions of fans.

Although most famous for co-founding and rapping on every 2 Live Crew album, he maintained a heartfelt commitment to independent music, and as he earned success he founded a label with friends Kurtis Coley and Greg Allen called Miami Bass Records, which had its own affiliated DJ crew, mobile sound systems, a store in Austin, Texas, and manufacturing and distribution for its musical output from a deal with Henry Stone.

Stone’s HOT Productions was one of the nation’s leading distribution firms and also ran its own manufacturing&distribution catalogs from the record going into the CD eras, with HOT serving as umbrella for some fifty or more labels in underground markets like High Energy, Miami Bass, Street Rap, Techno, Freestyle and various other forms of dance, and r&b.

Balli & The Fat Daddy song “Master Plan” is from the group’s sole full length release of the same name which came out on Miami Bass Records via HOT Productions in 1990.

Fresh Kid Ice introduces the track, which is an underground rap hit in Miami for it’s “Who is the man with the masterplan…” refrain.

Miami Bass Records put out approximately eight 12″ records and one LP Album from 1990-91. DJ Toomp, who went on to work with T.I., Ludacris, and Mariah Carey is a featured producer. Fresh Kid Ice enjoyed his role as an executive able to give opportunities to his friends, and to unknown artists that he believed in. That is the same exact attitude promoted by Henry Stone, and that’s probably why Chris enjoyed learning from him.

A big shout out to both Fresh Kid Ice and Henry Stone, now able to talk shop and enjoy the beat on the other side of the pearly gates.