New song issued from 'Hot Cheetos' kids under old name

Grade-school rappers Y.N. Rich Kids of "Hot Cheetos & Takis" fame could have another viral hit to their name, but there's one problem: That's not actually their name anymore.

A gritty slow-jam titled "My Bike" -- recorded by north Minneapolis' littlest rap giants last summer alongside another insatiably cute video -- finally saw the light of day Friday afternoon and has already attracted 30,000 views in three days on YouTube. In the interim since the song was made, however, the group has changed its name to simply the KIDS following a dispute with the Northside YMCA over money issues.

Those issues are still unresolved, with the families of the youth rappers asking for some of the money made off of paid downloads and YouTube ad revenue. The money instead has gone to the Beats & Rhyme afterschool program that birthed the group, and to the director of the "Hot Cheetos" video. However, the good news is the KIDS' families and the Beats & Rhymes organizers at least found common ground with "My Bike" (posted below).

"We all just wanted to finally get it out there," said Melissa Mercedes, whose son Freeman "Frizzy Free" Hickman shines again along with his other cohorts in "My Bike" and its video. "This is the follow-up hit to 'Hot Cheetos.' We always knew this one was going to be hot, too, and the numbers we're seeing already speak for themselves."

As was the case in "Hot Cheetos," the rappers involved have no trouble speaking for themselves in "My Bike." Here's a sample of the song's smooth-flowing lyrics from Glenn "G6" Carter, age 12:

"It's G6, ridin' on my bike / Flyer than a kite, and I put that on my life / Matter fact put that on my mama / Flow cold but I'm hot like a sauna / No games, bro, I don't need no drama / Cuz I'm tryna make change like Obama."

So far, the song is only being offered as a free download, so there's no money to dispute, and the parents of the young rap stars are cool with it being issued as a Y.N.RichKids song. "That's the name they were still using when they made it, so it's fair," Mercedes said. Another fun and infectious new video/single, "Khaki Pants," was simultaneously issued under the Beats & Rhymes banner by another group in the program, the NSJ Crew, which features some of the KIDS and other students from the program's partnering Nellie Stone Johnson Community School.

From here on out, though, look for the kids to be the KIDS. Their new management team is finishing off a demo with new songs to shop around to labels. They are keeping up appearances, too – the only way they have gotten paid!—including a short slot opening for Mindless Behavior at Epic last weekend. On Saturday, they will perform again at an open house event at the Institute of Production & Recording in downtown Minneapolis (where their demo was made; click here for more info). There's talk of a short tour to the South over the summer. By then, they very well could be known as more than a one-hit wonder.