Secret Agent 23 Skidoo or (SAS23) is a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-winning hip-hop musician from
Asheville, North Carolina. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo has been performing
children's music
Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has hi ...
since 2008. He performs hip-hop for children.
After a decade of touring nationally as a rapper and producer in Granola Funk Express, he released his first kids' hip-hop album in 2008.
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo serves as the official spokesman for the New York State Library System Children's Summer Reading Program and is the 2010 and PSA spokesman for the US Library System Collaborative Summer Library Program. He can be heard and seen on the radio and in TV commercials nationwide promoting
summer reading programs Summer reading programs take place at 95% of public libraries in the United States.Bertot, J.C., Real, B., Lee, J. McDermott, A. J., Jaeger, P.T. (2015). 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey: Survey findings and results. Information Policy and Access Cente ...
at libraries. He has performed for kids in libraries and schools across the country.
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo actively has also participated in charitable musical activities; these include "Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti", formed in response to the
2010 Haiti earthquake
A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's ca ...
, and "Science Fair", a compilation to support science and engineering education for girls, which won a
Parents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...
. In 2018, Skidoo contributed to ''Hold Tight, Shine Bright,'' an album to benefit detained immigrant children and aid concerts such as the Camp Fire Benefit Jam to help Californians affected by the wildfire.
Albums
He released two albums on Happiness Records, ''Easy'' (2008), and ''Underground Playground'' (2010). Secret Agent 23 Skidoo has had ten No. 1 radio hits on XM/Sirius
Kids Place Live
Kids Place Live is a channel on Sirius XM Radio that is the result of a merger between XM Kids and Kids Stuff. Sirius was a result of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approving the acquisition of XM Satellite Radio Holding, Inc. b ...
! and has played venues including Kidzapalooza, Austin Kiddie Limits, The
Winnipeg Folk Festival
The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a nonprofit charitable organization with an annual summer folk music festival held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The festival features a variety of artists and music from around th ...
, The
Philadelphia Zoo
The Philadelphia Zoo, located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, is the first true zoo in the United States. It was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, but its openi ...
, Nyc's
Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza (known through sponsorship as Irving Plaza, powered by Klipsch and formerly known as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza) is a ballroom-style music venue located within the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. ...
, and the
Smithsonian Museum
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
.
''Easy'', his debut album, encourages kids to be themselves, overcome fears, appreciate family, value healthy living, and to have fun. On ''Underground Playground'', he encourages kids to respect uniqueness and live life to the fullest. The album includes songs such as “Ride the Butterflies”, “Chase the Rain”, “The Whalelephant”, and “Speak the Truth” which features
Gift of Gab. The national board of judges for Fids and Kamily poll ranked ''Underground Playground'' at #5 for Best Kids and Family Music of 2010.
''Make Believers'' was released in 2012. Themes include curiosity, individuality, and that love is greater than fear. "Magic Beans" dives into the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk from a new perspective, "Hot Sauce" encourages kids to try new things, and "Gotta Be You" describes the importance of being the person you would want to befriend. Lastly, "Back Home" is geared towards every listener with a pet.
''The Perfect Quirk'' was released in 2015 and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The album opens with "You're It". "Imaginary Friend" introduces a unique character and mind-opening perspectives and is the inspiration for an animated film.
''Infinity Plus One'' was released in 2017 and was nominated and won a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album. In addition to its space theme, the album includes actual astronomical elements, such as the electromagnetic emanations of
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...
, which were recorded by the Voyager spacecraft in 1977.
''Wake up the Dream'' was released in 2018.
Books
* ''What's It Like In The Stars'' (2007)
* ''Weirdo Calhoun and the Odd Men Out'' (2015)
* ''Word Is Born'' (2021)
Awards
At the 59th Grammy Awards, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo was awarded a Grammy for Best Children's Album for his record ''Infinity Plus One''. At the 57th Grammy awards, his record ''The Perfect Quirk'' was nominated for Best Children's Album.
His book ''Weirdo Calhoun and the Odd Men Out'' won Silver at the 2014 Moonbeam Awards.
Discography
* 2008 ''Easy''
* 2010 ''Underground Playground''
* 2012 ''Make Believers''
* 2014 ''The Perfect Quirk''
* 2016 ''Infinity Plus One''
* 2017 ''Mozartistic (with Asheville Symphony Orchestra)''
* 2018 ''Wake Up the Dream''
*2020 ''The Figments of Polyglot: Mixtapes 1-12''
*2021 ''The'' ''Beat Bach Symphonies (with Asheville Symphony Orchestra)''
Collaborations
Albums
*2010 ''Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti''
*2011 ''All About Bullies, Big and Small''
* 2012 ''Science Fair''
* 2018 ''Hold Tight, Shine Bright''
Songs
* 2011 – “Look Both Ways” with Egg
* 2011 – “Froggie Went A Courtin’” with Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights
* 2011 – “Cooperate” with Sugar Free Allstars
* 2014 – “Together” with Moona Luna
* 2014 – “You Are Beautiful” with Robbie Schaefer
* 2015 – “I <3 Ur Face” with Josh and the Jamtones
* 2018 – “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” with Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats
* 2019 – “Rock This World”, with Mista Cookie Jar
* 2019 – “Shadow” with The Pop Ups
* 2019 – “Everybody’s Crazy” with Formidable Vegetable
* 2019 – “Leaders of the World” with Renee & Friends, Addi Rose and Amelia Dektor
* 2020 – “Laugh At Life” with Secret Agent Hi-Fi
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
American children's musicians
Grammy Award winners
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)