How One Of The Most Popular Hip-Hop Groups Of The Late '80s Actually Came Together

"House Party," the hi-top fade, that crazy kickstep dance -- Kid ’N Play gave us so many memorable pop culture moments as a duo that it’s practically impossible to think of one member without the other. But before their union, they were more like foes than friends.

Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin were actually a part of rival groups before coming together, though Play tells "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" that he respected Kid's musical talent from the first moment he heard his future partner perform.

"There was a party that we were crashing and I'm hearing this voice," Play says. "It was that attention-grabbing. That's when he began to be on my radar."

Kid says he wrote his first rap when he was a freshman in high school -- and he still remembers it. He performs it at the :30 mark in the above video.

Yet, their built-in rivalry made it impossible for Kid and Play to connect.

"The crews that we were in? Oh, man, forget it," says Play. "They are legendary -- still spoke of to this day -- the times when the two crews went at each other. I mean, I guess [it was] friendly competition."

Eventually, Kid and Play joined forces when their respective groups dissolved.

"Life got the best of our comrades," Play says. "Cats had to get jobs, and when the dust settled, he and I were the only two left standing."

It wasn't an easy path to success -- the duo almost quit before they got famous -- but they stuck with it and managed to solidify their place pop culture history.

"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.

Related: Downtown Julie Brown reveals how wild MTV really was in the '80s

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