In September 1997, a young Sports Illustrated writer got banned from the Oakland Raiders’ training facility by owner Al Davis, then hopped a plane to Kansas City and went on a 72-hour bender with Chiefs star Derrick Thomas. Among Mike’s adventures was attending a memorable (wait for it) house party hosted by the late, great pass rusher the night before he led the Chiefs to a victory over the Raiders, during which they watched Mike Tyson defend his heavyweight title and enjoyed the uproarious commentary provided by another guest: hip-hop star Christopher (Kid) Reid, he of the iconic and unmistakable hi-top fade. In Part 1 of our expansive conversation, we talk about why Thomas was both the NFL’s pied piper and a very special human, Kid’s unique fashion sense as a young artist (and why he hoped none of his fans would copy it) and his profound belief that friend and fellow rapper Tupac Shakur was invincible.
Kid describes his early experiences as a celebrity, including the time he was asked to autograph an item that offended him on a deep level. He recalls touring with Digital Underground and then-roadie/all-purpose regulator Tupac Shakur, a future superstar who was shot on the night Kid and Mike met at Derrick Thomas’ house (and died six days later). And there’s a whole lot of reminiscing about what made Thomas special, from the Hall of Fame pass rusher’s legendary social stamina, to his impactful foundation, to his championing of a JFK conspiracy theory that traced back to his boss’s family.