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Minn. Kid Group’s ‘Hot Cheetos & Takis’ Song Going Viral

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(credit: CBS)

Reporting Matt Brickman

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – This might be the summer jam to put “Call Me Maybe” on the back burner.

A group of Minneapolis kids have seen their video “Hot Cheetos & Takis” go viral with more than 350,000 views on YouTube.

The Y.N. RichKids are a product of the North Community YMCA’s Beats & Rhymes Program. The program was started in 2006 and has produced eight albums, but never anything as popular as this.

“We knew eventually the rest of the world would catch up to the love that we as a staff, and as a YMCA, and as a north community have for the kids and their music,” said Alicia Johnson, the Center Director for the North Community YMCA.

The children in the program, most are under 12 years old, write the lyrics and produce music with minimal help from YMCA staff. The video came about when they reached out to St. Paul’s 13twentythree photography.

“The kids were like ‘We have to do a video for this song, because this is our favorite thing,’” Johnson said. “Plus, they wanted to eat their favorite snack.”

As the song gains popularity, the children are holding off doing on interviews. In fact, half of them are actually away at camp in the Boundary Waters and don’t know about their new found fame.

But, we were able to catch up with the mom of one of the Y-N RichKids, Melissa Mercedes-Hickman, whose son Freeman, goes by Frizzy Free.

“Everywhere we go, and in the grocery store, he’s starting to get recognized now,” said Mercedes-Hickman. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ He signs autographs, this kid is 10.”

Frizzy Free and the rest of the Y. N. RichKids might have to get used to it, because the world is starting to take notice.

Rolling Stone gave the song four out of five stars and said it “may be the summer’s final truly great jam.”

Watch The Full Music Video

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  • http://thetonygrands.com/2012/08/17/in-the-news-81712/ In The News 8/17/12 « Reading & Writing Is For Dumb People™

    [...] Rap Group’s ‘Hot Cheetos & Takis’ Song Going Viral » cbslocal [...]

  • http://www.lastnightsmixtape.com/2012/08/18/y-n-richkids-hot-cheetos-takis-video/ Y.N. RichKids – Hot Cheetos & Takis (Video) at Last Night's Mixtape

    [...] the realest rap song out right now.  Shouts out to the North Community YMCA’s Beats & Rhymes Program out of Minnesota and to all the little geniuses featured in this video. SNACK! SNACK! [...]

  • http://1061evansville.com/hot-cheetos-and-takis-is-the-snack-jam-weve-been-waiting-for-video/ ‘Hot Cheetos and Takis’ is the Snack Jam We’ve Been Waiting for [VIDEO]

    [...] in Minneapolis, MN called North Community Beats and Rhymes. The program itself began back in 2006, according to the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis, and has produced eight albums over that time. All of which are written and produced by the kids [...]

  • http://dogtrainersresource.com/get-some-dog-training-tips-at-the-game-fair-cbs-minnesota.html Get Some Dog Training Tips At The Game Fair « CBS Minnesota

    [...] ‘Hot Cheetos Takis’ [...]

  • http://bourdaghs.com/blog/2012/08/22/a-tasty-musical-snack/ Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon » A Tasty Musical Snack

    [...] can read the back story to the video here and here. Rolling Stone magazine declared the song “the summer’s final truly great [...]

  • http://freeafterschoolprogram.info/6385/hot-cheetos-and-takis-how-rap-teaches-kids-to-write/ ‘Hot Cheetos and Takis’: How rap teaches kids to write | America's Children

    [...] to CBS Minnesota, some of the kids know the “Hot Cheetos and Takis” video has gone viral, but others are away at [...]

  • http://rawtracksmusic.com/2013/01/10/hip-hop-y-n-richkids-hot-cheetos-takis-video/ HIP-HOP | Y.N. RichKids – “Hot Cheetos & Takis” [VIDEO] | Raw Tracks Music

    [...] CBS – Minnestoa [...]

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