Kid Sensation

Mentored by Mix-a-Lot

Kid Sensation is the stage name of Stephen Spence, born around 1971 and raised in Seattle, Washington. As a teenager he met Sir Mix-a-Lot at Boys and Girls Club events where Mix was working as a DJ, and the older rapper became his mentor. Spence made his recorded debut as a guest on Mix-a-Lot's 1988 album “Swass”, rapping on “Rippn'”, and the two shared the 1988 single “Rippin'” backed with “Attack on the Stars”. He appeared again on Mix-a-Lot's 1989 album “Seminar”.

“Rollin' with Number One”

Signed to Nastymix Records alongside his mentor, Kid Sensation released his debut album, “Rollin' with Number One”, in 1990. Its singles included “Seatown Ballers”, a celebration of the Seattle scene featuring members of Mix-a-Lot's Emerald City Posse, and “Prisoner of Ignorance”, which traced how racism and economic inequality push young people toward crime and received an official video. “Skin 2 Skin” followed as a single in 1991. Reviewers have since pointed to bad timing: the album arrived before Mix-a-Lot's national breakthrough, and Nastymix had limited reach outside the region.

“The Power of Rhyme” and Ken Griffey Jr.

His second Nastymix album, “The Power of Rhyme”, was released in April 1992, with “The Weekend” as its main single. The album also included “The Way I Swing”, which featured Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.. When Nastymix closed in late 1992, Spence moved to the Georgia label Ichiban, which released “Seatown Funk” in 1995 and “A.K.A. Mista K-Sen” in 1996. He worked with Mix-a-Lot and producers such as Funk Daddy throughout this period.

Xola Malik and later work

In the mid-1990s Spence retired the Kid Sensation name and began working as Xola Malik, moving toward a clean, faith-oriented style and toward production work. He founded Xola Music to make jingles, advertisements and voice-over work, producing music for local sports personalities and professional teams, and he has acted in commercials and in the film “Safety Not Guaranteed”. He kept releasing albums, including “Back Home” (2009), “Songs for Change” (2010), “Seasons” (2012), “Looking Up” (2016) and “Presently Past the Future” (2020). In 2009 he reunited with Griffey on the song “Back Home”, and a later track, “Love and Loyalty”, brought him back together with Sir Mix-a-Lot. He lives in Tacoma, Washington.