Rahsaan Patterson is an American singer and actor, best known for portraying "The Kid" on the 1980s television showKids Incorporated.
Career
1984: ''Kids Incorporated''
After appearing in a school talent show in 1984, Patterson auditioned for the television show Kids Incorporated. He was cast as "The Kid", and remained on the show for the next few years, appearing alongside such future stars as Fergie, Renee Sands, Martika, Mario Lopez and Shanice.
Music career
After Kids Incorporated, Patterson gained experience as a backup vocalist for several artists. Following his vocal contributions on Colour Club's self-titled album, as well as writing for other artists.
1997–98: ''Rahsaan Patterson''
Patterson signed with MCA Records in 1995. Collaborating with Keith Crouch and Jamey Jaz, among others, released his self-titled debut album on January 28, 1997. The album peaked at No. 48 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. There were two singles released, "Stop By" and "Where You Are" peaked No. 53 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Receiving positive reviews from critics, the album failed to find a large audience. Patterson did, however, develop a loyal following both in the U.S. and abroad.
1999–2002: ''Love in Stereo, SoundTracks''
Patterson went to work on his followup, Love in Stereo, with Jamey Jaz and new collaborators such as Van Hunt. When Love in Stereo was released in late 1999 it received better reviews than its predecessor, although the mainstream overlooked it. The album peaked at #51 on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and two singles, "The Moment" and "Treat You Like A Queen" which peaked at no. 61 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Rahsaan toured in support of Stereo playing dates throughout U.S. and Europe. Although Patterson and MCA parted ways, he remained busy, continuing to perform live, working as a session singer, and contributing to both soundtracks and compilation albums, while working on his next album.
2004–08 ''After Hours, Wines and Spirits''
Patterson's third album, After Hours was released internationally in April 2004, garnering positive reviews. With the forming of his own label, After Hours was released in the U.S. in late October. The album debuted at No. 65 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The singles, "So Hot", "April's Kiss" and "Forever Yours" were issued but failed to chart on Billboard. Further collaborative efforts followed. Patterson's album, Wines & Spirits was released September 24, 2007, and debuted at #42 on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, his highest charted to date and No. 45 on Independent Albums Chart. The singles released, "Stop Breaking My Heart" and "Feels Good" charted on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs both at no. 59 and the later no. 76. A close friend, R&B singer Ledisi, in which he's also featured on her album Lost & Found, explains the genius of Patterson as, "Rahsaan's greatest artistic strength is his ability to be overly honest in his recordings and in his live performances. If I had to sum him up in one word, I would call him 'uninhibited'." In August 2008, Patterson released a Christmas album, The Ultimate Gift, by November Patterson won a BET J award for Underground Artist of the year. In 2008, Patterson joined with Australian-born producer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Jarrad 'Jaz' Rogers and Copenhagen-based electro-soul songstress Ida Corr to form the London-based alternative soul/pop/funk trio SugaRush Beat Company, who released their self-titled album through RCA in the summer of 2008.
2009–present: ''Bleuphoria, Touring, New Album''
After the release of Wines and Spirits, Rahsaan resumed touring throughout the U.S. and overseas, and working with several recording artists'. On December 14, 2010 a new song was available on iTunes, "Easier Said Than Done", a slow funk groove aimed as the lead single from his new album. On February 12, 2011, he performed at B.B. King's Blues Club to a sold out crowd, the show received rave reviews. Patterson continues to tour across the U.S. and also completing recording for his new soon to be released sixth studio album, scheduled for release this year. March 2011, after a concert in Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD, Patterson spoke about his album, Bleuphoria during a brief interview for thesoulcialista. In 2019, Rahsaan released the new single "Sent from Heaven" and announced his new album Heroes & Gods will release on May 17 that year.
Personal life
Patterson is openly gay. In a 2008 discussion about being a gay artist with LGBT-centric network Logo, for example, he said that "For me, it's not about being 'the gay artist'; I'm an artist." In an interview with BET's Daily Voice, Patterson further clarified that "I've never been in the closet or hiding anything."
