The nascent Los Angeles, CA rap group, The New Boyz, who have risen to commercial visibility via the success of their popular dance record, “You’re A Jerk,” hosted a listening session for a group of media personnel (music journalist and bloggers) at Legacy Studios in New York City, to discuss the release of their debut album, Skinny Jeanz & A Mic. After listening to a monologue and anecdote from the Warner Bros./Asylum Records music executives, rappers Ben J (ne, Earl Benjamin) and Legacy (ne, Dominic Thomas), stepped into the studio to play us what everyone was gathered to hear: Skinny Jeanz & A Mic. Below is a track-by-track breakdown of the New Boyz debut album.
Track 1: “Cricketz” featuring Tyga - With the same kind of upbeat tempo and spare production as the group’s hit song, “You’re A Jerk” (next song on the album), the New Boyz address the haters who question their skinny jeans fashion, retorting that all the chatter sounds like crickets.
Track 2: “You’re A Jerk” – The song that introduced the New Boyz to the mainstream music scene and spawned countless numbers of “jerkin’” YouTube dance videos amongst the teen audience.
Track 3: “Dot Com” – As active participants of the “dot com” generation, the New Boyz pay homage to the medium that has helped promote their music and bolster their careers: the internet, also known as, the World Wide Web.
Track 4: “Colorz” – As fans of the rap group, The Cool Kids, the New Boys offered their rendition of the minimalist, retro-style boom-bap sound the former duo is known for.
Track 5: “Way 2 Many Chickz” – The group shares jovial tales of unfortunate experiences with females with un-ladylike characteristics (bad breath, bodily gas, and herpes to name a few).
Track 6: “Turnt” – Another “jerk” style record that sounds as if it will be accompanied by some sort of a dance.
Track 7: “Bunz” featuring Kidd SB – Upon hearing this record, it’s hard not to think of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” An ode to all the curvy woman in the world, the boys clearly reflect their interest in round derrieres with the lyrics: “I like my buns fat and juicy, I don’t want no saggy booty.”
Track 8: “Cashmere” – Over a pulsating drum beat, the New Boyz use an old school, back-and-forth flow, a la Run DMC, to tell the story about a girl that Legacy is trying to court.
Track 9: “So Dope” – Returning back to their bread-and-butter sound, the group offers listeners another dance track sure to make kids get up and “jerk.”
Track 10: “Tie Me Down” featuring Ray J – The group’s second single is an obvious attempt at mainstream notoriety, as it possesses a more polished sound that will enable them to build upon the adoration of their female audience.
Track 11: “New Girl” featuring D&D – Catering again to the ladies, the group takes a page from Soulja Boy by creating a radio-friendly record that will appeal to many adolescent girls, setting themselves up to become music’s next teenage heartthrobs.
Track 12: “No More” featuring O.N.E. – The group continues the theme of being ladies men on this R&B infused track about the highs-and-lows of being in a rocky relationship.
Track 13: “One Night” – The album closes out with another R&B/hip-hop blend devoted to casual relations.
On October 29th, R&B crooner Eric Benet will hit the road for his 19-city “Sexy Soul Tour,” beginning in Houston, Texas at the Verizon Wireless Theatre. Other acts joining Benet on tour are Mint Condition and Ledisi.
