Legendz

Last year I don’t think anyone would have expected Rap and Rock to be mixed so expertly. But it did. We also didn’t expect for Shop Boyz to bring their new style of rap to the scene but they did. We also probably would never have assumed that it would blow up. But it has. Now, that they are making such an impression, good or bad on the audiences you have to got give them their just due. What will creativity get you? Success. So much success that it almost seems unreal and you have to wonder: Is this going to last? Shop Boyz are here to make a declaration about why they coined their style? How they know it’s going to last. Finally, they are here to dismiss the old age myth that rock and rap don’t mix.
How did you guys come up with the whole rock star mentality? You don’t find that in rap usually. You guys are from the South so that usually doesn’t connect.

Sheed: Basically, we was just trying to do something different. Jim Jones started the hood look with the rock star swag. It was picking up in the South. It wasn’t real big but it was certain people who start doing it. We was in the club one day and we came up with it. So it’s started from there.

What do you guys think when people say that hip hop and rock can’t mix?

Sheed: That’s their personal opinion. Like I told people before, We don’t listen to rock music all we know is that it’s a type of energy in they music. If you listen to a lot of crunk music, Lil Jon, he knows how to get a whole crowd to jump and move to his music. So we decided to take the hip hop sound and capture the energy from the rock sound. That’s how we were able to come up with Party Like A Rock Star.

Would you consider your music crunk music?

Meany: No we call it "hood rock". Crunk music is crunk music. This is hood rock.

Okay, how did you guys meet?

Meany: We been knowing each other our whole lives. We grew up together on Bankhead Projects in Atlanta.

Do you think you implement any of your experiences you have had growing up there into your music?

Meany: We got a song on our album that explains everything to you. It’s the most hoodest track on our album. It’s called Bonhone. It lets people know that we ain’t trying to… we just you to, you know just understand what we doing with our album.

Ok, you’re not loosing your identity. Do the other singles on the album have a similar party like a rock star theme to them?

Meany: No, they are all different and universal.

Different in what way?

Meany: We got stuff for your Grandmother, your mother, your homeboys, the little kids. We got a variety on the album.

What do you have on the album for somebody’s Grandma? [Laughing]

Meany: You know what I want. [Singing] We got Rollin’. My Grandmother don’t even like rap but she like that song. My Daddy do to.

You were quoted as saying that "your typical music is not your hood and ho rap." Explain what you meant by that?

Meany: We didn’t necessarily say that, we just saying that we making different music sweetheart. It’s still rap, it’s just different. Something you ain´t never heard before.

Are you scared that your unique style may backfire and make you a one hit wonder?

Meany: We come from nothing. We ain’t never had nothing anyways. So we use to struggling. Since we in this position now our pockets straight and we going straight with it. We ain’t never had nothing anyways so that´s the least of what we worried about.

[Laughing] I can get with that. What’s your next single that you are releasing?

Meany: A song called They Like Me. We got David Banner on the track. The proof is there that we not a one hit wonder. We getting a lot of feedback on so many songs on our album.

I also read that you guys implement art deco, Shakespeare type elements into your music. Trying to be totally different.

Meany: We do a lot of crazy music. We just different sweetheart. You got three different minds. Three different personalities. We got our own opinion. Everybody bring they own ideas to the table.

What would you say each person brings?

Fat: Me personally, I might say something off the wall.

Meany: I bring the energy. I try to focus on giving people something to think about when I rap. I try to paint a picture almost. One of my verses you can paint a picture you can see it.

Okay so you follow along to it as your go through your lines.

Fat: Yeah. One line say "I yoodle like I yoodle". Don’t nobody know what that mean but everybody like it.

[Laughing] What does it mean?

Fat: [Laughing] It’s like an expression. You remember the old Batman show? When they say "POW" and "BANG". That’s my own way of saying it.

That’s different. Who does the Shop Boyz listen to?

Sheed: I listen to off the wall people who rappers don’t listen to. You listen to a certain artists too much and they tend to rub off on you. I listen to Jodeci,Pretty Ricky.

Okay, so not too much rap. What about you two?

Fat: I like T.I. and Jeezy and The Shop Boyz [laughs].

Meany: I listen to all types of music. I like music that´s catchy. If the hook catchy and the beat I’ll listen to it.

Where did you guys get your name from?

Meany: We came up with The Shop Boyz because we use to fix cars in the

community. We was fixing on a car one day and a girl name Shanicka walked by and she was like "ya’ll gonna be the Shop Boyz". Every since then she been calling us the Shop Boyz and we just ran with it.

Who would you guys like to work with?

Sheed: I would like to work with Nelly. He got a wide fan base. He got an international tour and he real universal when it comes to his music. That would be a political move to work with Nelly.

Meany: I would like to work with T.I. because at his show he brings a lot of energy to his shows.

Fat: Tell the truth I would like to work with my CEO Bingo. He a good rapper. He got a unique style to him.

Bingo: This Bingo right here. I wanna tell you a couple of things about the Shop Boyz if I can. When we did our album, it was strategic. We got three years of hits in the hood right now. This album was so hot that we could not do hood music anymore. The whole rock star thing, it’s a lot of artist beating themselves in the head because they was too cool to put it together.

Speaking of other artist, do you feel like the other artists from the South are accepting you? You guys have a unique style. You think they respect you.

Bingo: Respect is earned it’s not given. A lot of people didn’t respect Outkast when they first came out. I remember they booed them at they first BET awards. Now they at the top. Shop Boys thinking different. Everybody that go to get our album should know that it’s different. It’s not the same.

You guys got any plans for your next album?

Sheed: We got a lot of plans for our next album but we just working on what we got right now. It´s one day at a time. Like they was telling you we came from nothing. We just growing and steady trying to please the people. People tired of hearing the same thing. The artists that stay the same, they get stuck in one box.

Do you have a plan to assure longevity? Is this something that you want to do with the rest of your life?

Meany: To keep it different and don’t let up. So when we come with something different it’s acceptable. Our next album we will come with something different it will be well accepted. This is just a stepping stone. I’m trying to get an Oscar. Vick doing his real estate thing, Meanie got the clothing line. I’m trying to get my own skateboarding company. Everybody check out our album. We shooting the next video for They Like Me on the 31st of July.

bopeep

....yeah -- I thought I'd pipe in and say that people are getting sick of the same old rock/hip-hop/r&b bullsh*t..... and there is just this big upsurge from a new style coming out of Europe -- it's pretty easy to find, just put 'euro club hits' into itunes or check this link:

Boardslide92

props .