What did you do when you were grounded by your parents? If you're Los Angeles rap duo New Boyz, you recorded a hit song in your closet.
You're A Jerk, a thumping rap track featuring an '80s-influenced beat, lazy West Coast flows and an earworm chipmunk vocal sample, has quickly gone from MySpace to national radio. "[Our parents] got mad at us for it, but like now its like number one in a lot of stations," explain Earl Benjamin (Ben J) and Dominic Thomas (Legacy), who met each other in 9th grade. Even The New York Times has called the single "pretty much perfect."
The song has become an anthem for L.A.'s jerk dancing scene, which is described by New Boyz as "basically dancing anywhere, anytime, any place." Jerkin' (or jerk dancing) is Los Angeles' answer to Chicago's footwork and the Bay Area's turf dancing. Like their dancing, the group's sound is influenced by both the East and West Coast. Dot Com is a bounce-and-snap song with traces of hyphy while Colorz is a head-nodder inspired by the Windy City's Cool Kids.
The style has inspired a fanbase on YouTube, where a loose collective of L.A. dance crews (Action Figure$, In Living Color, U.C.L.A. Jerk Kings, LOL Kid$z and Ranger$) upload videos of their moves. Once "You're a Jerk" went viral, fans, including P. Diddy's son, Justin Combs, began posting videos of themselves jerking on the streets.
Based on the success of their hit song and dance, New Boyz scored a record deal Warner Brothers/Asylum and are now preparing to release their debut album.
See: myspace.com/newboyz
