November 20, 2005 @ 11:00 pm

D4L - Do What You Like

by: Maurice G. Garland

From their contortionistic dance moves to Lefabian “Fabo” Williams’s candy-coordinated outfit, the group’s colorful antics sent the crowd into a frenzy. And their trademark “doin’ it” dance - a two-step modified with Harlem shake-esque shoulder movements and finger snapping - had everyone following suit. But all of the imitation isn’t flattering. “We are the originators of the dance,” blasts Fabo, 22, frowning at the notion that fellow A-towners Dem Franchize Boyz created it. “We appreciate everything they’re doing for us, but evidently, they thought we was gonna be some local jokers.”

You can laugh at this rowdy ragtag foursome - Fabo; Dennis “Mook B” Butler, 25; Adrian “Stuntman” Parks, 23; and Carlos “Shawty Lo” Walker, 25 - but there’s nothing local about them anymore. A collective since 2003, D4L drummed up a buzz earlier this year when their easy, bouncing cut “Betcha Can’t Do It Like Me” broke at Atlanta’s hot spot, the Poole Palace. Offering a change from the usual crunked-up D-boy sound of the South, their playful, pulsating single “Laffy Taffy” rapidly infiltrated mainstream airwaves beyond Georgia. “You’ve got to have someone bringing balance,” says Fabo. “Every song on the radio can’t be about the same thing.”

Surely diversity is good. But are D4L’s blithe party anthems actually bringing a new dimension to Southern rap? Some industry insiders would say no. The behind-the-scenes chatter is that the group is nothing more than a silly novelty act. Fabo thinks there is another way to look at it. “Cats figure, ‘Aw, they ain’t hip hop, they messing up rap.’ Why can’t they just call us original?”

Whatever you want to call it, D4L is sticking with its approach. Why not? It’s recently made them the latest underground craze to sign a major label deal with Asylum Records (Mike Jones, Webbie). And their debut, D4L: Down 4 Life, is the kind of album that’ll have a kid hooked on the catchy chants, and his mama twurking it to the lively beats. And the crew has no problem being the relatively safe alternative from the Southern dope boys. “We’ve lived that life, so we ain’t got to brag on that,” Shawty Lo says with a grin. “We want to do something different and put smiles on people’s faces.” Mission accomplished.

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