January 20, 2006 @ 9:43 am

Dem Franchize Boyz Lay Claim to the Two-Step

by: Alyssa Rashbaum

Of course, if you ask DFB, they’ll swear it was their invention.

“Everybody know who the originators are,” Parlae said. “This ain’t no ‘You Got Served’ competition!”

“This ain’t no democracy,” added Jizzal Man. “This ain’t no battle! We trendsetters, we know what’s going to happen. We know people are going to bite us; it’s been like that ever since we came out. We’ve been in the game three years. We taking over – it’s official!”

Perhaps anticipating the impending questions of who started what, D4L addressed the issue in the December 2005 issue of VIBE.

left “We are the originators of the dance,” Fabo said. “We appreciate everything [DFB is] doing for us, but evidently, they thought we was gonna be some local jokers.”

While D4L are far from “local jokers,” their album sales have been a bit disappointing, due to the unprecedented downloads of their breakout single, the sugary and absurdly catchy “Laffy Taffy,” which obliterated download records. “Laffy Taffy” was downloaded 175,000 times in one week, easily breaking the previous record held by Kanye West whose “Gold Digger” sold 80,500 in its first week.

So it’s no wonder Dem Franchize Boyz are anxious to prove they have more staying power after their hit, “White Tees,” made people wonder if they had anything more up their sleeves.

“The element of surprise is a seller,” said Jizzal Man. “That’s what’s going to sell the hell out of this album. They’re thinking we’re a one-hit-wonder and now they’re wondering why we’re making hits.”

DFB’s new album, On Top Of Our Game, (February 7) the follow-up to their 2004 self-titled major-label debut, is the group’s first on Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label. The new effort includes the infectious “I Think They Like Me,” which features a repetitive chorus that uncannily resembles a schoolyard taunt. Trey Songz, Damon Dash, Three 6 Mafia and Pimp C (recently released from jail) all collaborate on the album.

And while “Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It” finds DFB outlining the two-step (“Rock left den snap ya fingers / Rock right den snap ya fingers), the group insists they have nothing to prove, that when their album drops, everyone will know which group was the original.

“They got Franchize Boyz on they tongue. They should get a tattoo on they tongue that says DFB,” Parlae said of artists that bite their style. “When the album drops, the drama stops.” Read more vibe.com online exclusives.

Article tags: Dem Franchize Boyz, So So Def, Jermaine Dupri, D4L, Doin It Dance, I Think They Like Me, Laffy Taffy