Dem Franchize Boyz have a way of turning commentary on their lives into massive mainstream trends. For example, just note the vast impact their successful first single “White Tees,” which spawned the current street trend of sporting a simple white tee. “White Tees,” a crunked-up tribute to the fashion Dem Franchize Boyz rocked on the streets of Atlanta, shot into the Top 25 on the Billboard Hip-Hop and R&B charts with over 1,000 spins a week, becoming an urban anthem for the summer of 2004.
Prior to their 2004 debut, Dem Franchize Boyz (DFB) has released five independent street albums and mixtapes, creating a local following and scoring them a deal on Universal/Motown Records. Their self-titled debut landed at #1 on the Heatseekers chart and the four friends from the projects of Atlanta had arrived.
Dem Franchize Boyz formed in their Atlanta’s Westside high school. As teens, Jizzal Man (Bernard Leverette), Parlae (Maurice Gleaton), Pimpin (Jamall Willingham), and Buddie (Gerald Tiller) put their minds and rhyme skills together and throughout high school and college they honed their vision into what it is today – a new wave of crunk that paints a graphic picture of the streets of Atlanta and their raw lifestyle.
“All our music is about some aspect of reality,” Parlae explains. “Every song we write, we’re talking about a specific thing. We never write just to be saying something. Every word comes directly from the heart.” Dem Franchize Boyz’ music has come to embody Southern Clubbing, Southern Pimping and Southern Living.
Jermaine Dupri, President of Urban Music at Virgin Records saw great potential in the group and offered them a deal, subsequently landing Dem Franchize Boyz on this summer’s multi-artist compilation JERMAINE DUPRI PRESENTS… YOUNG, FLY, AND FLASHY. JD, Da Brat, and Bow Wow remixed Dem Franchize Boyz’ “I Think They Like Me,” and propelled Dem Franchize Boyz to their second consecutive summer club anthem.
Protection - we do a lot of it these days. Sun cream for our skin, sunglasses for our eyes, condoms for you know where - but do you remember to protect your hearing?
Click to find all the information you need to look after your hearing now so you can enjoy music for years to come
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