The double luck of the Ying Yang twins

Feb. 7, 2007

Atlanta based rap-duo the Ying Yang Twins have been to Streeters’ Ground Zero Nightclub before. When they return Sunday, February 11, they will expand their audience as Streeters has agreed to drop their normal 18 and older requirement to 14. The club has tried it before, so when the record label asked for an all-ages show, club owner Doug Street agreed.
“We have done this before for other acts and it has been successful,” said Street. “We keep those under legal drinking age away from the alcohol by restricting the area where alcohol is allowed. It works.”
According to Street, allowing teens into club shows is becoming pretty common,
and for many acts, a requirement in the their contract.
“If you go to a concert hall or arena, they are all-ages for shows and they serve alcohol,” said Street. “Labels are sponsoring these tours and they want those that are buying the CD to have access to their artists.”
The duo consists of Eric Jackson, aka Kaine, and D’Angelo Holmes, aka D-Roc,
and the two are related in spirit only. The Ying Yang Twins are among the hottest rappers on the circuit and everyone wants a piece of them. They have worked with everyone from Britney Spears to Lil’ Jon.
They are currently out touring in support of their fifth album, “Chemically Imbalanced,” released in November 2006 and produced by legends Wyclef Jean and Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis. Wyclef appears with the twins on the Hall & Oates sampling of “Dangerous.” The Twins other single, “Jigglin,” is also tearing up the charts.
The album was originally titled “2 Live Crew” but the Twins received a cease and desist letter from attorneys of the band by the same name, so they changed the name.
“That’s okay because the name is a better fit,” said Kaine. “We are imbalanced as artists and we are never on the same page, but always end up in the same place. We are opposites that equal each other out.”

ATLANTA ROOTS
The duo has come a long way since their days creating mixes at Atlanta strip clubs. In 2000 they broke out nationally with their single “Whistle While You Twurk” which got play on urban and pop radio stations and peaked at #16 on the Hip Hop charts. They really hit it big in 2002 when they collaborated with the self-styled “King of Crunk” Lil Jon on his 2002 single, “Get Low.” The song was a huge club and radio hit and the duo subsequently signed a deal with TVT Records.
A year later they appeared on Britney Spears’ album, “In The Zone,” as well as on her television special of the same name. In 2005 the Twins released their hit filled album, “U.S.A. (United States of Atlanta),” with songs “Wait (The Whisper Song),” “Badd” and “Shake.” The album was a tribute the Atlanta club and night scene.Much of the Ying Yang Twins’ songbook centers around women.
“Yeah, you know people have been writing songs about women for years, so don’t be singling us out,” said Kaine. “We are just putting a different spin on it. We just have our way and it works for us.”
The duo falls under the “Crunk” rap classification. Originating in Memphis in the early 1990s, Crunk was born out of the Memphis rap, dirty South and southern rap sounds and is said to be fathered by the Miami bass and electro music movements. The term is slang for drunk and is thought to be a combination of “crazy” and “drunk,” refering to the state of being both drunk and high on pot; but the Twins have a different perspective.
“Hanh? Shit that is some media-concocted definition,” said Kaine. “Crunk is simple; a state of heightened excitement and it doesn’t have to be artificially induced.”
Speaking of “Hanh,” you guys use that all the time on stage and in your mixes, and even have a song by the same name. Where did it come from?
“Its just an expression like huh,” Said Kaine. “It caught on so it has become habit.”

The Ying Yang Twins appear to be habit forming. The duo will make their third appearance at Streeters’ Ground Zero Nightclub with a show sponsored in part by 106 KHQ. The Sunday, February 11 show has doors opening at 7 pm with the concert starting at 8 pm sharp. “We have to finish by 11 pm because under Michigan law, anyone under 18 must be out by that time,” said Doug Street. “We will have an After Show Party starting at that time.” For tickets visit www.streetersonline.com or call the box office directly at
(231) 932-1300.