New Boyz
| New Boyz | |
|---|---|
 Legacy (left) and Ben J (right) |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Hesperia, California, United States |
| Genres | Westcoast hip hop, Rap, Jerkin', Electro |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Shotty, Asylum, Warner Bros. |
| Associated acts | Chris Brown, Tyga, YG, Ray J, Iyaz, Big Sean, The Cataracs, Dev. |
| Website | www.thenewboyz.com |
| Members | Legacy Ben J |
New Boyz is an American hip hop/rap group and a former jerkin' crew duo[1] consisting of rappers Earl "Ben J" Benjamin (born October 13, 1991) and Dominic "Legacy" Thomas (born October 12, 1991)[2] from Hesperia, California. They debuted in summer 2009 with their viral hit, "You're a Jerk", taken from their debut studio album Skinny Jeanz and a Mic, released in September 2009. The song peaked in the top thirty of the Billboard Hot 100, and it was the first song to bring the jerkin' style to the national forefront. A second single, "Tie Me Down" featuring Ray J, was also successful and peaked in the top thirty. In May 2011, their second studio album, Too Cool to Care, was released. It includes the top 40 hits "Backseat", featuring The Cataracs and Dev, and "Better with the Lights Off" featuring Chris Brown. The New Boyz have also been featured on Hot Chelle Rae's song "I Like It Like That", which peaked at #28 on the Hot 100.
Contents |
Biography [edit]
Dominic Thomas, a native of Victorville, California and raised in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, and Earl Benjamin, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, moved to Victorville in 2005, after his mother and step-father feared that he was too involved with local gang activity,[3] were originally rivals when they first met at Hesperia High School, but became friends over a common interest in music.[4] Dominic began rapping at the age of eight after watching a music video by Bow Wow, but Benjamin did not have plans to pursue a musical career, instead, he intended to play football at San Diego State University.[5] Dominic and Earl decided to join a local rap group, and because they both had strict parenting, they were forced to quit the group. The two boys decided to create their own rap group, and use Benjamin's popularity and Thomas's music skills to promote their business. With their October birthdays only a day apart, they pooled their gift money to buy recording equipment. Dominic then taught himself how to make beats for the group's songs with a computer program called Fruity Loops, saying "I had to teach myself. We didn’t want to pay for beats."[6] After Thomas transferred to a new school, they decided to form a group. With Benjamin being "Ben J" and Thomas being "Legacy", they began performing together as the Swagger Boyz, then on July 4, 2008, they changed their name to New Boyz and started performing on a school tour called P.A.C.E (A Los Angeles based school tour that supports staying in school).[5] and created a MySpace page to promote their self-published single "Colorz".[4] In February 2009, New Boyz signed to Shotty Records/Asylum Records/Warner Music Group.
Discography [edit]
Mixtapes [edit]
- Foolie Tape (2012)
Studio albums [edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [8] |
US Rap [9] |
||
| Skinny Jeanz and a Mic |
|
56 | 12 | 8 |
| Too Cool to Care |
|
41 | 9 | 7 |
Singles [edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] |
US R&B [11] |
US Rap [12] |
US Pop [13] |
AUS | CAN | NZ | UK | ||||||
| "You're a Jerk" | 2009 | 24 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | Skinny Jeanz and a Mic | |||
| "Tie Me Down" (featuring Ray J) |
22 | 42 | 5 | 23 | — | — | — | — |
|
||||
| "Break My Bank" (featuring Iyaz) |
2010 | 68 | 63 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | Too Cool to Care | |||
| "Backseat" (featuring The Cataracs and Dev) |
2011 | 26 | — | 12 | 17 | 89 | 52 | 30 | 55 |
|
|||
| "Better with the Lights Off" (featuring Chris Brown) |
38 | — | 13 | 23 | 90 | — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Promotional singles [edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] |
|||||||||||||
| "Colorz" | 2008 | — | Skinny Jeanz and a Mic | ||||||||||
| "Spot Right There" (featuring Teairra Marí) |
2010 | — | Non-Album Single | ||||||||||
| "Crush On You" (featuring YG) |
2011 | — | Too Cool to Care | ||||||||||
| "Tough Kids" (featuring Sabi) |
— | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||||||
As featured artist [edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Pop | CAN | |||||||||||
| "Are You Feeling Me?" (Keisha Liu featuring New Boyz) |
2009 | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||
| "Make Me Say" (Tydis featuring New Boyz) |
2010 | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||
| "Dancin' Around the Truth" (the Stunners featuring New Boyz) |
— | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "I Like It Like That" (Hot Chelle Rae featuring New Boyz) |
2011 | 28 | 15 | 59 | Whatever | ||||||||
| "Sex" (Colette Carr featuring New Boyz) |
— | — | — | Skitszo | |||||||||
| "I'm on a Roll" (Stefano featuring New Boyz and Rock Mafia) |
2012 | — | — | — | TBA | ||||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||||
Music videos [edit]
- You're a Jerk
- Dot Com
- Tie Me Down featuring Ray J
- So Dope
- Cricketz featuring Tyga
- Break My Bank featuring Iyaz
- Crush On You featuring YG
- Backseat featuring The Cataracs and Dev
- Tough Kids featuring Sabi
- Better With the Lights Off featuring Chris Brown
- Found My Swag featuring The Bangz
- Dancing Around the Truth (the Stunners)
- New Kid Swag featuring Brandon Soo-Hoo from Incredible Crew
Awards and nominations [edit]
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | BET Awards 2011 | Best Group[17] | Nominated |
References [edit]
- ^ "Video: New Boyz Declare They Don't Jerk No More After Hearing Odd Future Say "If You Jerk, You're A Faggot"!". Worldstarhiphop.com. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
- ^ "21 Under 21: New Boyz". bilboard.com. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ "The New Boyz: Redefining West Coast Hip-Hop". Hip Hop Wired. September 28, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Thurston, Jason (2009). "New Boyz > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
- ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (July 13, 2009). "New Boyz Say They're More Than Just Jerkin' Rappers". MTV News. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ Weiss, Jeff (August 5, 2009). "We’re Jerkin’ (Starring the New Boyz, J-Hawk and Pink Dollaz)". LA Weekly. LA Weekly. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ "New Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "New Boyz Album & Song Chart History - R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "New Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ a b "New Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "New Boyz Album & Song Chart History - R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "New Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "New Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Pop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - December 22, 2010: "You're a Jerk" certified awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - December 22, 2010: "Tie Me Down" certified awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum: New Boyz certified awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ^ "Jay-Z Leads BET Awards 2010 Nominations". Rap-Up. 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
External links [edit]
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