Dem Franchize Boyz was an American
hip hop group from
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
, signed to
E1 Music
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
. The group had four members: Parlae (born Maurice Gleaton), Pimpin' (Jamal Willingham), Jizzal Man (Bernard Leverette), and Buddie (Gerald Tiller). They were best known for their hit singles "
I Think They Like Me" and "
Lean wit It, Rock wit It".
History
The origin of the group dates back to when all four members were high school and college school mates, making music for fun while furthering their education. In regards to the group name, Parlae stated that "We are a franchise, a business. We're homeboys, but we're business partners too. We all do different things and have different roles. That's how we got the name." One day while pursuing their business degrees in North Carolina, the four recorded a song in a dorm room that would become their future debut and hit single "White Tee," before moving back to Atlanta.
The group signed to
Universal Records
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
in 2004 after performing unsigned. Universal released the group's
self-titled debut album in September of that year with hit single "White Tee", which
BET featured for some time. In 2005, record producer
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
signed Dem Franchize Boyz to his label
So So Def after transferring it from
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertain ...
to
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldw ...
. Dem Franchize Boyz' remix of their earlier track "Oh I Think They Like Me" was retitled simply "
I Think They Like Me" and featured Dupri,
Bow Wow, and
Da Brat
Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album ''Funkda ...
and topped the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. In regards to the contract signing, Parlae stated:
We knew JD--we met JD through... a car show in Dallas. You know... we had a song "White Tee"? When JD got on the "White Tee" remix it got real popular, so we ended up doing a show with him...in Dallas at the car show there. That was our first time meeting JD, and it was like, it was real responsive, real crazy, so JD was like, "I wanna do something else wit y'all." So we had a song "Oh I Think Dey Like Me," ndJD said let's do an official remix, put it on his Young, Fly & Flashy
''Young Fly and Flashy Vol. 1'' is the first of two compilation albums by Jermaine Dupri.
Track listing
#"I'm Hot" (featuring Young Capone, Daz Dillinger and T-Roc) – 3:54
# " Gotta Getcha" (featuring Johnta Austin) – 2:50
# "Kodak Moment ...
album, and then a song turned into a contract.
So So Def released ''
On Top of Our Game'' in 2006, and single "
Lean wit It, Rock wit It" followed. "Lean wit It" was among several "
snap music" singles popular in early 2006, such as "
Laffy Taffy" by
D4L and "
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
" by
David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ba ...
.
Parlae (Maurice Gleaton) was arrested on June 13, 2006, after police raided a studio and found drugs, weapons, and money. All charges were later dropped. He was also arrested as the prime suspect in the murder of Kenneth Kemp that same year. The case was dismissed on a technicality. Another member, Pimpin' (Jamall Willingham), was also arrested for a DUI in October 2007.
Dem Franchize Boyz collaborated with
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 b ...
to produce a mash-up of "
Lean wit It, Rock wit It" and "
Coming Undone" called "
Coming Undone wit It
"Coming Undone" is a song written and recorded by American band Korn and The Matrix for Korn's seventh studio album, '' See You on the Other Side''. It was released as the album's second single in February 2006.
Chart performance
The song reach ...
". They are also featured in
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
's single "
Everytime tha Beat Drop". They released their third album, ''
Our World, Our Way
''Our World, Our Way'' is the third and final studio album by Dem Franchize Boyz. It was their only album on Koch Records, and was released September 30, 2008.
The album's first single is " Talkin' Out da Side of Ya Neck!." Other tracks on the a ...
'' on Koch Records on September 30, 2008.
Gerald "Buddie" Tiller (born Gerald Hernandez Tiller October 26, 1982) died of cancer on August 25, 2019, at age 36.
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
Dem Franchize Boyz'' (2004)
* ''
On Top of Our Game'' (2006)
[
* '']Our World, Our Way
''Our World, Our Way'' is the third and final studio album by Dem Franchize Boyz. It was their only album on Koch Records, and was released September 30, 2008.
The album's first single is " Talkin' Out da Side of Ya Neck!." Other tracks on the a ...
'' (2008)
;Mixtapes
* ''Voltron'' (2011)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Rappers from Atlanta
Southern hip hop groups
Snap music
African-American musical groups
Musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state)
Musical quartets
So So Def Recordings artists
Universal Records artists
Musical groups established in 2004
Musical groups disestablished in 2009