Back 2 Skool Jam

It was inevitable that crunk would spawn its own subgenres, and you can go ahead and pencil in Atlanta's Dem Franchize Boyz atop the nascent "snap music" movement. Their main competition is D4L, which proved that less really can be less on the ridiculously minimal hit "Laffy Taffy," which taints...

By Dan Leroy

September 28, 2006

Audio By Carbonatix

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "leaderboardInlineContent",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "tower",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]

It was inevitable that crunk would spawn its own subgenres, and you can go ahead and pencil in Atlanta's Dem Franchize Boyz atop the nascent "snap music" movement. Their main competition is D4L, which proved that less really can be less on the ridiculously minimal hit "Laffy Taffy," which taints the victory somewhat. But despite the Franchise Boyz' equally non-existent "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It," their otherwise more substantial self-titled debut suggests that they'll at least be around for crunk's next mutation. Meanwhile, babyfaced singer Chris "Run It!" Brown has been touted as the future of R&B, and New Orleans rapper Lil' Wayne has survived that sort of teenage hype -- but it's show opener Ne-Yo who has the brightest future on this bill. Not surprisingly, he's also the sore thumb: His forte is classic soul, not crunk-friendly club fare, and his self-written debut, In My Own Words, shows he has a pen that's equal to his voice.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.