Ying Yang Twins Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Mr. Collipark explains it all in the "Intro." The first half of Chemically Imbalanced is for the longtime Ying Yang Twins fans and goes for that strip club thump. The second half "makes it a little musical for y'all" with the help of Wyclef and Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, the duo who brought you the Shakira hit "Hips Don't Lie." In other words, this is effectively two EPs stuck together, an album that takes a massive turn in the middle, and a release that tries to please everyone, including the Ying Yangs themselves. Listening to a track as rich and Sly Stone-flavored as "Family," it's easy to hear that the Twins are anxious to explore new avenues, but they're just as enthusiastic when delivering the first half's stream of club tracks, of which the infectious "Jigglin" is the best, although "1st Booty on Duty" deserves special mention for title alone. The tricky beat on "Leave" and sexy single "Dangerous" are also noteworthy, and if it sounds like the second half of the album is the winner, it's not, since its tracks would make more sense on a real, flowing full-length, as the half-and-half format actually serves the simple, party-minded first half better. Making this frustrating release even more so is the "One Mo for the Road" skit, which infers the two are in for an extended break and all this growth won't be panning out anytime soon. To their credit, no one could have mixed these two sides of the Ying Yangs in a sensible way -- at least not with this selection -- and the only way the "Intro" could have warned the listener any better is if it had been titled "Warning." While Chemically Imbalanced can't decide if it's a home for the Wyclef singles, a haven for the experiments, or a plain old "return to form," the highlights are worth hearing and justify this scattershot placeholder's existence. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Having moved major units of the like-minded Pitbull compilation Money Is Still a Major Issue, the TVT label turned to its bread-and-butter act and released U.S.A. Still United, a satisfying but not stunning collection of Ying Yang Twins outtakes, remixes, and collaborations. With mixtape-styled interludes from Mr. Collipark and barely any pauses between the tracks, U.S.A. Still United tries harder to flow like a purposeful compilation than Pitbull's did, but the Twins are coming off a much more ambitious album than the Latin rapper, so it's no big surprise the leftovers from the 23-track USA (United State of Atlanta) are hit or miss. "Wiggle Then Move" is a just fair club cut, "Duts" is an amusing but throwaway skit stretched into a song, but "4 Oz." is a surprisingly successful blend of Three 6 Mafia's gutter thugging and the Twins' slick partying. "The Pink" uses Henry Mancini's Pink Panther theme for the base of the most fun track on the compilation, which then uses some decent collaborations and lukewarm remixes to round out the track list. The DVD ups the collections' desirability with over an hour and a half of material, making it necessary for the hardcore and worthy of consideration for fans of their last album. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'USA (United State of Atlanta)'
Release Date 6/27/2005
Tracks 23
Label TVT
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Ying Yang Twins widen their narrow spectrum with USA (United State of Atlanta) by adding Black Eyed Peas and OutKast's attitudes toward albums to their already slick and sleazy party crunk. At 77 minutes and 23 tracks, the sprawling album is weighed down by some filler and redundant numbers, but as a step forward for a party band riding on whatever the Dirty South sound of the moment is, it's surprisingly bold and accomplished. At the time of its release, the sleazy, catchy, and downright gimmicky "Wait (The Whisper Song)" was blowing up on radio, but as another party single from a group that's released a truckload, it doesn't represent the risk-taking attitude of the album. Although a guest shot from Maroon 5's Adam Levine seems like an uninspired attempt at pop crossover, the alterna-singer blends well with the boys on "Live Again," a look inside the life of a stripper that's deep and bleak, not misguided and ridiculous like you'd expect from these former jokesters. Southern regulars like Mike Jones, B.G., Pitbull, and Lil Scrappy all shine here, but the earthy and soulful Anthony Hamilton rises above all others, taking the Twins deep into the world of the Isley Brothers on the sincere and spiritual "Long Time." "Ghetto Classics" is the album's mind-blowing moment, with the duo commenting on African-Americans' role in the military and urban history over a fierce Art of Noise loop. Anchoring all this musical exploration is the usual riding on 24s, bragging about their grills, worshiping booty, and the other hedonistic things that are at the heart of the best Ying Yang tracks. The middle of the album is devoted to freaky sex with "Wait" as the centerpiece, so don't think they're trying to deliver a crunk What's Going On as much as a dirtier Elephunk. They succeed, and had they named the album after "Ghetto Classics" they would have been only slightly overselling it. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For a New York-based label, TVT has certainly put out a lot of Dirty South releases -- some of them violent, totally thugged-out gangsta rap, some of them party music. One might wonder why a company with a Manhattan address would be so into the Dirty South; after all, some Northeastern hip-hop heads can be quite provincial and act like they're oblivious to rappers who live below the Mason-Dixon. But then, the folks who run TVT are entrepreneurs, and they obviously realize that the Dirty South market is huge -- and that Southern rappers can make a fortune from the Southern states alone. How well Me & My Brother does in Brooklyn, the Bronx, or Philadelphia is almost irrelevant; this 2003 release is primarily aimed at Dirty South audiences, and the material has the familiar crunk elements -- barking vocals, chanted choruses, and explicit lyrics celebrating the pleasures of sex, decadence, intoxication, and hedonism. Occasionally, the Ying Yang Twins get sociopolitical; the Atlanta-based duo addresses inner-city problems on "Hard" and the rock-edged "Calling All Zones" (which aims to be a regional theme for Atlanta the way that Petey Pablo's "Raise Up" was for North Carolina). But for the most part, Me & My Brother is a party album, and exuberant, hook-filled tunes like "Salt Shaker" (which features fellow Atlanta resident Lil Jon) and the single "Naggin'" are straight-up club-bangers (that is, crunk jams aimed at Southern hip-hop clubs). And even though the Ying Yang Twins aren't terribly original -- countless other Dirty South artists have done this type of thing -- Me & My Brother is a cut above most of the crunk-oriented releases that came out in 2003. The duo is entertaining more often than not, and the jams are generally infectious on this fun and likable, if derivative, effort. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Alley...Return of the Ying Yang Twins'
Release Date 3/26/2002
Tracks 15
Label Koch International
See Album Tracklist and Review
