YoungBloodZ Albums (4)
'J-Bo: Atl's Finest'
Release Date 4/15/2008
Tracks 13
Label Real Talk
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Drankin' Patnaz, the 2002 YoungBloodZ album, arrived right in the midst of the initial crunk uprising, and it helped push that style into mass public consciousness in a major way, with the Lil Jon-produced "Damn!" breaking into the Top Five of Billboard's Hot 100 -- a noteworthy milestone at the time. But three years later, in 2005, "crunk" had become the new "bling-bling" -- a trendy rap style that proliferated at lightning speed, to the point where its sudden omnipresence reached the point of parody, and indeed, snarkier pop culture commentators were quick to lampoon it just as they had "bling-bling." Ev'rybody Know Me arrived around this time, in December 2005, and it pales in comparison to its predecessor. What a difference three years make! YoungBloodZ haven't changed much in those three years. They're still the same rambunctious Atlanta duo they were before -- witty, grimacing Dirty South rappers with a taste for cush and candy-paint cars, white Ts and white wheels, drank and stank. But while they sounded cutting edge in 2002, they sound middle of the pack in 2005, and that's despite working with many of the same producers as last time. Of course, there's a mammoth Lil Jon production here that stands head and shoulders above every other song on Ev'rybody Know Me: "Presidential." From the opening synth stab, it's obvious that this is straight from the lab of the King of Crunk. There's a lot that's amazing about this song, from how YoungBloodZ make "George Bush" seem like a dope name to drop ("What we smokin'?/That cush/Presidential sh*t/George Bush") to how Lil Jon's endlessly recycled production style remains powerful. But there are 15 other songs here, and none of them comes close to matching the appeal of "Presidential." Not even A-list producers such as Scott Storch, Jazze Pha, Mannie Fresh, or Mr. Collipark can conjure up a fresh song idea. Rather, each of these well-paid producers turns in a third-rate retread: Collipark's "It's Good" sounds like a "Wait (The Whisper Song)" remix, Fresh's "What tha Biz (If I)" sounds like a "And Then What" remix, and so on. The exception would be Storch's "Chop Chop," which does sound fairly unique; it just doesn't quite work as well as it should. Anyhow, there's not a lot of use in overexamining why Ev'rybody Know Me feels disappointing. In sum, it's a run-of-the-mill crunk album with a killer single, an album that doesn't come close to matching its relatively superb and much fresher predecessor. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
YoungBloodZ debuted impressively in 1999 with Against da Grain, but no one -- not even their biggest fans -- would have predicted how much of a stride forward they'd make with their long-delayed follow-up, Drankin' Patnaz. Of course, the ATL duo had hooked up with So So Def Records between albums, and the move was a momentous one for YoungBloodZ. Not only did the promising partnership guarantee the duo mass-market distribution and marketing (via So So Def's corporate parent, Arista), but it also gave them the time and budget they needed to make a great breakthrough album. And that they certainly did with Drankin' Patnaz, the most glaring evidence being "Damn!," the album opener. Damn! indeed. The Lil Jon production is a rabble-rousing, 'bow-throwing club-banger of monstrous proportions. It's on a par with any of the King of Crunk's innumerable other club-banging productions -- from "Bia' Bia'" to "Get Low" -- and it's no doubt one of the rowdiest songs to ever break into the Top Five of Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Consider for a moment the song's unedited hook: a looped chant of "If you don't give a damn, we don't give a f*ck (hey!)" followed by Lil Jon's belligerent response of "Don't start no sh*t and there won't be no sh*t (what! what! what! what!...)." Of course, it's not easy to follow such an audacious album-opener, yet YoungBloodZ somehow follow through, first with another hard-hitting, floor-shaking bass anthem ("Whatchu Lookin' At") and then with a solid run of top-shelf Dirty South tracks helmed by their talented stable of producers, most notably Mark Twayne, the Track Boyz, and R.O.B. Furthermore, there's also a laid-back Jazzy Pha track hidden toward the album's close, "Money on My Mind," that's yet another highlight. There's more to Drankin' Patnaz than huge bass beats, however. J Bo and Sean Paul are excellent rappers, plain and simple. Their flows are quick and liquid, and they trade off rhymes with ease. This is how duos are supposed to rap -- as a duo rather than as a pair of solo artists. From so many different perspectives, Drankin' Patnaz is a far above average Dirty South release and a crowning achievement for YoungBloodZ, whom So So Def was keen to pick up and develop. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Against da Grain is a collection of dance club-ready anthems packed with familiar ghetto boasts and party grooves. The Atlanta, GA-based duo YoungBloodZ employs guitar-driven tracks layered with pulsing bass rhythms and laid-back beats to complement their easily plied Southern-drawl rap attacks. The production crew on this release includes worthy contributions from the Attic and the Dungeon Family, conglomerates of local rappers and producers providing beats and backing rhymes. While this makes for a homegrown project certain to please fans of the Southern bounce sound, it also creates an abundance of sound-alike tracks, making this debut relatively indistinguishable from other recordings out of the same region. ~ Roxanne Blanford, All Music Guide
