New Boyz: “Skinny Jeans And A Mic” (Album Review)

Such a clever group name...the album HAS to be DOPE, right?? Right?!?!?!

So there are these cats, right? Legacy and Ben J. Young cats, both have decent flows, and are more creative than most mainstream rappers on the radio right now. They call themselves the “New Boyz” and are both under 19 (if I remember correctly). Sounds promising.

So what’s the issue?

Two things. One: Skinny Jean Fiends. Two: they have a dance.

And just like that, half of the people reading this review closed the page. I honestly can’t blame you. The state of hip-hop and even RAP is in peril right now, and the last thing we need on the radio is another dance. But me personally, I’d rather have another dance on the RADIO than another song about getting wasted or shooting people. ESPECIALLY after the Derrion Albert tragedy a while ago..

My interest was sparked when I heard their song “Crickets” feat. Tyga of Young Money fame, so I found a copy of the album online…because I wasn’t going to pay to listen to a CD titled “Skinny Jeans And A Mic””. Sorry dudes.

The Good: All jokes aside, Legacy has some DOPE punchlines. I could seriously imagine him as a solo artist in a couple of years. He was super charismatic on this album, and he usually always had a nice punchline OR he was just funny. They both are funny characters on tracks. Not necessarily on videos….Especially not too much on videos…

There are flashes of brilliance on this album. The song “Way 2 Many Chickz” is laugh out loud funny, and could arguably be the ONLY song that Ben J actually tops his counterpart. Also, the track “Cashmere” shows them going back and forth competing for the affections of a girl, with an unexpected twist at the end that makes them take a somewhat schoolyard approach to her (“Cashmere, Cashmere, when I said I like you I lied / Cashmere, Cashmere, I’m over here, uncross your eyes..”). There are some good things about this album.

The Bad: My chief problem with this album is that they’re marketed towards kids it seems, but this album has a “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label waiting for it. There’s a lot of profanity from these kids for the most part. Other problems do abound though, such as most of the album having the same tone/vibe to it (you can jerk to the whole cd, except maybe one or two tracks), Ben J just not coming through lyrically for the most part, and some of the songs just not being good…period.

Bottom Line: The album shows promise, and it’s possible they could be around for another album, but they have to figure out their direction quickly. They’re not marketed to kids, and they’re not for adults, so technically they’re alienating all of the people that would support them. That’s their main problem, and if they find a lane, they could ride it out for a long time. But for now, “Skinny Jeans And A Mic” is just confusing and frustrating for hip-hop heads because it shows promises… but it’s drowned in mediocrity.

Check the singles on Youtube (the ones I mentioned, not their actual “singles”) for a solid laugh, but that’s pretty much all the appeal they will have for you and for me right now.

—–> Final Rating: 2 / 5 <—–

Favorite Tracks:

• “Way 2 Many Chickz”
• “Cashmere”
  
• “Tie Me Down” feat. Ray J (autotune heavy…warning…)