Skinny Jeanz and a Mic
Encyclopedia
Many critics noted that the album is split into two types of songs: the party-influenced pop rap, and the slowed down sultry R&B tones. Several songs are built on the same formula of "You're a Jerk", with Allmusic noting that, "Dot Com," "Colors," "Turnt," and "So Dope" all have the cheesy drum machines, samples, and off-kilter lyric approach that make "Jerk" so good. The review also said "R&B ballad "Tie Me Down" featuring smooth Auto-tuned vocals from Ray J, the B.A.S.S.-inspired "Bunz", the slow jam "New Girl," and the rollicking "Cashmere," which bumps along like a New Jack rap jam, are nice diversions." On the album split, The Los Angeles Times said, "The album begins to lose circulation toward its end, when the pair lose their lambent wit in favor of mawkish lover-boy ballads better left to Sean Kingston
albums." Jeff Weiss of the newspaper used "Tie Me Down
" as an example, noting that its sounds have "a saccharine sappiness and contrived tone that feels at odds with the otherwise organic-sounding album."
Some points of the work were inspired by Pharrell Williams
, Kanye West
, and other "hip-hop style eccentrics". The songs on the album have heavy lyrical underlies, noted by several critics. The comic-esque "Way 2 Many Chickz" described as talking about "a string of almost-conquests better left unvanquished": "Chick had a cold sore that looked like John McCain
." On "Cashmere", Ben J and Legacy "try to outdo each other to win the attention of a young woman, but, predictably, she spurns them both". The lyrics also cover their difference in style, as seen in "Cricketz", as Legacy raps, "Jeans stay skinny like I starve my fabric, Another damn thing/You’ll never see me care about another man’s jeans." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
responded, "Baggy has been de rigueur in hip-hop for so long it’s easy to forget that 25 years ago, rappers gladly wore tight denim. Now it’s cause for a fight." Some of the lyrics use double entendre
, with the duo referring to themselves as "rejects" and "jerks" on "Dot Com", which The Los Angeles Times called "both a double-entendre for the dance moves spurring the craze, and illustrative of their generation’s reclamation of formerly nerdy archetypes."
" was released as the album's first single on April 2, 2009. The song was a viral success, and later succeeded peaked at number twenty-four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
, thirteen on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
and four on Hot Rap Songs
.
"Tie Me Down
" was released as the album's second single on August 31, 2009, it peaked at number twenty-two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and five on Hot Rap Songs. It reached forty two on Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs, and fared better on mainstream
airplay, the duo's first entry at pop radio, peaking at twenty-three on the Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
chart.
, and spent four weeks on the chart. It debuted and peaked at number eight on the Top Rap Albums
chart and number twelve on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart. Before falling off the chart in November 2009, the album had sold around 35,000 copies.
" so good", "the duo stick to the template [of "Jerk"], considering the uniqueness of the sound they've created and also the fact that it's a debut record made by teenagers, and an impressive and unfailingly fun debut at that." The review goes on to point out that "the reliance on the "Jerk" sound can be a little monotonous, there are enough variations along the way to keep things interesting." He also says "The duo's flow is not incredible but they spit convincingly. If you were looking for undisputedly pop-rap with a fresh sound and a light lyrical touch, the New Boyz debut is a fine destination." XXL
said that the album delivered "unexpected lyrical talent" but that it lacked "sonic variety". The review also goes on to say that the album "is no hip-hop classic, but rather the breath of fresh air rap needs." Jeff Weiss of The Los Angeles Times gave the album three stars, commenting that the album "is a catchy and charismatic debut that should engender pleasant teen nostalgia in anyone old enough to vote and help explain why for the last six months, the kids have been saying out with the old, in with the New Boyz.". The review also said that the album "successfully strikes a balance between introducing a new sound (the minimalist bass-heavy bounce of jerk music) and style (skinny jeans, Vans and "colors that ain’t even on the rainbow"), with traditional teenage themes (girls, the desire for self-expression, adults who don’t understand, girls). The result is a West Coast antidote to the South’s veritable monopoly on homeroom rap—a relentlessly breezy and fun ride through the lives of a pair of class clowns bent on enjoying the face cards that fate dealt." The Selby Times said that the album "is about as happening as it gets for teenage music with an attitude, even if it makes adults' eyes roll in disgust." Wendy Roby of BBC
said that, "But overall their sheer chutzpah wins you over – and with its day-glo tongue wedged so very firmly in its cheek, Skinny Jeanz and a Mic is hard to resist." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
called the album "one of the year’s most charming rap debuts, and certainly the least expected." In a separate review, he named the album the sixth best album of the year, commenting, "Emerging from Southern California’s jerk scene, this teenage duo made an album that’s appealingly young, simultaneously wide-eyed and knowingly lewd." DJBooth.net's Nathan Slavik was less positive, predicting that the album would be "the last time we hear from the New Boyz."
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
albums." Jeff Weiss of the newspaper used "Tie Me Down
Tie Me Down
Tie Me Down is a song by American recording duo New Boyz. The song is the second single from their debut album Skinny Jeans and a Mic, and features R&B singer Ray J. Ray J's chorus uses the Autotune effect and there is also usage in the New Boyz' verses...
" as an example, noting that its sounds have "a saccharine sappiness and contrived tone that feels at odds with the otherwise organic-sounding album."
Some points of the work were inspired by Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, and other "hip-hop style eccentrics". The songs on the album have heavy lyrical underlies, noted by several critics. The comic-esque "Way 2 Many Chickz" described as talking about "a string of almost-conquests better left unvanquished": "Chick had a cold sore that looked like John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
." On "Cashmere", Ben J and Legacy "try to outdo each other to win the attention of a young woman, but, predictably, she spurns them both". The lyrics also cover their difference in style, as seen in "Cricketz", as Legacy raps, "Jeans stay skinny like I starve my fabric, Another damn thing/You’ll never see me care about another man’s jeans." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
responded, "Baggy has been de rigueur in hip-hop for so long it’s easy to forget that 25 years ago, rappers gladly wore tight denim. Now it’s cause for a fight." Some of the lyrics use double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
, with the duo referring to themselves as "rejects" and "jerks" on "Dot Com", which The Los Angeles Times called "both a double-entendre for the dance moves spurring the craze, and illustrative of their generation’s reclamation of formerly nerdy archetypes."
Singles
"You're a JerkYou're a Jerk
"You're a Jerk" is a song by the duo New Boyz from their debut studio album Skinny Jeans and a Mic. It has peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.- Music video :...
" was released as the album's first single on April 2, 2009. The song was a viral success, and later succeeded peaked at number twenty-four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, thirteen on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
and four on Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
.
"Tie Me Down
Tie Me Down
Tie Me Down is a song by American recording duo New Boyz. The song is the second single from their debut album Skinny Jeans and a Mic, and features R&B singer Ray J. Ray J's chorus uses the Autotune effect and there is also usage in the New Boyz' verses...
" was released as the album's second single on August 31, 2009, it peaked at number twenty-two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and five on Hot Rap Songs. It reached forty two on Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs, and fared better on mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
airplay, the duo's first entry at pop radio, peaking at twenty-three on the Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
chart.
Commercial response
The album debuted at number fifty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and spent four weeks on the chart. It debuted and peaked at number eight on the Top Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004....
chart and number twelve on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
chart. Before falling off the chart in November 2009, the album had sold around 35,000 copies.
Critical response
Tim Sendra of Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars review, and said the album had the "cheesy drum machines, samples, and off-kilter lyric approach that make "JerkYou're a Jerk
"You're a Jerk" is a song by the duo New Boyz from their debut studio album Skinny Jeans and a Mic. It has peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.- Music video :...
" so good", "the duo stick to the template [of "Jerk"], considering the uniqueness of the sound they've created and also the fact that it's a debut record made by teenagers, and an impressive and unfailingly fun debut at that." The review goes on to point out that "the reliance on the "Jerk" sound can be a little monotonous, there are enough variations along the way to keep things interesting." He also says "The duo's flow is not incredible but they spit convincingly. If you were looking for undisputedly pop-rap with a fresh sound and a light lyrical touch, the New Boyz debut is a fine destination." XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
said that the album delivered "unexpected lyrical talent" but that it lacked "sonic variety". The review also goes on to say that the album "is no hip-hop classic, but rather the breath of fresh air rap needs." Jeff Weiss of The Los Angeles Times gave the album three stars, commenting that the album "is a catchy and charismatic debut that should engender pleasant teen nostalgia in anyone old enough to vote and help explain why for the last six months, the kids have been saying out with the old, in with the New Boyz.". The review also said that the album "successfully strikes a balance between introducing a new sound (the minimalist bass-heavy bounce of jerk music) and style (skinny jeans, Vans and "colors that ain’t even on the rainbow"), with traditional teenage themes (girls, the desire for self-expression, adults who don’t understand, girls). The result is a West Coast antidote to the South’s veritable monopoly on homeroom rap—a relentlessly breezy and fun ride through the lives of a pair of class clowns bent on enjoying the face cards that fate dealt." The Selby Times said that the album "is about as happening as it gets for teenage music with an attitude, even if it makes adults' eyes roll in disgust." Wendy Roby of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
said that, "But overall their sheer chutzpah wins you over – and with its day-glo tongue wedged so very firmly in its cheek, Skinny Jeanz and a Mic is hard to resist." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the album "one of the year’s most charming rap debuts, and certainly the least expected." In a separate review, he named the album the sixth best album of the year, commenting, "Emerging from Southern California’s jerk scene, this teenage duo made an album that’s appealingly young, simultaneously wide-eyed and knowingly lewd." DJBooth.net's Nathan Slavik was less positive, predicting that the album would be "the last time we hear from the New Boyz."
Track listing
- All tracks are produced by Legacy except 10 and 13.
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
56 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004.... |
8 |