Atlanta rap duo Da Backwudz will release its debut album, "Wood Work," March 21 via producer Dallas Austin's reactivated Rowdy Records. The set features guest appearances from Nas, Jermaine Dupri, Slim Thug, Sleepy Brown and George Clinton, and production by Austin and DJ Toomp, among others.
The first single is "You Gonna Luv Me," which samples Jennifer Holliday's 1982 hit "And I Am Telling You." Rowdy and Arista amicably dissolved their joint venture in 1997, the same year cousins Big Marc and Sho-Nuff came together to form Da Backwudz. Austin revived Rowdy to sign the pair, who says their debut is a testament to diversity.
"We were raised on a lot of different genres of music, like old-school R&B, traditional gospel and old=school hip-hop," Big Marc tells Billboard.com. "We fuse all that together to make our own hip-hop sound. We're very versatile from a Southern aspect."
In school, Big Marc joined jazz and concert bands, while Sho-Nuff became a drum major. "I also came up on a lot of poetry from the Harlem Renaissance poets like E.E. Cummings," says Sho-Nuff. "So there's a lot of creativity and substance on the album. We're hoping that fans will grasp it. It's definitely coming from the South and we ain't afraid to try something new."
Da Backwudz is hoping to jump on the expected Purple Ribbon tour this spring, which is tipped to feature Bubba Sparxxx, Killa Mike and Sleepy Brown.
The first single is "You Gonna Luv Me," which samples Jennifer Holliday's 1982 hit "And I Am Telling You." Rowdy and Arista amicably dissolved their joint venture in 1997, the same year cousins Big Marc and Sho-Nuff came together to form Da Backwudz. Austin revived Rowdy to sign the pair, who says their debut is a testament to diversity.
"We were raised on a lot of different genres of music, like old-school R&B, traditional gospel and old=school hip-hop," Big Marc tells Billboard.com. "We fuse all that together to make our own hip-hop sound. We're very versatile from a Southern aspect."
In school, Big Marc joined jazz and concert bands, while Sho-Nuff became a drum major. "I also came up on a lot of poetry from the Harlem Renaissance poets like E.E. Cummings," says Sho-Nuff. "So there's a lot of creativity and substance on the album. We're hoping that fans will grasp it. It's definitely coming from the South and we ain't afraid to try something new."
Da Backwudz is hoping to jump on the expected Purple Ribbon tour this spring, which is tipped to feature Bubba Sparxxx, Killa Mike and Sleepy Brown.
Up for Discussion