With their debut album, "On Top of Our Game," Dem Franchize Boyz chuck themselves to the bottom of the rap barrel.
In the tradition of Kris Kross and J-Kwon, Jermaine Dupri introduces us to yet another commercial, bubble-gum pop group of talentless rappers.
Hailing from Atlanta, Parlae, Pimpin, Jizzal Man and Buddie attempt to follow in the recent success of Atlanta rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy with their tired and repetitive crunk beats. The problem with the group is that all four of the members sound exactly the same, which isn't saying much.
DFB, as they call themselves, make it a habit to mumble their simple lyrics over loud, redundant club beats, which sound terribly similar in every song. Most of their lyrics are difficult to make out, which is probably for the best.
All of the songs seem to have the same exact melody, from their initial radio friendly single "I Think They Like Me," to their harder tracks like "Suckas Come and Try Me." Almost every song incorporates hooks that basically consist of the title repeated over and over.
The lyrics are all about crack, rims, or dance steps, such as in "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It." Dem Franchize Boyz manage to include one R&B track, "Freaky as She Wanna Be" for the ladies, but lines like, "Body shaped like Budweiser's/ Classy ho, that likes to be piledrivered" probably won't have any girls ripping off their clothes.
The only time "On Top of Our Game" would be tolerable is if it was played as background music in a really crowded room. It would be impossible for a true hip-hop fan to listen to the album straight through. Unless you have a taste for bad rap, watch a lot of "106 & Park," or are under 12 years old, steer clear of Dem Franchize Boyz.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
