It was announced earlier this week that “selfie” is the Oxford English Dictionary 2013 word of the year. As much as we love #selfiesunday, we thought for sure that “twerk” would reign supreme as the newest member of our collective lexicon. In between preparations for their Turkey Twerk Fest event tomorrow night at Smith’s Olde Bar, the local hip-hop group dubbed EDUBB took some time out to explain to us why “twerking” is much more than a 2013 phenomenon, why Atlanta is the perfect place for rap and why 2014 will be the Year of EDUBB.
What does EDUBB stand for?
EDUBB: EDUBB derives from our original group name Eternal Warriors in which E is short for Eternal and DUBB is slang for W. As we began performing in local clubs around the city, an eager fan kind of gave us an alternative meaning of EDUBB that we’ve stuck with since then… He said “Hey, EDUBB means 20 East doesn’t it?” and we replied, “Yes, it does!” This represents our side of town, being born and raised in Decatur which is the Eastside. You have to take Highway 20 EAST to get there, E being short for EAST and DUBB being slang for 20.
What’s your take on the Atlanta hip-hop scene today?
EDUBB: It’s definitely flourishing from a commercial and creative standpoint. Right now, obviously Atlanta is spearheading the commercial and club rap movement with the “trap sound” that’s been developed for some years and the beats which have the largest presence in the dance clubs outside of EDM music. It helps that most of the Atlanta hits that run the Hip-Hop/R&B charts are very melody-driven. Atlanta artists have a penchant for melodic hooks that get stuck in the listener’s head very easily. Not much to say about the content but the feel and energy has a heavy presence. Atlanta’s cool now though, because it’s opening up and getting back to the essence of Atlanta rap music, which includes gangster rap as well as organic, message-driven music and dance/party rap. You got 2 Chainz, T.I., Jeezy and newer acts like Scotty trying to bring back that soulful sound. Then you got the party rappers Lil Jon, Ying Yang Twins and newer acts like Travis Porter, etc. We fit somewhere in between them all. We have become most known for our party rap persona and the hits “Rain Boots and a Thong” and “Whooty” but our most recent project is somewhere between it ALL. Our goal with our next release REDCUPLYFE is to solidify our sound and place within the industry.
Your concert is being called a Turkey Twerk Fest. Are you Miley Cyrus fans?
EDUBB: We actually think Miley is a great artist and an even better singer. The whole “twerk” phrase and movement has been going on in ATL since back in the Freaknik days… If you are a true ATLien born and raised like we are, then you know what we are talking about. We’ve been “twerking” since our big bros the Ying Yang Twins dropped “Whistle While You Twurk” in 2000. Before then, it was big in the bounce music of New Orleans going back to like 1995 so this is really nothing new to us. It’s just getting a facelift for the mainstream media.
How is the twerk contest going to be judged?
EDUBB: We will co-judge the contest along with Fort Knox, Kilo Ali and Trillville. Qualifications: WHOOTIES or sistas with BOOTIES, if you can shake or “twerk” your bottom posterior like it was fresh out the oven, then you might have a chance to WIN!!!!
Do you plan on releasing any new music soon?
EDUBB: Absolutely! We are hard at work on our next project REDCUPLYFE , which we plan on releasing in February 2014. We are releasing our first Video Leak which is a song called “Beast Mode” that features our buddy Lil Chuckee of YMCMB. You can download the song on ITunes right now. Look for that video to be released on VEVO/YouTube and our website EDUBBTV.com early December! We have three other music videos in the chamber ready to go, so look out for an onslaught at the top of 2014…. the year of EDUBB! REDCUPLYFE!!!
Get tickets to EDUBB’s Turkey Twerk Fest here.
