Genres: Seasonal,Rap/Hip HopThe Ying Yang Twins are a duo, made up of Kaine (nee Eric Johnson) and D-Roc (nee D'Angelo Holmes), from Atlanta. They perform American crunk rap; crunk is a fusion of R&B and electronica. The Twins debuted in 2000 with their single, Whistle While You Twurk.
Ying Yang Twins
We named our new LP "United State of Atlanta" because we wanted to stand up for the fact that Atlanta is bigger than just the one dimensional word.
The Beginning
The Ying Yang Twins are a duo, made up of Kaine (nee Eric Johnson) and D-Roc (nee D'Angelo Holmes), from Atlanta. They perform American crunk rap; crunk is a fusion of R&B and electronica. The Twins debuted in 2000 with their single, Whistle While You Twurk. The song enjoyed airplay on urban and pop radio stations, and peaked at #16 on the US R&B/Hip Hop charts.
After participating in King Me tour with Juz tha King, Kat Nu, and Demo Dil, they released their album, Thug Walkin'. Their next album, Alley: The Return of the Ying Yang Twins, was released in 2002. The album attracted a cult following specifically in southern United States. Also in 2002, the Ying Yang Twins appeared on Lil Jon's album, Kings of Crunk with a single entitled Get Low. The single was a hit in dance clubs and on the radio, and led to a contract with TVT Records.
Building a Name
Their third album, in 2003, Me and My Brother, certified platinum. The album featured three singles that appeared on the US R&B Top Ten: Naggin', Salt Shaker, and What's Happnin'. Salt Shaker featured Lil Jon and the East Side Boys. In 2004, TVT released an album of remixes from called My Brother and Me, which featured a DVD of videos.
Their 2005 album, U.S.A. (United States of Atlanta), was released, preceded by three singles, Wait (The Whisper Song), Badd, and Shake, that were already dominating urban radio. They followed this with U.S.A., Still United, which was a series of outtakes and remixes from U.S.A. As with My Brother and Me, this album featured a DVD of videos.
What's Next
Ying Yang Twins released Chemically Imbalanced in 2006. Three successful singles came from the album, including Dangerous, featuring Jean Wyclef, Jigglin, and 1st Booty on Duty. However, it was much less commercially successful than its predecessors. In 2008, they launched the Ying Yang Forever Tour.
Ying Yang Twins' single, Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk), is a standard at many NFL football stadiums and is the unofficial theme song for the New Orleans Saints. It was played at the Superbowl Victor parade for the Saints. Ying Yang Forever, the Ying Yangs' greatest hits album, was released in 2009, and included one new single, Centipede, which again featured Jean Wyclef. Singles from the band have appeared on the top 40 digital hits lists frequently with the twins receiving constant requests for downloads.
Did you know . . .
Ying Yang Twins' debut album, Thug Walkin', was recorded in a week.
Ying Yang Twins are named for the Chinese symbol for light and dark (the yin yang).
In 2005, Ying Yang Twins performed Boom Boom on Britney Spears' album, In The Zone, and then on her television show of the same name.