New Orleans’ Own ‘Da U Boys’: Gaining Momentum As They Head to the Top

“The murder rate up in New Orleans got everybody packin …. Pitch black or broad day it could happen … G’ed up and soldier down …” – Lyrics from Da U Boys’ song, ‘N. O. Murder Rate’

New Orleans’ own Da U Boys hail from the Hollygrove neighborhood, located in the 17^th Ward.  17^th Snoop, Hick Louch and Rock Shot, along with their promoter, Twitter sensation StraitJigg, who is himself an up and coming rap artist, are quickly becoming New Orleans’ most in demand group.  They bring a new sound to the music scene in New Orleans, while respecting the hard work laid down by New Orleans’ popular bounce artists from the late 80’s and 90’s, and local DJs that have dedicated themselves to the promotion of that unique bass laden New Orleans sound, that cannot be found anywhere else on the globe.

Da U Boys’ popular mixtape “We All We Got” debuted early last year with a welcome reception on the social networks that its members frequent.  Twitter and Facebook was buzzing with the promotion of that mixtape, particularly the hit song “Boyfriend”. They later released “U Boy Official” on the same date (7.6.10) as veteran rapper Juvenile released his album, “BeastMode” and managed to get 10k download in ONE week (also check out their 2011 collabo mixtape, “Eastside Uptown”, with Mannie Fresh’s artist “The Show”)! Da U Boys’ promoter, StraitJigg, and his brother, 17^th Snoop, are self-marketing geniuses.  It will not be long before Rue Rois Music is a household name.

Together with Hick Louch and Rock Shot and Da U Boys’ street promotion team, they have an obvious understanding of the sad reality of life in New Orleans, as evidenced by their song, “N. O. Murder Rate.”  It has a great beat for certain, but one listen to the song and you realize that there is much more to it than the sound.  It is a commentary on life in New Orleans.

The song suddenly starts off with the sound of gunshots and a car alarm in the distance.  It’s a sobering reminder of how quickly things go sour in New Orleans.

Violence is out of hand in the Crescent City and there does not seem to be an end in sight any time soon.  Late last year, one of New Orleans’ most popular entertainers, Anthony “Messy Mya” Barre, was gunned down in the Seventh Ward, as he attended a baby shower in honor of his pregnant girlfriend.  Several weeks later, New Orleans lost legendary bounce artist, Renetta “Magnolia Shorty” Lowe to a hail of gunfire, in New Orleans East in broad daylight.

The violence crosses all socioeconomic and racial lines and permeates the entire city.  It is as random as it is senseless.  It adversely affects each and everyone of us in some way, shape or form and it gives a black eye to what has been called the most beautiful and unique city on the face of the earth.

Anybody familiar with Da U Boys and its members’ commentary on an array of social networks, particularly Twitter and Facebook, know that not only is it entertaining, but it speaks volumes of the social ills that plague our communities.  Because of this, The Heat Magazine decided to ask them a couple of questions in hopes that their answers will shed some light on what is really going on at the street level:

HEAT MAGAZINE:  Your lyrics are intelligent and thought provoking.  How much does New Orleans’ violent crime affect your music?

DA U BOYS: It has a 100% affect on our everyday life so it’s only right that it would affect our music also. The things we have seen, gone through and made it out of makes for a story like no other. That’s what we bring to the people through our music

HEAT MAGAZINE:  It’s obvious from your music that you have lost more than a few loved ones.  What kind of affect has this had on you personally?  Does it make you see things differently?

DA U BOYS: Of course.  It makes you see life for what it is, ya know? It makes you stronger. You can have it one day and the next day it can all be gone. Most of our childhood friends or either in the grave or the penitentiary. That’s a harsh reality.

HEAT MAGAZINE:  What do you think it is going to take to stop the violence?  Do you see the drug trade as the main cause of the level of violence or do you attribute that to years of oppression, racism and classism?

DA U BOYS: That’s a deep one. The answer to that is a complicated one. To keep it simple, we think equal job opportunities and higher wages would drop the crime rate drastically. Money is the main motive for every criminal.

HEAT MAGAZINE: What is the hardest part about “keeping it real” without promoting violence?

DA U BOYS: To us “keeping it real” just means telling the truth. A lot of rappers/singers/etc. lie to sell records. We believe in telling the truth in and out of the music and that means sharing the hood with the world. It’s not a promotional package – it’s more of a survival guide to the streets.

HEAT MAGAZINE: What are you guys currently working on? And is there a new single you’re pushing for 2011?

DA U BOYS: Well, we just released our mixtape “Eastside Uptown” along side The Show. Next up is either our next mixtape “Tha Shutdown” or Strait Jigg’s solo mixtape. We are also working on our debut album, “Ride Together, Die Together” & pushing a new single, “Pick It Back Up” produced by Sinista Traxxx

HEAT MAGAZINE: How important is fan support to DaUBoys?

DA U BOYS: Fan support is EVERYTHING. It’s a lot of hate in New Orleans, but at the same time it’s a lot of love too. We gain new fans everyday, It;s kind of crazy how many people know us around the city and are low key fans of our music.

HEAT MAGAZINE: You guys were really big on MySpace. How is your success with the social sites of today?

DA U BOYS: *laughing* Yeah we was the MySpace kings for a minute. But nowadays the big thing is Twitter and have a nice amount of followers/supports on there. With the help of Strait Jigg, we are gaining new friends everyday.

HEAT MAGAZINE: Do Da U Boys ever plan to step out of the entertainment industry & into any other markets?

DA U BOYS: Absolutely! Rue Rois Music is our brand. We plan to branch out into Rue Rois Films & Clothing. We don’t wanna get too far ahead of ourselves just yet though. *laughing*

HEAT MAGAZINE: Well, I’m sure our readers have enjoyed getting to know you guys. Is there any additional information you would like to share with our readers?

DA U BOYS: Yea, support us and EVERYTHING we do!!! Google us & YouTube us!! Don’t wait till we blow up to join the movement!!!!!

So there you have it readers.  Remember where you saw them – it won’t be long before Rue Rois and Da U Boys really put New Orleans on the entertainment map.  While you’re at it, make sure to check out their latest mixtape HERE.  Our favorite track is No. 9 – what’s yours?