Dem Franchize Boyz are coming to town

They're on tour with Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys, Ying Yang Twins and Jim Jones.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Five decades have passed since the doo-wop movement dominated contemporary music. Though the sounds have changed, the notion of a few singers' getting together on a corner and performing for their neighbors remains the same. This time-honored scenario is exactly how Atlanta's up-and-coming Dem Franchize Boyz got their start.
"When we saw the response and the buzz that we were getting just by performing the songs in the street and with the mix CDs that we were putting out, that let us know that, 'Hey dog, there's some money in this,'" said Bernard "Jizzal Man" Leverette, calling from his home in Georgia. "And for my other three members to put college on hold to come back and do this, that really let us know."
Only this quartet's style isn't doo-wop. It's hip-hop, or crunk as the outfit calls its genre. Crunk, which is synonymous with the Dirty South vibe, is a cross between crazy and funk.
"Crunk is like off-the-chain wild, like standing on top of things, but we have a laid-back crunk," Leverette said. "Our crunk is like a cool, smooth, sly old school [sound]. It's a new crunk era that the Franchize Boyz are bringing out of the South and we're trying to get the world on it. Like the dance you see us doing in our videos, you kind of lean."
On the rise
Actually, "Lean Wit it, Rock Wit It" is the title of the band's next single. In two short years, this foursome went from being another obscure rap act to scoring a hit single with 2004's "White Tees." Then this past summer, the outfit released hit single "I Think They Like Me," which featured Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Lil Bow Wow. Currently the song is No. 1 on the urban singles chart.
"It's like speed-o right now," Leverette said. "We're going faster than ever and just enjoying the ride and trying to roll with it."
Proving Dem Franchize Boyz's popularity is the fact some big stars are expected on the group's upcoming album "On Top Of Our Game," which is due out in February. Though Leverette wouldn't divulge specific names, the label confirmed Usher and a few other heavy hitters have contributed to the project. "We have a couple of major, major names on the album," Leverette said. "It was like a dream come true. It was a pleasure as well as a blessing."
In the meantime, Dem Franchize Boyz is touring this fall with Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys, Ying Yang Twins and Jim Jones. This includes a Wednesday show at the Youngstown Convocation Center.
"It's going down real big with 'I Think They Like Me,' the Dirty South, Lil John, Jim Jones," said group member Maurice "Parlae" Gleaton. "You all go ahead and come out and celebrate real big. We're going to start a new dance."
Leverette added, "The sound, the movement and there is a new era. They've never heard this, never seen this."
Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys, Ying Yang Twins, Jim Jones and Dem Franchize Boyz will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Youngstown Convocation Center, 200 E. Front St., Youngstown. Tickets are $47.50 to $54.50. Go to www.gettixnet.net or call (866) 443-8849.