Exclusive New Boyz Interview

First impressions can be misleading - just ask the New Boyz. The teen duo were inadvertently anointed ambassadors of the jerkin’ movement when they introduced the world outside Los Angeles to the street dance craze on their 2009 anthem “You’re A Jerk”.

More than misleading, those first impressions could turn terminal for band-mates Ben J and Legacy. Sure, the ambassadorial role has been kind to the 19 year-olds, earning them a couple of platinum singles and passports plastered with stamps, but it also stamped their career with an anticipatory expiration date. 

The New Boyz are half-expected to fade into obscurity alongside the jerkin’ movement as Hip-Hop’s collective attention inevitably shifts to its next sub-cultural fad.

Posted-up in a plush suite at the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast, the New Boyz are well aware their future hinges on proving their relevance beyond jerkin’ – not that they ever exclusively represented the niche. Regardless, their sophomore album Too Cool To Care is dedicated to breaking through that misconception and displaying their creative range -  starting with the electro-hip-pop monster “Backseat” [crafted by production team The Cataracs of "Like A G6" fame].

Legacy phoned Rhyme & Reason from Palazzo Versace during the New Boyz’s Australian Supafest jaunt to discuss their campaign for props and longevity, trading their coloured skinny jeans for tailored attire, dealing with dames, fame and fortune as a teenager, and the possibility of a New Boyz split. Swaaag!

How has the Supafest tour been treating you?
It’s really fun, man. There’s a lot of people out here and it’s awesome.

The Supafest bill includes a bunch of Hip-Hop heavyweights like Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Nelly and Game. As a relative newcomer, are you taking notes from those stalwarts?
We are definitely watching how they handle the situation professionally, because they’ve been doing it for years. We’re just taking down notes when they’re giving us advice. Game told us a lot of stuff and, you know, Snoop was looking out for us too. They’re definitely showing a lot of love. It’s a great experience.

You are spending a rare few days off on the Gold Coast. Have you been exploring at all?
Nah, not really, but we’re trying to do something. We got the beach right here, so we’re probably going to go jet-skiing again, play some basketball, hit the theme park and water parks – and just have a lot of parties.

Has anything surprised you about Australia so far?
When I was in Sydney it looked a lot like LA – and it’s got traffic like LA, too, which was very surprising. I wasn’t expecting that.

You are only 19 years-old and barely formed the New Boyz two years back. How are you dealing with the fame and attention that comes with success in the music industry?
It’s cool. It’s still the same, we’re just a lot more busy and our life a lot less private now. But besides that, it’s awesome. Nothing has changed, we’re still the same people from before and I think the best way to deal with all this is just to have fun and stay humble throughout it.

And how about the girls? How are you handling the groupie situation?
[Laughing] Oh man, we love ‘em! You can’t ever complain about that.

But how about having a normal, steady relationship?
I think it’s possible, definitely possible. You’ve got to try hard though. It would be really hard, but possible. It depends on the type of person you are because there are a lot of girls on the road.

You guys are generating so much revenue at such a young age. Are you mindful about saving and investing your money?
Yeah, you gotta be because people can be on you one minute then forget about you the next. In the music industry, you never know when your finances are going to go down. You’ve got to be smart about all the money that comes in and what you’re going to do with it, otherwise you’ll end up broke. We’ve definitely had tips from mum, so we’ve got our stuff in accounts and investing in good stuff that’ll make us more money. That’s the best way to do it.

And how does your mum feel about your career – knowing that her teenage son is travelling the world with an all-access pass. Does she sit you down for a big speech before you hit the road?
[Laughing] Nah. When we first started she did, she was really nervous and stuff, but right now they’re cool – they’ve just learnt to deal with it. I think the hardest part is that we’re not living with them anymore, but she’s just happy about everything else. They love it.

Yourself and Ben J seem like polar opposites – where he speaks whatever is on his mind and you come across as more diplomatic. It’s almost like you’re there to keep him out of trouble…
[Laughter] Yeah man, we’ve just got to level each other out. We’ve both got really strong personalities, really different personalities, but also the same. What one person lacks, the other one picks-up.

Let’s talk about the new album, Too Cool To Care. Based on the cover art alone, it looks like quite a departure from your first album. You’ve traded the skinny jeans and colourful clothing for dapper tailor-made suits. Is this an effort to distance yourselves from the jerkin’ movement?
We’re not necessarily trying to distance ourselves from the jerkin’ movement, but not everyone is going to do everything forever. Things change, what’s hot changes. We’re just growing up, getting into different things and experimenting and doing a bunch of different stuff. That’s all that is. We’re not intentionally trying to run away from the jerkin’ movement.

Do you feel people have overlooked and underestimated the New Boyz because you were associated with the jerkin’ movement?
Oh yeah, that’s definitely a part of it. When you come out with a dance record you’ll automatically be labelled as a fad or a one-hit-wonder. It’ll be twice as hard for that person to make it out the hole as an artist that’s coming out with a regular song that’s not about a dance. Since we came out with a dance – and the fact that we had skinny jeans on – that really put us in a big hole in regards to getting respect from a Hip-Hop, lyrical point of view. So we’re just really trying to show the world what we’re about on the creative side and as artists – and no one’s seen that yet because none of our new material has dropped off the album, with the exception of a few songs. We’re just really focused on showing everyone what we’re really about. But it’s still the same fun, say whatever, do whatever New Boyz. That part hasn’t changed. The only thing that’s different is that we aren’t jerkin’ anymore.

How different was the process of recording Too Cool To Care from recording your first album?
Well, the first album, we recorded the whole thing in my room – in the corner of the bedroom with a mattress and egg cartons on the wall. That was different because I engineered everything, produced it all, so it wasn’t professionally done. This album has a professional engineer handling stuff, we’ve got professional production going on, and we’ve just had a lot more time. The first album we had to rush. And we made it when we were 15, too.

Outside of the New Boyz you recently released your very own mixtape. Are there plans to break-away from the New Boyz and establish yourselves as solo artists in the near future?
There are no plans to necessarily break-up. If we do anything solo it will be planned, like,”Yo, let’s put out this and that,” but we’ll still come back later and hit them with another New Boyz album. As of right now, we’re just really focused on this album, promoting and branding the New Boyz name.

You rap, you produce, and now you’re directing and editing your own videos. Where does that need to do it all yourself come from? Is it a matter of being a control freak?
[Laughing] Really what it is, honestly… maybe a part of it [is being a control freak]. It’s more the perfectionist side of me, you know, because if something doesn’t come out right because of someone else, then I’m going to be upset about it. So instead of doing that, the best way to get it done right is to do it yourself. We’ve been in videos with treatments that we didn’t really want to use, so instead of paying $25,000 to get this video shot by a dude and not even know how it’s going to come out, we might as well pay the $25,000 and get the equipment that’s used to shoot the videos and do it ourselves. And then you can shoot a bunch of other videos because you already have the equipment. That’s why I bought it. Plus, I’m just really into editing videos and that whole creative process.

Los Angeles seems to be experiencing a bit of a Hip-Hop renaissance lately – and one of the latest acts out of LA to catch a buzz is Odd Future. Have you guys crossed paths with Tyler and the gang?
We’ve never met them yet, but I’m sure we’ve probably passed them before because I heard they be on Fairfax [Avenue] a lot and that’s where we go shopping. They’re dope. Their movement is swagged out because I think it’s really what Hip-Hop needs. I feel everyone takes everything too serious and are just worried about what’s cool, what’s hot right now, and just worried about their image. And I think Odd Future are the people who just don’t care. They’re the rebels and that’s what Hip-Hop needs. Everyone’s just playing it too safe, walking the line straight down the middle. No one’s going left of center.

‘Too Cool To Care’ is in stores mid-May.
“Backseat” featuring The Cataracs & Dev is available now.

Interview by Dominic Di Francesco.