The originators of “hood rock,” the
Shop Boyz have successfully blended hip hop and the rock guitar to create an original sound that millions of fans can’t resist. The group consists of Cousins Meany (Demetrius Hardin) and Fat (Richard Stevens) along with their best friend Sheed (Rasheed Hightower). All grew up on the streets of Bankhead, a western Atlanta neighborhood and worked as auto mechanics during the day in order to pay for their night time musical habit. Their first big break came when they met a local producer named Richard “Fire” Harris, who provided be
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ats for free, and a local entrepreneur, OnDeck Records CEO Brian "
Bingo" Ward, who allowed them to record in his studios. For about three years, the Shop Boyz were releasing straight-to-street albums and mixtapes, but when they recorded "
Party Like a Rockstar" in January 2007, they knew they had a hot single on their hands.
Before long, Party Like a Rockstar was played by local DJ T-Rock and became a phenomenon. Almost everybody in hip-hop culture put the ring tone "Party Like a Rockstar" on his or her mobile phone and as a result, the song sliced through the Hot RingMasters Chart until it reached the top position. Not only stopping there, the song also tried to breakthrough Billboard's Hot 100 chart and successfully garnered attention after soaring from #51 to #2. Ondeck Records soon signed a deal with the group and released their debut CD "
Rockstar Mentality" in 2007. Unlike most other rap star’s songs, Shop Boyz tunes are all about being fun, upbeat and positive. This attitude, combined with classic guitar riffs punching through their beats, have made the Shop Boyz a unique group in the hip hop world. Their stature amongst fans is only likely to grow.
