Songoftheday 08/05/24 - Shawty crunk on the floor wide open, skeet so much they call her Billy Ocean...

 

 

"Salt Shaker" - Ying Yang Twins

from the album Me & My Brother (2003)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (two weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 19

 

Today's song comes from the hip-hop duo Ying Yang Twins, who were neither Ying nor Yang nor twins, but rappers Eric "Kaine" Jackson and D'Angelo "D-Roc" Holmes, who came together at the close of the 1990s in Atlanta. Within a year, they were signed to the local Collipark label (distributed by Universal), where the pair released their debut album Thug Walkin', which went to #54 on Billboard magazine's R&B Albums chart. A cut from the record, the bass-heavy Snow White-interpolating strip-club track "Whistle While You Twurk", spent two weeks at #1 on the Rap Songs chart, climbed to #16 on Billboard's R&B Singles list, and peaked at #74 on the all-genre Hot 100.  That was followed in 2002 by Alley: The Return Of The Ying Yang Twins, which saw Collipark get distributed by indie Koch Records. The record scored the duo's first appearance on the Billboard 200 sales tally at #58, as well as rising to #8 on the R&B Albums list. The lead single from the record, "Say I Yi Yi", did better on the Hot 100 at #56, but notsomuch on the R&B Singles list at #22. Still, it was definitely some momentum that was boosted by their guest turn on Atlanta rapper/producer Lil Jon's single "Get Low", which went to #2 on both the Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts in the autumn of 2003, as well as topping the Rap Songs list.

Earlier that year, though, the Twins released their first proper album on TVT Records, Me & My Brother. The first single from the set, "Naggin'", parked under the top-40 on the R&B Singles chart at #43, while stalling at #87 on the Hot 100 and #21 on the Rap Songs list. To be truthful, the woman-hating pity party which lazily sampled the snake-charmer melody deserved to stiff. 

For the follow-up, Kaine and D-Roc reunited with Lil' Jon and the Eastboyz for "Salt Shaker", which already had a title name-checking a line in their "Twurk" debut. Written by the duo with Jon (who produced) and LaMarquis Jefferson and Craig Love, the lyrics are simple, puerile, and ass-shaking-centric, with the titular chorus which also slip in about wanting her to "tremble like a vibrator". There's a bit more, but it's all strip club-worthy party vibes (I still don't get the Billy Ocean reference). The production from Lil' Jon is your typical crunk sound assault, though honestly it's the best part of this mess. The music video has them cavorting with strippers and fire engines, and the Twins scored about top ten success, this time with them on top of the billing...

 

 "Salt Shaker" reached the top ten on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in February of 2004, while also peaking at #9 on their R&B singles chart and #2 on the Rap Songs list. On the radio, the song snuck on to the Mainstream Top-40 chart at #38, while getting to #3 on the dance/R&B-oriented Rhythmic format. Internationally, the single popped on to the German chart at #87. The Me & My Brother album, released in September of 2003, stopped right short of the top ten on the Billboard 200 sales tally at #11, while cresting at #4 on the R&B Albums chart, going on to sell over a million copies. 

The Ying Yang Twins, Lil' Jon, and the Me & My Brother album will be back to the series. 

(2/10)

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Here's the duo in concert....

Up tomorrow: Rap's new powerhouse spits over the mouthgear.