Bubba Sparxxx
Cologne/Germany 2002
Background information
Birth name	Warren Mathis
Also known as	Bubba
Born	(1977-03-06) March 6, 1977 (age 35) LaGrange, Georgia
Genres	Hip hop, Southern rap, Country rap
Years active	1993-present
Labels	New South Entertainment
Associated acts	Attitude, Ying Yang Twins, Timbaland
Website	www.bubbasparxxx.com

Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American Southern rapper. His biggest hit is "Ms. New Booty" featuring The Ying Yang Twins which peaked at #7 in the United States. He is also noted for his hit singles "Deliverance" and "Ugly".

Personal background[link]

Born Warren Anderson Mathis on March 6, 1977, Sparxxx is of French descent, and grew up in a rural area north of LaGrange, Georgia, a town 65 miles southwest of Atlanta.^[1] His father was a school bus driver, and his mother was a grocery store cashier.^[2] His closest neighbor, who lived half a mile away, introduced Mathis to rap music through mixtapes mailed from New York City. The music of 2 Live Crew was his introduction to hip-hop; he began listening to West Coast gangsta rap such as N.W.A and Too Short and the Atlanta duo OutKast. With rapping as a hobby, Mathis was a tight end and linebacker for his high school's football team and earned All-Region honors in his senior year.^[1] Steve Herndon, a former offensive lineman for the NFL teams Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, played football with Mathis during high school, according to an interview with Down-South.com.^[1][2] In 2007, he moved from Atlanta to Tampa.^[3]

Music career[link]

After high school Sparxxx moved to Athens, Georgia in 1996. In Athens, he met industry veteran (and now manager and business partner) Bobby Stamps. Stamps noticed Sparxxx rapping after a University of Georgia football game. Stamps arranged for Sparxxx to work with many artists in Athens and Atlanta to complete his first CD. His first commercial CD release saw some success in Georgia, and the album Dark Days, Bright Nights caught the attention of Jimmy Iovine of Interscope Records. Sparxxx signed to Interscope Records and began working with record producers Timbaland and Organized Noize.^[1] The major-label reissue of Dark Days, Bright Nights, released via Timbaland's Beat Club Records imprint, which now included five collaborations with Timbaland and two with Organized Noise, debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200. In 2002, he had a minor hit being featured on Archie Eversole's "We Ready", which became popular for being played at sport events, such as football and basketball games. His 2002 London debut was described by Caroline Sullivan, Guardian music critic, as the worst gig she had been to.^[4] In late 2003, he returned with his second album, Deliverance, which was critically acclaimed but sold poorly.^[1]

Sparxxx signed a recording contract with Virgin Records in 2004; under Virgin, Sparxxx released The Charm with singles "Ms. New Booty" and "Heat It Up". He left Virgin to establish his own label, New South Entertainment, which is distributed by E1 Records. In 2007, he released a mixtape with DJ Burn One titled Survive Till Ya Thrive. He stated in an interview that he planned on releasing an album to be called Miracle on Gamble Road, in 2012. He is supposed to appear on Lil Wyte's album Still Doubted.

Non-musical work[link]

Sparxxx has also appeared in the video games Def Jam: Fight for NY and Madden NFL 2004. His song "Back in the Mud" was used by ESPN's "College Gameday" as the 2003 and 2004 theme song. He has participated in a number of television productions and collaborated with the popular "Girls Gone Wild" brand to shoot two DVDs detailing life as a rap star. Sparxxx has featured on MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen (Kristy Landers episode) and was a mentor in MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar. He has been a guest on each major late-night show, including Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 2003, Sparxxx donated his time to travel to Kuwait and Iraq to perform for U.S. troops along with Blink-182, Wayne Newton and Kid Rock amongst others.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Guest appearances[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bubba Sparxxx on Myspace
• Bubba Sparxxx discography at Discogs
• Bubba Sparxxx discography at MusicBrainz
• Ms New Booty Video & lyrics

Ying Yang Twins
Kaine and D-Roc before their concert in Berlin in May 2007
Background information
Also known as	The Ying Yangers
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Hip-hop, crunk, R&B
Years active	1997–present
Labels	TVT, Universal Records
Associated acts	DJ Laz, Lil Jon, Three 6 Mafia, Mr. Collipark, The HoodRatz, Pitbull, Trick Daddy
Members
Kaine D-Roc

The Ying Yang Twins is an Atlanta-based American hip hop duo consisting of Kaine (born Eric Jackson on December 16, 1978) and D-Roc (born De'Angelo Holmes on February 23, 1979). The group debuted in 2000 and rose to mainstream popularity in 2003 collaborating with Lil Jon in his single "Get Low". In 2004 and 2005, Ying Yang Twins became more popular with party singles "Salt Shaker", "What's Happnin", "Shake", and "Badd". They have received notoriety for their song "Halftime (ft. Homebwoi)" which is played at New Orleans Saints homegames after most touchdowns.

Career[link]

Ying Yang Twins debuted in 2000 with the single "Whistle While You Twurk", which was played on urban and pop radio stations and peaked at #17 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart. They grew even more famous when they toured with Juz tha King, Kat Nu and Demo Dil on the tour called King Me. Their full-length debut album, Thug Walkin', came out later that year.

Immediately after discovering fellow Atlanta hip hop artist Lil Jon, A&R Bryan Leach began talks with representative Michael 'DJ Smurf' Crooms about signing the Ying Yang Twins to TVT Records. Protracted negotiations meant that a deal was not finalized in time to for the label to release their next album, Alley: The Return of the Ying Yang Twins, which instead appeared in 2002 on Koch.^[1] The album was successful among hip-hop fans in the Southern United States. The same year, the group appeared on the album Kings of Crunk by Lil Jon on the single "Get Low", and the song was a huge club and radio hit. As Crooms had negotiated only a one-album deal with Koch, the duo was free to finally submit to the advances of TVT, who had impressed them with their recent work with Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz.^[1][2]

Their first album for TVT, Me & My Brother, was certified platinum on April 12, 2005^[3] and yielded three more hits — "Whats Happnin!", "Naggin'" and the popular Lil Jon collaboration "Salt Shaker".^[4] The same year the duo appeared on Britney Spears' album In the Zone singing the song "I Got That (Boom Boom)" and her television special of the same name.^[2] In 2004, TVT released My Brother & Me, an album composed largely of remixes which featured a bonus DVD of the group's videos.^[5]

A new album U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) appeared in the summer of 2005 as its singles "Wait (The Whisper Song)", "Badd", and "Shake" were dominating urban radio,^[2] and U.S.A. (Still United), a collection of outtakes, remixes, and collaborations similar to My Brother & Me followed in December 2005. It too was accompanied by a DVD featuring music videos and other footage from the U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) period.^[6]

In 2005, D-Roc and his younger brothers, Mr. Weeny, and Da Birthday Boy, formed the group Da Muzicianz and released their first single, "Camera Phone". Their self-titled album was released on February 28, 2006.

The group's fifth album Chemically Imbalanced was released in November 2006. For this album the Twins collaborated with producers Wyclef Jean and Keith Duplessis in addition to Mr. Collipark, who produced a majority of the songs on the group's previous album.^[7] The first two singles were the Hall & Oates-sampling "Dangerous", featuring Wyclef Jean,^[8] and "Jigglin'".^[9] In 2008, the Twins released the mixtape The Official Work and a promo single titled "Drop". A highlight of the Ying Yang Twins' tour includes a visit to the Epsilon MU Chapter of Sigma Chi. Here they performed all their hits live in front of a sold out Texas crowd. All of the proceeds from the show went to charity. In 2009, the Twins released their latest album with Deep Records, Ying Yang Forever, and started a tour titled "Ying Yang Forever Tour".

Their song "Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk)" is now a standard in many NFL football stadiums, and is considered to be the unofficial anthem of the New Orleans Saints during their Super Bowl victory season, even though it has been a staple at Saints games since 2006. This song was performed live during the victory parade.^[10] The song has also been used in NFL Street 2 and Madden NFL 11.

On November 3, 2009, Ying Yang Twins released their greatest hits album via The Orchard and BOOTY Records. The album includes top ten Billboard hits “What’s Happinin”, “Shake”, “Salt Shaker”, and “Wait (The Whisper Song)” plus three new tracks.^[11]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Alley: The Return of the Ying Yang Twins (2002)
• Me & My Brother (2003)
• U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) (2005)
• Chemically Imbalanced (2006)
• Ying Yang Forever (2009)
• All Around The World (2012)
• The Ying & The Yang (2012)

Remix albums[link]

• My Brother & Me (2004)
• U.S.A. Still United (2005)

Compilation albums[link]

• Legendary Status: Ying Yang Twins Greatest Hits (2009)
• Gumbo Vol. 1 (2010)
• Gumbo Vol. 2 (2010)

Mixtapes[link]

• The Official Work (2008)

Filmography[link]

• Soul Plane (2004)

Awards and Nominations[link]

• (2000) Best Rap Song with Group "Whistle While You Twerk" - Won
• (2002) Best Rap Song with Group "Say I Yi Yi" - Won
• (2003) Best Rap Song with Group "Get Low" ft. Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz - Nominated
• (2005) Best Rap Song with Group "Wait (The Whisper Song)" - Nominated

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ying Yang Twins

• Ying Yang Twins on Twitter

Ying Yang Twins on Myspace

Colt Ford
Photo By Jason Accomando
Background information
Birth name	Jason Farris Brown
Origin	Athens, Georgia, U.S.[1]
Genres	Country rap
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Drums
Years active	2008-present
Labels	Average Joe's Entertainment
Associated acts	Brantley Gilbert, Kevin Fowler, Montgomery Gentry, Josh Gracin, Matt Stillwell, Jamie Davis & Soul Gravy
Website	http://www.coltford.com

Jason Farris Brown (born in Athens, Georgia) known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country music artist and former professional golfer. He has released three albums via his own Average Joe's label, and has charted four singles on the Hot Country Songs charts. Ford has also written a theme song for Professional Bull Riders, and has worked with John Michael Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry, Cledus T. Judd, and Brantley Gilbert among others.

Biography[link]

"Take a hefty portion of Southern charm, add a dash of country livin’, a pinch of urban style, wash it all down with a sweet, fresh sound, and you have Colt Ford. A man with such a blend of unique talents and tastes can only be the natural recipe for this new sound and musical format.(Average Joes Ent.)"

Brown was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He was a professional golfer,^[1] playing in one Nationwide Tour but mostly serving as a golfing instructor.^[2] Later, he turned his interests to music, taking influence from country music and hip hop.^[1] Assuming the stage name Colt Ford, he released his debut album, Ride Through the Country, on December 2, 2008 through Average Joe's Entertainment, which he cofounded.^[3] This album included the singles "No Trash in My Trailer"^[4] (a cover of a Gene Watson song) and "Ride Through the Country" (a duet with John Michael Montgomery), the latter of which did not chart until the week of October 10, 2009 when it debuted at #57 on the Hot Country Songs chart. He also appeared on a rap remix of Montgomery Gentry's late-2008 Number One single "Roll with Me."^[5] Ford's debut album also has guest appearances from country singer Jamey Johnson, as well as Bone Crusher and Jermaine Dupri, Adrian Young of NoDoubt and Jeremy Popoff of Lit.^[6] The album did not enter the Billboard albums charts until 2009.

Ford co-wrote and originally recorded the song "Dirt Road Anthem" for his debut album Ride Through the Country, which was later released by Brantley Gilbert who co wrote the song on his 2010 album Halfway to Heaven,^[7] and again by Jason Aldean on his album My Kinda Party, also from 2010.^[8]

Ford wrote the theme song "Buck 'em" for the Professional Bull Riders association. He also appears as a guest vocalist on the track "Tailgatin'" on Cledus T. Judd's 2009 album Polyrically Uncorrect, a song which Ford wrote with Johnson and Popoff.^[9] Ford's second studio album, Chicken & Biscuits, was released in April 2010, following the release of its title track.

Ford released a third studio album on May 3, 2011 called Every Chance I Get.^[10] The album's lead-off single, "Country Thang", debuted at number 55 on country charts for the chart week ending February 19, 2011. "She Likes to Ride in Trucks", featuring Craig Morgan, serves as the album's second single.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Extended plays[link]

Live albums[link]

Singles[link]

Other charted songs[link]

Music videos[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]