Ciara and Lil’ Jon may have paved the way for crunk music to ride into the mainstream, but Sean Paul and J-Bo have been performing this southern sub-genre of hip-hop for almost a decade.

“We was getting’ crunk in ‘98,” says Paul, one half of Youngbloodz. “We were the first ones to get crunk.”

The two met in middle school and decided to leave their rap crews and create Youngbloodz. Paul, not to be confused with the dancehall artist who has the same name, specializes in the rhymes, while J-Bo raps and is the DJ.

Their debut album, “Against the Grain,” was released in 1999, but their first big hit didn’t come until three years later. “Damn!,” from their gold-certified second album, “Drankin’ Patnaz,” and featuring Lil’ Jon, reached number one on the Billboard rap chart and ensured another album.

Their third, “Ev’rybody Know Me,” was released in December and has been certified platinum, making it their most successful release to date.

The southern sound from their previous albums hasn’t changed with the most recent release, but they decided to go after bigger producers.

Jazze Pha, Scott Storch amd Mannie Fresh produced tracks for the album.

“All these cats know Youngbloodz,” says Paul, on the line from Atlanta. “It wasn?t hard to get them.”

Now in their mid-20s, Youngbloodz feel like spokespeople for the younger generation.

“We getting to the age now where we’re not part of the younger generation no more but we old enough to speak for them and tell then what’s right and what’s wrong,” says Paul.

How they do that is leading by example.

“I got kids. I definitely don?t do too much out there that I don?t want my kids seeing or saying. At the end of the day, I’m grown too so they have to know, they look at us like role models but they have to understand that we’re not kids anymore, so we can make grown people decisions.”

Proving that he’s not just talking the talk, Paul uses beefs as an example. Youngbloodz has never been a rap group that tries to start a rivalry with fellow rappers.

“That beefing is weak to me. I’m like a glass of ice water. I’m too cool.”

The duo can be seen in the upcoming Scary Movie 4 (though Paul warns not blink or you might miss them), and they also will be opening two Cuban restaurants in Atlanta: Mojitos and Babalu.

Paul is also working on a solo album, but ensures it’s not an indication that the end of Youngbloodz is near.

“Never fear that,” Paul says. “At the end of the day, if they’re ready for it, we ain’t never stop.”






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