Ying Yang Twins

The Ying Yang Twins—Kaine (Eric Jackson) and D-Roc (Deongelo Holmes)—are an American hip hop duo built on a misnomer: despite their name, the Atlanta pair are not twins, brothers, or related. Their bond is musical, a shared instinct for rowdy, call-and-response party records that blurred the line between crunk energy and pop accessibility.

Debuting in 2000 with Thug Walkin, they rose to mainstream visibility in 2003. That year brought collaborations with Britney Spears on “(I Got That) Boom Boom” and with Lil Jon on “Get Low,” and the duo capitalized with a run of party singles—“Salt Shaker,” “Wait (The Whisper Song),” “Shake,” and “Badd”—that defined their sound in 2004 and 2005. Their track “Halftime,” featuring Homebwoi, earned its own institutional recognition as a touchdown staple at New Orleans Saints home games.

The releases kept flowing through the decade: Chemically Imbalanced and U.S.A. (United State Of Atlanta) in 2006, Wham Boom Bam in 2007, and the mixtape The Official Work in 2008. A sixth studio album, Ying Yang Forever, arrived in 2009, followed three months later by Legendary Status: Ying Yang Twins Greatest Hits. By 2013, with mixtapes like Ass in Session and Twurk or Die, the duo remained committed to the same unapologetic lane that made them famous.