The Ying Yang Twins aren’t actually twins. In fact, they aren’t even that much alike. Childhood friends Eric Jackson and Deongelo Holmes share different interests, looks, and personalities - the one thing they have in common is a passion for music. When the two formed a hip-hop duo in the late 1990’s, they decided to call themselves the Ying Yang Twins; a nod to both the Oriental duality concept (in Chinese philosophy, Yin and Yang refer to a set of ideas that are simultaneously opposing and complimentary) and the idea that they vibe off of each other like brothers.

When the Atlanta crunk scene (a genre of hip-hop mixing the snare-based club friendly dance rythms of snap rap with the sexually explicit lyrics of the Miami bass scene, a-la 2 Live Crew) began blowing up in the early 2000’s thanks to mainstream hit singles by the likes of Lil’ Jon and 3 6 Mafia, the Ying Yang twins managed to make a name for themselves by developing a unique image. Like 1990’s rap collective Wu-Tang Clan, the Ying Yang Twins developed a somewhat mysterious Oriental-influenced style that set them apart from other run-of-the-mill crunk acts.

After releasing a number of albums on independent label Koch International, the duo achieved mainstream success in 2003 with the release of Me & My Brother on major label TVT Records. The record sold over a million copies in the United States alone, thanks to the popularity of singles Naggin and Salt Shaker. They quickly backed up their success by releasing another album, My Brother & Me, less than a year later.

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