2XL

Inspired by a diverse set of hip-hop duos -- Mobb Deep, OutKast, and Ying Yang Twins -- Bennett "Laze" and Justin "Royal" Talmage Armstrong formed 2XL to follow their dreams and escape their rough childhood. Their father abandoned them, their mother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and they were expelled from school. The twin brothers wrote songs about these troubled times, but they also were able to write about a brighter future and lighter topics. One of these lighter tracks interpolated the old Hi-Five hit "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" into their own "Kissing Game." When the Tommy Boy label heard the track, they signed the brothers and released "Kissing Game" as 2XL's debut single in 2005. Bay Area legend E-40 appeared on the follow-up, "Kitty Kat," which appeared at the end of the year. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi