Weezer's <I>Make Believe</I>
Photo: Geffen Records

Harvard student, meditation aficionado and prolific musician Rivers Cuomo will give fans what they have been aching for this week as Weezer release their first album in three years.

Led by the single "Beverly Hills," Make Believe is the band's fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2002's Maladroit. The album comes chock-full of expectedly self-analytical musings, along with some sunnier instrumentals.

The Dave Matthews Band are back to doing what they do best — packing in jammy, summery grooves. The band's 13th album, Stand Up, is its first studio LP since 2002's Busted Stuff and arrives on the heels of its melancholic debut single, "American Baby."

If you've ever listened to Christina Aguilera's ballad "Beautiful" and wished you could implant a thumping techno beat into the instrumentals, Superstars #1 Hits Remixed will make your electro-dreams come true. The album features pumped-up remixes of tracks including Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," Dido's "White Flag" and Maroon 5's "This Love."

For those looking for slightly more inventive, upbeat rock, there's the newest release from Austin, Texas, quartet Spoon. The band's Gimme Fiction hits stores this week. A bit north, Brooklyn-bred all-female trio FannyPack take a walk on the brazen side of hip-hop with their newest release, See You Next Tuesday.

Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant releases his newest album with the Strange Sensation, Mighty Rearranger, while Canadian import Bryan Adams delivers with Room Service. Fans of "American Idol" rocker Constantine Maroulis, meanwhile, may want to check out the self-titled debut by his band, Pray for the Soul of Betty.

Also out this week are albums by Sloan (A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005), John Cena & Tha Trademarc (You Can't See Me), Goldie Lookin Chain (Straight Outta Newport), Story of the Year (Live in the Loo: Bassassins), Styx (Big Bang Theory), Athlete (Tourist), Hal (Hal), Scout Niblett (Kidnapped by Neptune) and Team Sleep (Team Sleep).

Out Tuesday May 10:

• Bryan Adams - Room Service (Mercury Nashville)
  Buy Now: Room Service (Mercury Nashville)
• Athlete - Tourist (Astralwerks)
• Billy Bang - Vietnam: Reflections (Justin Time)
• Dierks Bentley - Modern Day Drifter (Capitol Nashville)
• Alison Brown - Stolen Moments (Compass)
• John Cena & Tha Trademarc - You Can't See Me (Columbia)
• Cheb I Sabbah - La Kahena (Six Degrees)
• Graham Collier - Workpoints (Cuneiform)
• Bobby Conn & the Glass Gypsies - Live Classics Vol. 1 (Thrill Jockey)
• Cranked Up! - This Is a Weapon (Blackout)
• A Day to Remember - And Their Name Was Treason (Indianola)
• DDM - Snow on the TV EP (Dim Mak)
• Electrelane - Axes (Too Pure/ Beggars)
• Estampie - Signum (Noir)
• FannyPack - See You Next Tuesday (Tommy Boy)
• Renée Fleming - Haunted Heart (Decca)
• The Frank & Joe Show - 66 2/3 (Hyena)
• Rosario Giuliani - More Than Ever (Dreyfus)
• Goldie Lookin Chain - Straight Outta Newport (Record Collection)
• Parry Gripp - For Those About to Shop, We Salute You (Oglio)
• Gush - Norrköping (Atavistic)
• GZR - Ohmwork (Sanctuary)
• Hal - Hal (Rough Trade)
• Headphones - The Headphones (Suicide Squeeze)
• The Hootz - Too Hoot to Handle (Koch)
• Robert Earl Keen - What I Really Mean (Koch)
• James Kochalka Superstar - Our Most Beloved (Rykodisc)
• Bryan Lee - Live and Dangerous (Justin Time)
• Fred Longberg-Holm Trio - Other Valentines (Atavistic)
• Joe Lovano - Joyous Encounter (Blue Note)
• Dave Matthews Band - Stand Up (RCA)
• Mercury Switch - Time to Shine (Indianola)
• Miriodor - Parade + Live at Nearfest (Cuneiform)
• Calvin Newborn - New Born (Yellow Dog)
• Scout Niblett - Kidnapped by Neptune (Too Pure/ Beggars)
• Old School Freight Train - Run (Acoustic Disc)
• Pacifics - Sunday's Chicken (All Natural Inc)
• Stephen Pearcy - Fueler (Cleopatra)
• Picastro - Metal Cares (Polyvinyl)
• Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger (Sanctuary)
• Pray for the Soul of Betty - Pray for the Soul of Betty (Koch)
  Read: " 'Idol' Singer Constantine Maroulis' Band Inks Label Deal"
• Present - A Great Inhumane Adventure (Cuneiform)
• Prince Paul - Itstrumental (Female Fun)
• Psychograss - Now Hear This (Adventure)
• The Punks - Thank You for the Alternative Rock (5 Rue Christine/ Kill Rock Stars)
• Qntal - IV (Dancing Ferret)
• Radio Massacre International - Emissaries (Cuneiform)
• The Robot Ate Me - Carousel Waltz (5 Rue Christine/ Kill Rock Stars)
• Sharp Things - Foxes & Hounds (Bar/None)
• Sloan -A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005 (Koch)
• Spookie Daly Pride - Medicine Chest (Funzalo)
• Spoon - Gimme Fiction (Merge)
  Read: "The Truth About Spoon's Fiction? You Could Call It A Whim"
• The Starting Line - Based on a True Story (Drive-Thru)
• Story of the Year - Live in the Loo: Bassassins (Maverick)
• Styx - Big Bang Theory (Universal)
• Team Sleep - Team Sleep (Maverick)
• Juliet Turner - Season of the Hurricane (Valley Entertainment)
• The Unseen - State of Discontent (Hellcat/Epitaph)
• Van Zant - Get Right With the Man (Columbia)
• Doug Wamble - Bluestate (Marsalis Music)
• Weezer - Make Believe (Geffen)
  Read: "Weezer Album Preview: Wailing Guitars And New-Wave Ballads"
• Lucinda Williams - Live @ the Fillmore (Lost Highway)
• X - Live in Los Angeles (Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - Atlantiquity (Rhino)
• Various artists - Café De La Noche (Sunswept)
• Various artists - Jazz Lounge Remix (box set, Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Pure Techno, Vol. 3 (Water Music)
• Various artists - Superstars #1 Hits Remixed (BMG Heritage)
• Various artists - The Majestic Collection: The Best of Soul Fire Records (Truth & Soul/ Fastlife)
• Various artists - "Inside Deep Throat" soundtrack (Koch)
• Various artists - "Monster-in-Law" soundtrack (New Line)
• Various artists - "The L Word Sessions" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)
• DVD: Billy Cobham - "Culturemix: New Morning Paris Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Robben Ford - "New Morning: Paris Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Marillion - "Marbles on the Road" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Donny Osmond - "Live at Edinburgh Castle" (Decca)
• DVD: Vibrators - "Live Energized: CBGB 2004" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Various artists - "The Best of Rock 'n' Roll Greats in Concert" (Passport)

May 17:

• Def Leppard - Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (Mercury/Universal)
  Buy Now: Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (Mercury/Universal)
• System of a Down - Mezmerize(Sony)
  Read: "System Of A Down Album Preview: Band Pulls No Punches With The Pummeling Mezmerize"
• Various artists - American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers (RCA)

May 24:

• Audioslave - Out of Exile
(Interscope)
Read: "Audioslave's Morello Says New LP Feels Less Like Soundgarden + Rage"
• Gorillaz - Demon Days
(Virgin)
Read: "Cartoon Gorillaz Put A Muzzle On Danger Mouse, Damon Albarn"
• The Wallflowers - Rebel, Sweetheart (Interscope)

May 31:

• Better Than Ezra - Before the Robots (Artemis)
• Maxïmo Park - A Certain Trigger (Warp)
• Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth (Sony)
  Read: "Noel Gallagher Refuses To Watch New Oasis Video"

• Weezer
• Dave Matthews Band
• Robert Plant & The Strange Sensation
• Spoon
• FannyPack

John Ritter, star of "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," died on Thursday evening after a coronary artery tore while he was on the set of the show. Ritter, who earned an Emmy for playing Jack Tripper on the sitcom "Three's Company," was 54. ...

The release date of the upcoming G-Unit album, Beg for Mercy, has been pushed back two weeks to November 18. But that's not the only alteration 50 Cent and company have made within the last few days. Don't call the first single from the LP "Teach You How to Stunt" anymore. The official title is now "Stunt 101." ... Beck hit the studio this week with longtime collaborators the Dust Brothers to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's Sea Change. The album is due next year, but in the meantime, fans can catch the singer in the new White Stripes video, "The Hardest Button to Button," and in the film "Southlander," featuring Beth Orton, Hank Williams III and Laura Prepon, due on DVD October 7. Steve Hanft, who directed the film, is also helming two new Beck videos for an upcoming DVD. ...

The new issue of Blender magazine features an interview with R. Kelly, who discusses how pending child-porn charges have destroyed his image. "Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through," he said. ... Brazen dance music group Fannypack will follow up their smash single "Cameltoe" with "Things," which should surface at radio in early October. Both songs are from the quintet's debut album, So Stylistic, which dropped in July. ...

After playing a few radio festivals, Alien Ant Farm will begin a tour with reggae-influenced rap-metal band 311. The tour will begin October 15 in San Francisco and run at least through the middle of November. Alien Ant Farm's sophomore disc, truANT, came out August 19. 311's latest, Evolver, was released July 22. ... An eight-disc Black Sabbath box set featuring all of the band's material recorded with Ozzy Osbourne will hit shelves November 4. Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) includes remastered versions of Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage, Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! The set also features a DVD with previously unreleased footage. ...

The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, will play two shows at Harlem's historic Apollo Theater on November 21 and 22. The gigs will commemorate the 40th anniversary of his classic album Live at the Apollo. A host of celebrity guests will be announced at a press conference on Thursday. ... Mr. Biggs is planning on doing it way big — again. The Isley Brothers plan to put out a remix album early next year, according to their camp. The only name linked to the project so far is King Britt. His spokespeople say he's been enlisted to revamp "Footsteps in the Dark." ...

Bon Jovi have recorded an album's worth of acoustic versions of their greatest hits with producer Pat Leonard (Madonna). Due November 4, This Left Feels Right features "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Keep the Faith" and "It's My Life," among others, plus two new songs, "Last Man Standing" and "Thief of Hearts." ... Mark Lanegan, formerly of Screaming Trees and currently with Queens of the Stone Age, will release an eight-song EP November 4, about two months before his sixth full-length solo album, Bubblegum, is due. Here Comes the Weird Chill (Methamphetamine Blues, Extracts & Oddities) will feature unreleased older material. ...

Although they've been screwing up a lot longer, skate punks NOFX are scheduled to drop the DVD "Ten Years of F---ing Up" on October 7. The VHS version came out in 1994, so maybe next year we'll get the two-decade version from the band whose latest sardonic affair, The War on Errorism, was released in May. ... The Dandy Warhols are giving fans the chance to show off their film skills with a new contest. Use "We Used to Be Friends" and "You Were the Last High" in a video or short film and you could be flown to the Dandy Warhols' Odditorium in Portland, Oregon, to hang with the band. Details are available at www.ifilm.com or www.dandywarhols.com. ...

Ben Folds, the Indigo Girls and the Dixie Chicks will headline the Honor the Earth Foundation concert October 10 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina. ... Members of the bands Killswitch Engage, Unearth and the Acacia Strain are playing together in the side project Burn Your Wishes. There is no album information yet, but the group has shot a video for its song "Fall Away." ...

Newish metal groups Motograter and Mushroomhead will tour together starting in October. Motograter's self-titled debut came out May 27. Mushroomhead's next disc, XIII, will be released October 14. ... The Steve Miller Band will celebrate the Tuesday release of Young Hearts Complete Greatest Hits with a Saturday benefit performance for and at the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts, in Corona, California. The album features "The Joker," "Take the Money and Run" and other favorites. ...

After getting a two-grand credit from the music-download Web site www.musicrebellion.com, a lobbying group is offering to pay 12-year-old Brianna LaHara's settlement with the RIAA. LaHara's mother was one of 261 people to receive copyright-infringement lawsuits from the recording industry. She was the first to pay her way out of a court appearance. ...

9.11.2003

Although other release dates have been bandied about, this one's official — Britney Spears' upcoming fourth album is slated to hit stores November 18. The album may include such tracks as "Early Mornin' " (produced by Moby), "The Answer" (P. Diddy), "Shadow" (The Matrix), "Outrageous" (R. Kelly), "Me Against the Music" (RedZone), "Brave New Girl" (previously called "Brave Girl"), "Touch of My Hand" and "Every Time," though a track list has yet to be determined. ...

Kirk Hammett doesn't play a double-necked guitar ... except when he's doing his best Jimmy Page impersonation. Metallica dressed up like Led Zeppelin for an Esquire photo shoot in July for the magazine's 70th anniversary issue, which hits newsstands this week. ... Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams has finished her second gospel record. The as-yet-untitled album will be released in early December. ...

R.E.M. paid tribute to Warren Zevon at their Los Angeles performance on Wednesday night. Singer Michael Stipe dedicated the song "Find the River" to Zevon, who died in L.A. on Sunday from lung cancer. R.E.M. played with Zevon in the side project Hindu Love Gods, who released a self-titled album in 1990. R.E.M had worked with Zevon on his 1987 album, Sentimental Hygiene, as well, serving as Zevon's band on most of the album. ... Sparklehorse have signed on to open for R.E.M. on their tour, from September 23 in New Orleans to October 4 in New York. Afterwards, the band will resume recording its fourth album in singer Mark Linkous's North Carolina studio. ... Pete Yorn, who will pick up for Sparklehorse on the R.E.M. tour for two weeks, has booked a headlining trek for the rest of October. British pop-rockers Minibar will open on Yorn's tour, which begins October 14 in Nashville and ends October 28 in Syracuse, New York. ...

Def Jam hosted the first of its monthly DJ appreciation parties Wednesday night at the Big Apple's Club New York. Such spinners as Kid Capri and Red Alert ventured out to party. ... The previously unreleased Stone Temple Pilots song "All in the Suit That You Wear" will be included on the band's greatest-hits album, Thank You, which comes out November 4. The 16-track disc will also feature an acoustic version of "Plush." ...

Two Black Sabbath books that cumulatively cover the group's entire history will be rocking the shelves in time for Christmas. The first, "How Black Is Your Sabbath," chronicles Ozzy's years with the band, ending when he was kicked out. Graham Wright, who was drummer Bill Ward's assistant in the '70s, assembled the book. The other Sabbath tome, "Never Say Die!," was written by Garry Sharpe-Young, and documents the band's post-Ozzy years from 1979 to 1997. ... Rock and roll workhorses 3 Doors Down have extended their tour and look to stay busy throughout the end of the year. Newly confirmed dates begin October 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. ...

Sugar Ray and Elton John are among the performers slated for the annual Brian Wilson and Friends concert, taking place October 16. John will sing a duet with the Beach Boys mastermind. Proceeds will benefit the Carl Wilson Foundation, named for the Beach Boy who died of cancer in 1998. ... The folks that let Adam Ant out of a mental hospital earlier this summer might want to reconsider their decision. The '80s new waver plans to dress up like a gorilla and run around London on September 21. Ant hasn't exactly gone bananas, though. He's among those participating in the Great Gorilla Run, a public-awareness effort to draw attention to the endangered ape's plight. Ant also rerecorded his "Stand and Deliver" for the Save the Gorilla benefit album, the proceeds from which go toward the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. ...

The sued file-sharer who settled with the RIAA earlier this week is already reaping the benefits of celebrity. Twelve-year-old Briana LaHara, whose mother settled the copyright infringement suit for $2,000, has been given that amount's worth of free downloads by musicrebellion.com to show that legitimate download services exist. …

• G-Unit
• Beck
• R. Kelly
• FannyPack
• NOFX

One way to make it in this business is by having a great voice. Another is to marry a big-cheese music mogul. Latin pop singer Thalia has both bases covered.

With nearly a decade's worth of albums in her wake, the Mexican singer/actress, who wed former Sony Music chief Tommy Mottola in 2000, is dropping her first English language album, Thalia. Thalia, following in the crossover footsteps of Shakira and the aisle-walking ones of Mariah Carey, is poised to break in the States thanks to a lead afforded by the single "I Want You," featuring Fat Joe.

With momentum of the quirky, cute and incredibly infectious "Cameltoe" behind them, Brooklyn quintet Fannypack have released their debut, So Stylistic. Three female singers and two male DJs using old-school beats and rhymes as hot as the weather, Fannypack may have created the party album of the summer (see " 'Cameltoe' Making An Impression On Booty Shakers, Bagel Buyers").

While it's not entirely new Used material, the Utah quartet's Maybe Memories features live tracks and outtakes from the Used's self-titled debut as well as the demos of unreleased tracks "It Could Be a Good Excuse" and "Zero Mechanism." The CD/DVD package also includes more than 100 minutes of home video footage and the band's four videos (see "The Used Offer Old 'Memories' In New CD/DVD Package").

Beth Orton takes on a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World," which is then followed by the original, on the soundtrack to "How To Deal." Sky Sweetman's "Billy S.," as wall as tracks from the Donnas, Flaming Lips, John Mayer and Liz Phair are also included.

Wu-Tang associate Killah Priest returns to the pulpit with Black August, the rapper's fourth album, and former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth is out to prove that he can still kick it in spandex on his seventh solo album, Diamond Dave.

Here's what notable releases drop this week:

Out Tuesday, July 8:

• 10 Foot Ganja - Plant Midnight Landing (ROIR)
• Aceyalone & Abstract Rude - Lab Down Under  (Basement)
• Bardo Pond - On the Ellipse (ATP)
• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Save My Soul (Vanguard)
• The Clientele - Violet Hour (Merge)
• Club 8 - Strangely Beautiful (Hidden Agenda)
• Faith and the Muse - The Burning Season (Metropolis)
• Fannypack - So Stylistic (Tommy Boy)
• Fictional - Fiction (Metropolis)
• Figure Four - Suffering the Loss (Solid State)
• The Flesh - Death Connection (EP, Kanine)
• Grand Incredible - GI-gantic (BEC/Tooth & Nail)
• Colin Hay - Man at Work (Compass)
• cEvin Key/Ken Marshall - The Dragon Experience (Metropolis)
• Killah Priest - Black August (Recon)
• Klute - Lie, Cheat & Steal/You Should Be Ashamed (Breakbeat Science)
• Kris Kristofferson - Broken Freedom Song: Live from San Francisco (Oh Boy!)
• Vic Latino - Summer Vibes (Tommy Boy)
• The Magic Band - Back to the Front (ATP)
• Peter Malick - New York City (EP, Koch)
• Mêlée - Against the Tide (EP, Hopeless)
• Ras Michael - A Weh Dem a Go Do Wid It (ROIR)
• Sarah Jane Morris - Love and Pain (Instinct)
• Pretenders - Time Remixes by Junior Vasquez (EP, Artemis)
• David Lee Roth - Diamond Dave (Magna Carta)
• The Shocker - Up Your Ass Tray (EP, Little Pusher/Oglio)
• Slick Shoes - Far from Nowhere (SideOneDummy)
• Sparks - Lil' Beethoven (Palm Pictures)
• Thalia - Thalia (Virgin)
• Tractor Kings - Gone to Heaven (Mud/Parasol)
• TV on the Radio - Young Liars (Touch and Go)
• Unto Ashes - Empty Into White (Projekt)
• The Used - Maybe Memories (Warner Bros.)
  Read "The Used Offer Old 'Memories' In New CD/DVD Package"
  Buy Now: Maybe Memories (Warner Bros.)
  
• Von Zippers - The Crime Is Now (Estrus)
• Woggles - Ragged but Right (Telstar)
• Woke Up Falling - It's Only Your Ghost (EP, Post436)
• Yes - Remix Album (Rhino)
• Various artists - A Mess of Our Favorites, Vol. 2 (Paisley Pop)
• Various artists - Get the Blues 2 (NARM)
• Various artists - "How to Deal" soundtrack (Capitol)
• Various artists - Latin Christmas (Concord Picante)
• Various artists - Live at Telluride (Frog Pad)
• Various artists - "Rise — The Story of Rave Outlaw Disco Donnie" soundtrack (Utensil)

July 15:

• Chingy - Jackpot (Capitol)
  Read: "Chingy Set To Hit The Jackpot With Ludacris, Murphy Lee"
• Keith Murray - He's Keith Murray (Def Jam)
• RX Bandits - The Resignation (Drive-Thru/MCA)
• Various artists - "Bad Boys II" soundtrack (Bad Boy)
  Read: "50 Cent, Biggie, Justin Timberlake On 'Bad Boys 2' Soundtrack"

July 22:

• Jane's Addiction - Strays (Capitol)
  Read: "Jane's Addiction Breathe, Gush And Pump All Over Hypersonic"
  Buy Now: Strays (Capitol)
  
• Kiss - Symphony: Alive IV (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Symphony: Alive IV (Sanctuary)
  

August 5:

• Various artists - The Neptunes Present: Clones (Arista)
  Read: "Summer Music Preview: Neptunes' Star Trak Presents ... Clones"

August 19:

• Tamia - Still (Elektra)

September 2:

• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Sony)

• FannyPack
• The Used
• Killah Priest
• Thalia
• Mandy Moore

FannyPack
Photo: Michael Schmelling

Believe it or not, a fanny pack is no longer just a device worn around the waist of dorky suburban tourists to hold their extra rolls of film and sunscreen.

Three girls from Brooklyn have given the words hipster cachet among folks who wouldn't be caught dead in any accessory with Velco, let alone a fluorescent hue.

To those people, FannyPack are the coolest dance music group to emerge from New York's largest borough since Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam shone from the streets of East Flatbush in the mid-1980s. The group, composed of singers Jessibel (18), Belinda (16) and Cat (21), and beat makers Matt Goias and Fancy, has an overnight sensation on its hands with the retro club banger "Cameltoe," partly due to the song's giggle-provoking topic, and partly because of its infectious, body-moving beat.

Star and Buc Wild of New York hip-hop radio station Hot 97 have been spinning the tune daily on their morning show, and it recently appeared on crosstown pop station WKTU-FM's "Top Eight at Eight" countdown. In San Francisco, KYLD-FM listeners requested "Cameltoe" even more than singles by 50 Cent and Lil' Kim.

And thanks to radio's pervasiveness as in-store play, a whole new demographic is receptive to "Cameltoe." Cat once received a phone call from a friend who heard it in, of all places, a bagel store. Odder still, a middle-aged man was shaking his moneymaker to it while waiting for his bialy and schmear.

"Everything is moving so fast," Jessibel said of the media's reaction to the groundswell. "Photo shoots and interviews — we've had three in one week and then three the next. It's crazy."

That a song full of bounce and cheeky humor becomes a mainstream hit isn't as odd as when it happens to a tune with such a vulgar yet funny theme.

For those who don't know, a "camel toe" is an outward symptom of a condition some, the group Korn being among them, have termed cameltosis. Only half the population is susceptible to the affliction, which is similar to the universally contracted wedgie ... only different. More of an upfront problem, you could say. And that's about as close to a description as MTV's standards department will allow.

"I was watching 'That '70s Show' one night, and I was like, 'Yo, that girl's got a camel toe,' " Cat said, gently approaching the subject. "So if it's on TV, I think it was something that needed to be addressed."

A half animated, half live-action video for "Cameltoe" was shot earlier this month at Silver Cup Studios in Queens.

FannyPack started as the brainchild of Goias and Fancy, two New York DJs with a passion to spin the music they love but who felt shackled by mainstream taste. "When you DJ, no matter how good or fun you are, people are always going to come up to you and say, 'Play the new Ja Rule' or whatever," Fancy moaned.

After hearing "holla" and "go shorty" one too many times, the pair thought about trying to tread the middle ground. "We always noticed that there is a weird gap between the older stuff that really rocks the crowd — like Prince, Chubb Rock and Big Daddy Kane and [other] more up-tempo and fun booty stuff — and the 80 beats per minute, slower new hip-hop stuff," Goias said. "Both types of music are great, but we tried to figure out a way to put those two things together."

To sing their booty-bounce tunes, they enlisted Cat, whom Goias knew from the DJ circuit. The former indie-rocker could hit all the notes, but something was missing. Their music needed something that sounded "more Brooklyn."

The heavily accented Jessibel entered the fray after Goias overheard her flexing her pipes. "I heard her voice walking down the street and it was just perfect for what we were trying to do," he said. "I overheard her screaming to somebody across the street and was like, 'That's the girl.' "

Jessibel's schoolmate Belinda rounded out the lineup and FannyPack, whose name was chosen just because it's dumb ("Our second choice was Jogging," Fancy said) was born.

In July, a full-length album, So Stylistic, featuring "Cameltoe" is set to drop. The album recalls an era when music was fun and lyrics were more than an itemization of a rapper's net worth.

"People want to listen to music to have fun and dance and have a good time," Jessibel said. "Most music I hear is 'I have a Benz this, I'm wearing this, jersey this.' [Not everyone] wants to hear music or rapping about what you got. We want to have fun. We want to make sure you can get to that club and shake your butt."

• FannyPack