"Inside peanut butter, outside jelly, seven days of the week, seven different Chevys." If you've heard these lyrics, you know Cadillac Don and J Money, the men behind the infectious hit "Peanut Butter and Jelly."
Cadillac Don and J Money may be from the small town of Crawford, Miss., but they're definitely on their way to the big time. Their debut hip-pop album "Look at Me" features A-List rappers like Paul Wall and Bun B, and rap magazine XXL boosted the boys in their latest issue, saying their "ode to the leather interior and candy-coated exterior of a signature Southern donk is hypnotic in its simplicity."
Their ode to the donk—a Chevy Impala—has even landed the guys a major label record deal with Warner Brothers-owned Asylum Records. Their album "Look at Me" dropped on Nov. 7 and is a great intermingling of Southern hip-hop and Hollywood.
Cadillac Don and J Money describe their music as "the best" and "blazing hot!"
"Our sound is Southern because we are from the South," Cadillace Don explains, adding that they also try to fit other sounds and styles into their music. "We want to do a little something for everybody."
At first glance, Cadillac Don and J Money epitomize hardcore. The raw beats in their title track "Look at Me" are reminiscent of a Three Six Mafia anthem. But once these young men—both 28—speak and smile, you can't help being won over by their Southern charm.
"Our album isn't platinum, yet, but it's platinum to us," Cadillac Don said.
"We really enjoyed working with everybody that's on our album," J Money added. "There's not a particular person that we'd like to acknowledge; we're just thankful to everybody who helped make this album a success."
Success for them didn't come quickly.
"I remember freestyling on the school bus when I was a kid," Cadillac Don recalls. "I first started rapping when I was in the second grade."
J Money took an interest in the rap game years later, when he was about 17.
While J Money was a late-comer compared to his counterpart, their early interest in music has allowed them to produce about 30 songs already.
"In the studio, things work themselves out in different ways," Cadillac Don says. "Sometimes, you might already have something written and the beat may already be made. Sometimes our producer Big Fruit might drop a beat, and we'll start writing something on the spot. A lot of the times we come up with a rhyme while we're driving to the studio in the car, then we'll get to the studio and drop it or keep it."
Both men agree that they have fun in the studio. They take their time, do their music right and focus on the hits.
"Look at Me" includes 15 singles that range from hardcore to feel-good hip-hop.
"There are so many songs on the album that we love like 'Peanut Butter Jelly,' 'Pimp,' 'Walk it How You Talk it' and 'You Got To Believe,'" Cadillac Don says, beaming.
On the crunk-infused "Walk It How You Talk It," they rap, "Walk it how you talk it / play it how you say it / you got an AK ... then spray it. ... I don't believe you / busting rounds when I see you."
Cadillac Don says the song means that people should be real in all aspects of their lives. J Money pegs the album's last track, "You Got to Believe," as his favorite.
"This is going to be one of the world's greatest songs, because it's encouraging people to never give up and believe in whatever it is that they want to accomplish," he says.
Cadillac Don and J Money have accomplished considerable success, but they are still hungry.
"We're debating on our next move," J Money says. "We have so much heat, and we are going to continue making music."
The duo gives thanks to Kamikaze, David Banner and others who've opened doors for them.
"Most importantly, we want to give a big ups to God," Cadillac Don says. "He's always going to look out for you."
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