Silkk The Shocker Talks Of 504 Boyz' Success

Up until recently, artists on the No Limit label knew the score. The guerilla marketing and word of mouth that the label relies upon to sell records has been enough to propel such artists as Master P. Mystikal, C-Murder and Silkk the Shocker towards success of the platinum kind, without the benefit of any airplay. All this changed with the release of the 504 Boyz' single "Wobble Wobble."

On the phone from Houston, where he was gearing up to play a pick-up game of basketball, 504 Boyz' member Silkk the Shocker said he expected the song to sell well, but he never thought he'd be hearing it on the radio. The single peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

"I'm not surprised it's a hit," he said. "That's the type of music that sells and we knew it would be successful if we put out something quality for people who like to dance. I'm surprised how quickly it got picked up by radio. We've always been an underground thing."

Made up of Silkk, Master P, Mystikal, C-Murder and Krazy, the 504 Boyz derived their name from the New Orleans area code. (The members of the group spent plenty of time in that city while growing up in nearby Baton Rouge.) Recorded at the Ice Cream Shop studio in Baton Rouge, the 504 Boyz debut "Goodfellas"--which entered Billboard's R&B Hip-Hop chart at No. 1 two weeks ago--provided No Limit a chance to introduce Krazy, the latest rapper of its ever-deepening roster.

Of working with Krazy, Silkk said, "We been knowing him for a long time and he'd been doing his other thing. We finally had a chance to work it out with him. We all add our own dimension, and adding him gives us another different voice. He's a plus to the organization. He's a good artist, and a good lyricist and the best way to introduce him was to form a group around him."

Silkk will likely play a role in Master P's latest straight-to-video flick "911" and has a record of his own due in August. For the new record, Silkk has a wish-list of guests that includes DMX, but said that he plans to stick close to the sparse sound and skittering drum beats for which No Limit is known. "We don't want to make it too obvious, but the old fans know we're not going to change what we're doing."