The Rej3ctz Explained

The Rej3ctz
Origin:Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre:Hip hop, electronic
Years Active:–present
Label:Renaissance Music LLC
Associated Acts:Chris Brown
Current Members:Mowii
Pee Wee
Bounce

The Rej3ctz are an American hip-hop and electronic music group that originated from California's party scene, and rose to prominence in late 2010 with their single "Cat Daddy", and its eponymous dance, which became a viral phenomenon, reaching more than 90 million views on YouTube as of October 2023.

History

The group hit the music scene in 2009 with their underground hit "Rej3ct Stomp", and later with a dance called "Rej3ct".[1] Their second record, "I'm Fitted", sampled Kris Kross song "Jump", which reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1992.[1] [2] The viral video for the song, which the group stated "showcased their eccentric style, comedy and individual characters", have reached over 200,000 hits on YouTube.[3] The group made their television debut on BET's 106 & Park 10th Anniversary Special alongside Chris Brown.[4] [5] They have also appeared on The Mo'Nique Show.[6]

The group rose to prominence in late 2010 when they released the single "Cat Daddy". The music video for the song, which promoted the dance of the same name, featured American artist Chris Brown. The song became a viral phenomenon, with the video reaching over 70 million views on YouTube, and the single charting at No.97 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also appeared at No.77 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. According to Thomas Clayton of The Daily Rind, the song had 14,000 downloads on iTunes in its first week and the video had 9 million pageviews at the time.[7]

Kate Upton, who in February 2012 was the cover model for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, recorded a video of the Dougie that went viral and garnered over 5 million hits in April 2011.[8] [9] She announced her intention to release a video performance of the Cat Daddy when she served as Grand Marshal for the 2012 Daytona 500.[10] The video of Upton dancing on a break between photo shots was posted online on April 30.[11] After garnering close to 1 million hits in the first 24 hours, YouTube banned her version of the dance from their site for being too risqué,[12] but it was restored later with an age restriction.[13] [11] [14]

November 11, 2012 they released the CR33ZTAPE, which featured original music and collaborations with some of the top artists and producers in HipHop like DJ Carnage, DJ Mustard, T-Pain, TY$, and more; which also includes single "Peta Griffin".[15]

The Rej3ctz released a video for "Solid", off of CR33ZTAPE, which "displays a variety of imagery focusing on politics, like highlights from the campaign speeches from President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention. They campaigned throughout college campuses to raise awareness and register voters.[16] Bounc3, via MTV news, urged fans to turn up to vote.[17]

In 2012 they were a part of the cast that included Snoop Dogg, YG, The New Boyz, and more for the film, We the Party.[18] The Rej3ctz were also featured in the film School Dance written by Nick Cannon and Nile Evans in 2014.[19]

They collaborated with Dillon Francis for track "All That" with Twista which was also used to help promote the movie Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse which was released on October 30, 2015.[20] The song was also used as the recap for America’s Best Dance Crew season 8 finale.

In 2012 they began experiencing issues with their label head, Seven Aurelius, eventually ending in a lawsuit.[21]

The Rej3ctz are expected to release their mixtape Homeless Billionaires early 2016.[22]

According to TMZ, The Rej3ctz' member Jovan "Pee W33" Clayton was arrested in October 2018 for an outstanding domestic battery charge.[23]

Discography

Mixtapes

Singles

SingleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
US
[26]
US
R&B
US
Heat

"Rej3ct Stomp"2008 –  –  –Mixtapes
"I'm Fitted"2009 –  –  –
"Cat Daddy"201197 77 12TheFUNKtion vs theKICKback
"C.R.E.E.Z. - SWAG IS DEAD"2012 –  –  –CREEZTAPE
"PETA GRIFIN"2013 –  –  –Peta Grifin -Single
"All That (featuring The Rej3ctz & Twista)"2014 –  –  –Dillon Francis - Money Sucks, Friends Rule
"Spring Break (featuring The Rej3ctz)"2015 –  –  –TWRK - We Are TWRK
"On fleek (featuring Too Short & The Rej3ctz)"2015 –  –  –Mimosa - single
"Fuck Out My Way (featuring Stacy)"2015 –  –  –The Rej3ctz - single
"Koolaid (featuring David Sabastian)"2016 –  –  –The Rej3ctz - Single
"Ghetto Love (featuring TeeFlii)"2016 –  –  –The Rej3ctz - Single
"–" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rej3ctz – Bio. The Rej3ctz Official Website. June 20, 2012.
  2. Billboard [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p59/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic.com] (Retrieved December 15, 2007)
  3. Web site: Rej3ctz Music Video "I'm Fitted". YouTube. Google, Inc. June 20, 2012.
  4. Web site: Chris Brown Performs Cat Daddy "Dougie" On 106 & Park. May 4, 2012. October 8, 2010. WPHI-FM/Interactive One.
  5. Web site: Chris Brown Performs Cat Daddy "Dougie" On 106 & Park. May 4, 2012. October 8, 2010. Hello Beautiful/Interactive One.
  6. Web site: The Mo'Nique Show: The Rej3ctz Movement. https://web.archive.org/web/20111003003148/http://www.bet.com/video/themoniqueshow/guestrewind/monique2121-rejectz-s1.html. dead. October 3, 2011. BET Interactive. Black Entertainment Television LLC. June 20, 2012.
  7. Web site: Do The Cat Daddy; Rej3ctz Are Blowing Up Thanks to Chris Brown. May 4, 2012. February 24, 2011. The Daily Rind. Orchard Enterprises NY, Inc.. Clayton, Thomas.
  8. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/kate-upton-dougie-dance-sports-illustrated_n_845037.html Kate Upton, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model, Does 'The Dougie'
  9. http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/04/04/kate-upton-does-the-dougie-at-a-clippers-game-video/ "Kate Upton Does The Dougie At A Clippers Game"
  10. Web site: Fox to begin contract negotiations with NASCAR. https://web.archive.org/web/20160409043222/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A1-0a600f6fbac94229bfc8ec170b244ff3.html. dead. April 9, 2016. May 3, 2012. February 26, 2012. Associated Press. Long, Mark. She really could have turned things up a notch had she decided to dance. Last year, a video of Upton dancing the 'Dougie' at a Los Angeles Clippers game went viral and increased her popularity. 'I learned a new one, the 'Cat Daddy, Upton told The Associated Press. 'I can't wait to throw that one out. I did it the other day on a shoot in my cover bikini, so who knows.'.
  11. Web site: Kate Upton: 3 days in the life of the 'cat daddy' video scandal. May 4, 2012. May 3, 2012. Los Angeles Times. Donnelly, Matt.
  12. Web site: Kate Upton, Justin Bieber, and More Stars Who 'Cat Daddy' (VIDEO). May 3, 2012. May 2, 2012. The Daily Beast. Jones-Cooper, Brittany.
  13. Web site: Kate Upton bounces back after YouTube restores her sexy 'Cat Daddy' dance video: Swimsuit supermodel grabs hundreds of thousands of hits with superjiggly bikini video. May 3, 2012. May 3, 2012. Daily News. DiGiacomo, Frank.
  14. Web site: Mistakes Were Made: YouTube sorry for banning video of Kate Upton dirty dancing. May 4, 2012. May 3, 2012. Fox News. McKay, Hollie.
  15. Web site: CR33ZTAPE - Rated R Mixtape by Rej3ctz Hosted by LA Leakers, JUSTINCREDIBLE & DJ SourMilk. DatPiff. July 21, 2018.
  16. Web site: The REJ3CTZ Release "Solid" Track To Encourage Voter Registration [VIDEO]]. September 26, 2012. July 21, 2018.
  17. Web site: Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar Rep For Hip-Hop Kings Who Vote. https://web.archive.org/web/20180721132549/http://www.mtv.com/news/1696845/jay-z-kendrick-lamar-election/. dead. July 21, 2018. MTV. July 21, 2018.
  18. Web site: We the Party Premiere. https://web.archive.org/web/20130126052101/http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-star-cinema/news/2012/12/we-the-party-premiere.html. dead. January 26, 2013. BET. July 21, 2018.
  19. Web site: School Dance (2014). July 21, 2018. www.imdb.com.
  20. Web site: The Rej3ctz- Big Names, Big Places and Zombie Apocalypse. Alex. (Inactive). November 6, 2014. July 21, 2018.
  21. Web site: Exclusive! The Rej3ctz Explain Lawsuit Against Producer Seven Aurelius. July 21, 2018.
  22. Web site: Mad Decent Collaborators The Rej3ctz Drop New Video, Prep Tape With Metro Boomin, Chris Brown & Too $hort - Exclusive Hip Hop News, Interviews, Rumors, Rap & Music Videos - Allhiphop. December 18, 2015. July 21, 2018.
  23. Web site: 'CAT DADDY' RAPPER Please Don't Bust Me ... THAT CHICK'S GONNA HAVE SEX WITH ME!!!. October 21, 2018. September 30, 2023.
  24. "Rej3ctz Official Website." Rej3ctz Official Website. Ed. JRH Entertainment. January 1, 2011. Web. October 31, 2014.
  25. Piff, Dat. "Rej3ctz - CR33ZTAPE." Rej3ctz CR33ZTAPE - Rated R. Idle Media Inc., November 14, 2011. Web. October 31, 2014.
  26. "Cat Daddy – Rej3ctz"