It all started with Redfoo, the programming brain behind electro-hip hop duo LMFAO, who, along with his cohort (and nephew) Sky Blu, have already initiated a full-scale assault on the clubs. In the last year alone, three self-produced and self-distributed LMFAO tracks — "I'm In Miami Bitch," "Lil' Hipster Girl" and "Yes" — have become as ubiquitous on the dance floor as any hit by the likes of Rihanna or T.I., while remixes of Fergie's "Clumsy," Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and Katy Perry's "Hot 'N' Cold," have lent instant credibility to two guys who've turned clowning around into an art form and a business.
Foo and Sky call it Party Rock, and it's the name of their debut album, label (via the will.i.am Music Group and Interscope Records), clothing line and general outlook on any given day. "It's always better to have a party in your life," explains Foo. "Fun and laughter, the girls, dancing, celebrating… We want to feel the same way walking down the sidewalk as we do on stage." Which explains an awful lot about their street attire.
To that end, LMFAO is as much a brand as it is a band whose goal is instant recognition. "We feel like there's so much room for invention," says Foo. "With the internet, the mobile movement, software and music, it's like the gold rush right now. Eighteen months ago, there was no band, T-shirts or song. But with research and the spirit of entrepreneurship, we basically invented money out of nowhere. I don't look at it as making product and selling it. Everything you see is an idea and a concept." And they're just getting started. The guys also have plans for their own web TV show, a phone app and a movie, which Foo describes as Purple Rain meets Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Spinal Tap and Spaceballs. Sounds just about right.
