NEW YORK (www.amountboyz.com) - After years of dancing for and touring with talented artists such as J Records artist Mario, B2K, and bright new pop star JoJo, New York's AmountBoyz are ready to step out on their own! The super group of choreographers, songwriters, rappers, singers, and actors are recording their debut album, and have released a new single entitled "Walks Away" with a video to spark the project.
AmountBoyz have decided to make "Walks Away" available for everyone to hear on the net! They are also giving you the video for the song, which features an appearance from choreographer/actor Darrin Henson. The song is a step away from their trademark dance tracks, providing a blend of soothing Hip Hop and R&B grooves that anyone can appreciate.
Having the reputation of being New York's best-kept secret is an honor, but you can't keep a secret this hot for very long! The young men known as Ant Boogie, A Dub, Smirk Dollarz, JB, Kanec, C-Smoov, and Nova perform and record together as AmountBoyz, and have been working hard to establish themselves as a premier performance group. While their handsome good looks and street savvy catch the attention of new fans every time they perform, it is their solid dance and vocal history that elevates them beyond the stereotype of any group you have ever seen. The name 'AmountBoyz' represents the collective diversity of their talents, and each member brings varying degrees of skill to the stage.
Anthony Rue II, aka Ant Boogie, began his dance training in Jacques D'Amboise's National Dance Institute, and joined up with his friend Adrian Wiltshire, aka A Dub, who also had years of intense technical dance training. They initially rivaled each other in dance competitions, and later established AmountBoyz in 1996. Both Anthony and Adrian are graduates of LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts, where they studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Modern Dance - but ultimately it was their love for Hip Hop that changed their life.
While still in high school, Anthony and Adrian juggled video shoots and promotional shows, and as soon as they graduated they immediately began touring with girl group 3LW. AmountBoyz was organized with new members, a group of multi-talented entertainers possessing a variety of talents including dancing, acting, rapping, singing and producing. They have always incorporated many different styles of Hip Hop into their dance routines, including the foundational aspects of Breaking, Popping and Locking, creating a distinct style that sets them apart from other groups.
After winning BET's first national Hip Hop dance competition, Revamped, AmountBoyz established themselves as hottest dance group in the east coast. As their performance resume' has grown, AmountBoyz has expanded into a complete company: Amount Entertainment. Their professional career includes work with Deborah Morgan, 3LW, J-Records artist Mario, and Angie Martinez. They have appeared on BET Spring Bling, BET 106 & Park, MTV TRL, MTV Commercials, Regis and Kelly, Teen Nick, Ricky Lake, Lady of Soul Awards, Soul Train, the GQ Fashion Awards, The Wayne Brady Show, The Today Show, The Source Awards, Jennifer Lopez's International promotional tour, 3LW's 2001 TRL Tour and 2002 promotional tour, Mario's 2002 promotional tour, B2K's Scream 3 Tour, as well as an appearance in the Columbia motion picture Honey.
All of the AmountBoyz dance, and they have been in the studio recording their own music as well. They work diligently with Rayne Productions to create new songs that will light up the airwaves and stage alike. "Our producers pretty much let us be artists - and that means sometimes just letting us make our mistakes," says Ant Boogie of their work with the Rayne team. "It's all love in the studio. I feel like they are apart of Amount. One of the people in the company went to High School with us, so it's a fam thing."
Their new single "Walks Away"showcases a different side of the group, with a video that compliments the ballad with subtle emotions and interaction instead of their trademark dancing. While Ant and Smirk share the bulk of the rap verses on songs, and Nova is the key vocalist in the group, they all agree that everyone does their fair share of contributing to the diversity of sounds. "The role that everyone takes is loyalty," explains Nova. "Being true to the company and true to our selves, dancing and choreographing and songwriting - we all collaborate and feed off of each other's ideas."
During the summer of 2004, A Dub and Kanec toured with recording artist Jojo on her national tour, coming back to New York regularly to rehearse with AmountBoyz. "Most, if not all of our dancers choreograph their own routines," explains Smirk Dollarz. "All of us write our own songs as well. We organize everything ourselves and put 100% in what we do. None of this is new to us, because we've been doing it for years. It's fun to do things independently because the happiness from the results are so much more enjoyable and understood."
Their determination to prove that Hip Hop is just as entertaining and technical as any other form of the arts will definitely put AmountBoyz among the respected legends of groups. Their goal is to take Hip Hop dance into the realm of respect that is given to other forms of dance.
Kanec expresses that the AmountBoyz truly cross the creative boundaries that the music industry has placed on performance groups. "In my eyes there's nothing that each on these members can't do," he says. "It's just a matter of perfecting that craft. There's a little of every role in us."
