L.A. Boyz
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Taiwan |
| Products | Pop and rap music albums |
L.A. Boyz was a Taiwanese pop and rap ensemble formed around 1991, comprising brothers Jeff Huang (黃立成) and Stanley Huang (黃立行), along with their cousin Steven Lin (林智文). They are credited as pioneers of rap music within Taiwan's mainstream music scene. Over their career, they produced 13 albums, including three compilations, starting with their inaugural release SHIAM! 閃 in 1992.
Background
The group members grew up in Irvine, California and first connected while attending University High School. Their passion for hip-hop dance and fashion, shaped by the cultural influences of Orange County and Los Angeles, eventually led to their discovery by Taiwan's Pony Canyon Records.
Breakthrough
Following the waning popularity of the influential Taiwanese pop act Little Tigers, L.A. Boyz swiftly rose to fame. Their distinctive sound, infused with American slang, propelled their debut album Shiam to sales exceeding 130,000 copies. The follow-up album, released within the same year, enjoyed comparable commercial achievements.
Image and style
The trio's image fused the "youthful, innocent" aesthetic typical of Taiwanese pop with energetic choreography.[1] They represented an attractive synthesis of American and Taiwanese cultural elements.[1] In a 1993 interview with the LA Times, Steven Lin explained that Taiwanese youth regarded Los Angeles as an emblem of contemporary America, which inspired their group name despite only one member originating from there.[2] Their music videos frequently feature coordinated breakdancing set against urban backdrops, interwoven with visuals of Kung-fu, Chinese New Year Dragons, and baseball scenes.
Musical style
The musical output of L.A. Boyz incorporated a range of pop and dance influences, drawing from genres such as new jack swing, Bobby Brown, techno, and rap. For instance, the track "Ya!" employs sampled breakbeats, vocal cues ("yeah, uh-huh", "give me a big beat!"), shifts in tempo, semitone changes, a glissando synthesizer melody, and a hip-hop segment. Another song, "I Like It," adapts KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)" into a hip-hop format. Despite their rap-oriented persona, approximately two-thirds of their repertoire blends upbeat dance-pop with slower romantic R&B ballads.[1]
Their lyrics cover topics ranging from financial matters and self-expression to references to American musicians and genres, cartoons such as The Hulk, and themes of love. The group's bicultural identity is evident in songs like "Jump," which closely resembles Kriss Kross's "Jump" in rhythm and melody. The opening verse—"Jerry's gonna make his rap funky in Chinese/ First you gotta start off with the ABCs (American-born Chinese) / Then you gotta learn it like the Taiwanese"—includes an allusion to Superman. The lyrics deliberately avoid violent content or complicated slang to appeal to Chinese-speaking audiences.[1] Additionally, they aimed at Taiwanese listeners by incorporating a pronounced local accent and re-recording certain tracks in Hokkien, although their fan base also extended to Korea, Japan, and Mainland China.[3]
Disbandment
Following the group's dissolution, each member embarked on distinct paths within the film and production industries. Despite earning accolades such as Singapore's Billboard Awards Best Performance Group, Hong Kong Billboard Awards Best New Artist, and Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards, the ensemble eventually parted ways. Jeff Huang moved back to the United States, where he established an internet enterprise that later merged with a Japanese software company in a $60 million deal. Subsequently, he returned to Taiwan to lead the hip-hop ensemble Machi. Stanley Huang developed a solo career and achieved recognition as Best Mandarin Male Singer at the 2005 Golden Melody Awards. Steven Lin currently practices as an orthopedic surgeon in California while maintaining his involvement in both music and film.
Members
Jeffrey Huang
- Chinese Name: 黃立成, Huang Licheng
- Date of Birth: 1972-11-07, Huwei Township, Taiwan
- Profession: Vocalist for Machi
- Chinese Name: 黃立行, Huang Lixing
- Date of Birth: 1975-09-21, Taipei, Taiwan
- Profession: Solo performer
Steven Lin
- Chinese Name: 林智文, Lin Ziwun
- Date of Birth: 1976-04-15, Los Angeles, California, United States
- Profession: Resident physician & actor
Steven Lin Artist Webpage Steven Lin blog
SHIAM! 閃
Label: Pony Canyon Records (Taiwan)
Producer: Wang Chi-ping
Track List:
1.閃 Go Posse
2.愛我好嗎 Won't You Be My Girl?
3.別客氣 Don't Say You're ⽍歹勢 (Taiwanese)
4.來電吧 Dial My Number
5.怎可能 Unbelievable
6.好兄弟 Buddy Buddy
7.緣投困仔 Lover's Boy (Taiwanese)
8.飛越地平線 Drive & Fly
9.夜魔 Devil's Candy
10.夏天 Summer Vacation
Jump 跳
Label: Pony Canyon Records (Taiwan)
Producer: Wang Chi-ping
Track List:
1.跳 Jump
2.季節的歌 Merry Christmas
3.東方不賴 Oriental Mystery
4.愛難纏 Love Is A Weird Thing
5.神魂顛倒 Head Over Heels
6.心碎洛城 LA Heartbreak
7.落雨的晚上 Raining Night
8.城市之間 Between Two Cities
9.妳說妳會想我 Say You Gonna Miss Me
10.最後一⽀支慢舞 The Last Dance
11.閃(Remix) Go Posse (Remix)
Ya!/야!
Label: Pony Canyon Records (Taiwan)
Producer: Wang Chi-ping
Track List:
1.Baseball, O-Lay!! (English)
2.Baby Come To Me (Taiwanese)
3.還記得去年夏天
4.跳舞星球
5.Who's Got The Soul (English)
6.YA! (English)
7.My Love Just For You
8.擁有我已經⾜夠
9.Everybody, Everywhere
10.思念是最短的距離
That's The Way
Label: Pony Canyon Records (Taiwan)
Producer: Wang Chi-ping
Track List:
1.That’s The Way
2.交換禮物 My Gift To You
3.邀你⼊入夢 Invitation To My Dream
4.迷惑 Dazzled
5.墜⼊入情網 Falling In Love
6.⾦金思頓的夢想 Dream of A Kingston Mon
7.愛你 我的⼼心 Love You, With All My Heart
8.新捷克搖擺 New Jack Swing
9.天亮以前 擁抱以後 Before Dawn, After Embrace
10.Yabbadabbadoo (English)
FANTASY
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Producer: Wang Chi-ping Track List: 1. Fantasy 2. 試著去愛 (Can We Try) 3. 秘密約會 4. 愛就是所有 (Love Is The Answer) 5. Creeping Up A G Sound (English) 6. 夏日戀曲 (Island Girl) 7. 狂戀 8. 浪漫的假期 9. 因為愛你 10. Funky As I Wanna Be (English)
Phat
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Producer: Wang Chi-ping Track List: 1. 瘋狂聖誕 Phat X'mas (English) 2. 最溫暖的祝福 Best Wishes 3. 舞林大會 Casualty Of The Dance War (English) 4. 快樂新世界 Happy New World 5. 給你我的愛 I Want Your Love 6. Crazy一點有什麼不好 Crazy Is All Right 7. 你讓我寂寞 You Make Me Lonely (English) 8. 愛如何開口 It's Hard To Say I Love You (English) 9. 跟你說再見 Rage Against The Dark (English) 10. 天使的笑 Angel's Smile
Young Guns
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Producer: Wang Chi-ping Track List: 1. Young Guns 2. 危險人物 3. Another Lonely Night 4. 飛夢天堂 5. L.A. People 6. 摩登共和國 7. 所謂的愛 8. 你的心裏可有我 9. 黑白講 (Taiwanese) 10. Good-bye Girl (Taiwanese)
R.O.C.K
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Producer: Wang Chi-ping Track List: 1. ROCK 2. Drummer Boy 3. 愛讓我愉快 4. Man Of The Night 5. 浪漫Christmas 6. 懷念的平安夜 Christmas Without You 7. Lucky Star 8. 眼裏的愛 Listen To The Love In My Eyes 9. L.A. Rap Rock 10. Heaven Help Me
Pure Energy
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Producer: Wang Chi-ping Track List: 1. Solar 2. Pure Energy 3. Real Man 4. 懸賞愛情 5. 小丑和汽車 6. I Like It 7. 越洋電話 8. Sweet Baby Jessica 9. 地球歌
冒險
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Producer: Wang Chi-ping Track List: 1. Say Hello To The World 2. 速食男女 3. Chill 4. 成全我愛你 5. 心如往常 6. 遊戲 7. Jungle Boogie 8. 強酸 9. 語無倫次 10. Last Dance 11. Sun Sun Baby
精選集-跳乎伊爽
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Track List: 1. 跳乎伊爽! CLUB-ZOO-MIX (組曲) 2. 閃 GO POSSE 3. 跳 JUMP 4. 心碎洛城 L.A. HEART BREAK 5. 交換禮物 MY GIFT TO YOU 6. 棒! Baseball, o-lay! 7. 金斯頓的夢想 Dream Of A Kingston Mon 8. YA 9. BABY COME TO ME 10. 季節的歌 Merry Christmas
精選集-跟你說再見
Label: UFO (Taiwan) Track List: 1. 阿嬤的台語歌 2. 浪漫的假期 (Korean Version) 3. Crazy一點有什麼不好 Crazy Is All Right 4. 夏日戀曲 Island Girl 5. 跟你說再見 Rage Against The Dark 6. Fantasy 7. 瘋狂聖誕 Phat X'mas 8. 試著去愛 Can We Try 9. 舞林大會 Casualty Of The Dance War
L.A.Boyz Very Much 全紀錄唯一本精選
Label: Sony BMG Track List:
Disc 1 01. 閃 02. BASEBALL O-LAY 棒!! 03. 金斯頓的夢想 04. 夏天 05. Young Guns 06. 好兄弟 07.R.O.C.K. 08．速食男女 09．季節的歌 10．My Love Just For You
Disc 2 01．跳 02．THAT’S THE WAY 03．PURE ENERGY 04．心碎洛城 05．DRUMMER BOY 06．REAL MAN 07．YABBADABADOO 08．落雨的晚上 09．愛我好嗎 10．BABY COME TO ME