D4L

Atlanta foursome D4L broke out in 2005 with the song “Laffy Taffy,” one of several crossover tracks released during the early 2000s to inspire revelry as often as contempt, depending on listeners’ tolerance for cleverly produced tracks with sharp hooks and crude sexual euphemisms. Originally released independently around D4L’s native Atlanta, the song would eventually climb to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006. The group — formed in 2003 by Fa-bo, Mook-B, Stoney, and Shawty Lo — were snapped up by the Atlantic-distributed Asylum for the release of their debut. Down for Life was released in November 2005 and hit the Top 25. Although it was the group’s sole release, members of the group would embark on solo careers, most notably frontman Shawty Lo. On September 21, 2016, he was killed in a hit-and-run accident outside an Atlanta club at the age of 40. ~ Andy Kellman & Neil Z. Yeung