Hollywood High is the ultimate school of life. Surviving through the school of hard knocks themselves, the group consists of artists/super-producers Bennett "LAZE" Armstrong and Justyn "ROYAL CITY" Armstrong. Hollywood High! is the rebellious alter-ego of the pair’s former "2XL" brand, where in this new project, there is no limits, boundaries, or expectations. "There comes a time in every artist or person’s life when they travel to mars, our spaceship has landed, and we’re ready to make it our home" explains Laze. The groups refers to their sound as "Alternative/Hip-Pop" stating that society is raised to believe that everything must fit a certain genre or category. "We make the music we want, when we want, how we want, and do what we want. Just like any other kids growing up we were influenced by everyone from Jay-Z to Sublime, so we feel we’re gonna make our own sound reguardless if society accepts it or not, and make people adjust to us, thats what HipHop’s always been about" states Royal City. Raising themselves completely since the age of 15, the band has truly faced the trials and tribulations of "Hollywood High" since an early age. Raised by a single mother, who has been diagnosed with terminal brain-stem cancer three different times, the boys grabbed onto music and the hollywood culture at a young age. "Our mom has had cancer since we were in kindergarden, and is still currently hospitalized. We always turned to music as our escape and we really became fascinated with it. There’s an undefined magic and feeling about the whole culture and history of it", explains Laze.
The group takes pride in explaining they are the only "young" group or band, that completely writes and produces their own material. Having traveled the country, building a cult-like fanbase of loyal consumers, and scoring many major movies and TV shows (CSI:Miami, Barbershop 2, Four Brothers, Bring it On 2,...etc...), Laze and Royal have been consistantly dedicated to music since the age of 11. Their lyrics often reflect the life of everyday rebellious teenagers who encounter everything from parties, girls, heartbreak, hardknocks, as well as deeper subjects such as drug abuse and addiction. "Our biggest inspirations would definately be our mother and older brother Jeff", claims Royal. "Our mother raised three boys with terminal cancer, and was told 3 different times by the best doctors in the world that she will die and she’s still living, bumping our music in her headphones at the hospital. She’s the strongest person we know, and our ultimate dream would be to pay her back for all she’s done. We witnessed our older brother Jeff stuggle with addiction while we were growing up which was hard for us because he was always the man of the house. Now he’s been straight for a while and making more money than most people in America", says HH.
Influenced by Hollywood and pop culture, breaking down barriers and boundaries, comes Hollywood High. Two young musical protege’s reflecting the life and truth of todays society and youth. With their upcoming album "Freshman Friday" in the works, (executive produced by Laze & Royal themselves, along with David Esterson and musician Marty James), the group is rebelling against all expectations and going beyond limits to create what critics claim will be the "Rebirth of HipHop and Alternative music". Living on planet Mars, with their heads to sky, the duo is setting their standards high and dreaming big, since thats what it takes to graduate from HOLLYWOOD HIGH.
