MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TNA) – Two Memphis rappers are taking listeners back – way back, like to the 18th century – with a new genre of music called "aristocrunk."           

Picture two well-dressed dandies – one donning a ridiculously tall powdered wig, the other sporting sparkly gold skin – rapping about soaring stocks, Château Latour wine and Sotheby’s auctions over a background of symphonic strings and bumping beats, and you’ve got an idea of the look and sound of aristocrunk.

In the summer of 2006, lifelong friends Cameron Mann and Robert Anthony (whose full rap names are Lord Treadwell and Maurice Eloise VIII, respectively) formed their aristocrunk duo, Lord T & Eloise.

Crunk music, as you may already know, is a high-energy style of Southern rap with repetitive chants made popular by artists like Lil Jon and Three Six Mafia.

Rappers Lord T and Eloise have pioneereed a new style of old school rap: 'Aristocrunk.'

The main difference between crunk and aristocrunk, says Lord T, is "the vehicle, the presentation."

To his knowledge, Lord T is the only rapper who consistently performs in pantaloons and tights. He might also appear onstage in a gray business suit "bejeweled with rubies and diamonds," he says, or an Adidas tracksuit with "St. Tropez" emblazoned across the back.
 
Regardless of the outfit he chooses, Lord T always incorporates a white wig, ruffled dickey and large sapphire ring for a look that is "rooted in tradition but is also forward-thinking."

Preparing for a show is easier for T than it is for his partner in rhyme. In addition to a posh get-up, Eloise paints his face gold and creates an elaborate coif using multiple hair curlers.

There is a back-story to all this primping. According to their official bio, fraternal twins Lord T and Eloise emerged from their noble mother’s golden placenta with some interesting attributes. Lord T was born with a full head of curly white hair, and Eloise was blessed with 24-karat gold skin, making him "the only human ever born with inherent value."

Their destiny? To save rap music.  

The guys say their first album, aptly titled "Aristocrunk," sounds like "1789 in a Ferrari." The 18th century influences are not hard to spot.

Their song "Million Dollar Boots," for example, is heavy on the harpsichord. It also features rhymes from respected crunk artist Al Kapone, who won a Critic’s Choice Award for his contributions to the "Hustle & Flow" soundtrack.

Eloise says the fact that Kapone, their "favorite Memphis rapper," agreed to record with them has given the pair some unexpected street cred. 

The duo also persuaded renowned opera singer Kallen Esperian to belt out the main hooks in their songs "Penthouse Suite" and "Make Dat Monet."

Esperian says that while in the studio, she sometimes found the material so hilarious she couldn’t help cracking up. After singing an improvised, "Give it to me honey…Money! Money! Money! Money!” in her strong soprano, she says, "I lost it."  That’s not to say the group is all about gimmicks and giggles. Eloise insists, "We’re not trying to be Weird Al [Yankovic], for sure." Esperian notes, "I think it’s interesting to get a white-collar view of rap. You have two guys who basically came from wealth and aristocracy … at the same time they’re poking fun at aristocracy."     

"We grew up with a certain amount of wealth," confirms Lord T. "I wouldn’t say it’s stratospheric."

The two friends met in kindergarten at a private school in Memphis. They later attended different prep schools and universities around the country, which Eloise says provided a measure of "old world, old money fodder" for their rhymes.

Lord T explains, "Rappers basically take where they’re from and embellish that to hyperbole." 

So it’s safe to say that Lucy Liu never sat on Lord T’s bidet, as he claims in the song "Penthouse Suite."

MysterE and Lord T doth protest.

But he reveals that yes, they’ve been to auctions at Sotheby’s, driven in Jaguars, and tasted a famed Chateau Latour from Bordeaux.

"Eloise’s dad has a kick-ass wine cellar," he says, adding, "There’s truth to the fiction."   

While the lyrical material was easy to come by, achieving their "crunk meets Mozart" sound was no piece of cake.

Lord T and Eloise enlisted the help of musician and friend Elliott Ives, who coached the pair on rapping and engineered several of their songs at the recording studio where he worked.

In fact, he became such an integral part of the project – creating beats, singing back-up and rapping – that he is now an official band member. He goes by the name MysterE.
 
MysterE admits, "Some of the first sessions we did were really knock-down, drag-out," but says that, overall, he enjoyed coaching his friends in the ways of crunk. 

He feels Lord T and Eloise have successfully transitioned from “guys who write prose well” to talented rappers.

Fans agree. In June 2006 the group created a Myspace page (www.myspace.com/lordtandeloise) and soon began fielding requests to perform.

Eloise insists, "Our live show is insane! We throw out money and drink champagne from gold crunk goblets. We’ve thrown out $350 in one song."
 
Says MysterE, "I have never seen a project go from zero to 60 like this." By January 2007 they were opening for Diddy’s lady-group creation, Danity Kane.           

Despite Lord T & Eloise’s success thus far, the 30-year-olds haven’t quit their day jobs. Eloise restores historical homes, and Lord T, conveniently, works at a Memphis recording studio.

Of course, that’s where they’ll lay down their second album, due out in January, which they’re calling "Seriously."

Meantime, the guys are touring the South, with shows lined up in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee over the next couple months.

One of the most interesting, and potentially challenging, gigs will be at the Opera Memphis on Oct. 13, where they will perform at a reception following the opera "Turandot."

Esperian believes the opera crowd will warm up to Lord T & Eloise.

"In a way their whole [repertoire] is operatic," she says. "It’s really great to keep an open mind and bring all the musical genres together. Music is music."

Lord T isn’t worried. He feels their show is truly for everyone: "Stockbrokers that want to get crunk. Bankers gone wild … We want everybody to have fun."

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