The Shop Boyz' smash hit "Party Like A Rockstar" has taken the industry by surprise. No one, the Shop Boyz included, was prepared for the reception a group from the birthplace of crunk music would get from partying like rock stars instead of leaning and rocking with it.

But as you can imagine, the song isn't without its detractors. People have asked if these guys trying to steal rock 'n roll's thunder, or if they're claiming to be rock stars because they've managed to get ONE record in heavy rotation.

It's actually, none of the above.

We mean exactly what we say: Party-like-a-rockstar. It's supposed to be a party-themed song, so we just put the things that went the best with parting, and rock stars party hard. Not saying we are rock stars, but the whole hip-hop era has changed to be like rock stars, and it did it before our eyes.

So whose idea was it to add the "totally dude" to the chorus?

That's mine, [sings] totally dude! That's what made it. That's what people are gonna hate on, those kind of words right there. I been reading the comments; I been reading the swag, we gonna talk about that. Totally dude means fo' sho, do that. If you knew what totally dude meant you would know why it was there.

Now you said you've been reading the comments. What exactly do you mean by that?

Every interview I do, it seems like I go and read the interview and they done chopped it up and they got all kind of crazy comments. But we take the good with the bad.

Comments like what?

I mean like, 'They don't know nothing about rockstars; these guys ain't rockstars.' We ain't said we was rockstars, we party like rockstars, that's the name of the song. Now if I'd said, 'Party 'cause we rock stars, party 'cause we rock stars,' you'd be able to say what you're saying. But with 'Party like a rock star,' they [should leave us alone]. We don't want to bring no disrespect to the real rock stars that's our here. And the media is the only way they can bring the disrespect on and the misinterpretation.

You hear that hook there, 'Party cuz we rockstars, party cuz we rockstars!' you can attack that from all angles. But 'Party like a rock star'-- can't say them n*$^%@#s is fake. We know rock music, but we don't go out and buy rock music. It's just the swag that's with it.

Before you got on the rock tip, what kind of music were the Shop Boyz making?

We were doing regular hood songs, trying to make it. We were doing the songs that everybody else out here that's trying to make it was doing and it wasn't working. Everything that you tried yesterday and it didn't work is not going to work tomorrow. Until everybody tries something different, that's when they'll make it.

What do you mean when you say the regular hood songs?

I mean, if you go and listen to our old stuff it fits into the category with everyone else, and the only reason this song is big is because it steps away from everyone else. It's like all new songs are just remakes of old songs, until somebody steps outside of the glass, that's basically what we did. Just kind of stepped outside of the box, a little bit.

But we have respect for all the rock stars, 'cause there are real rock stars that do this and live this. We don't do this and live this. We from the gutter. We from the ghetto, and we trying to do whatever it takes to make it. And at that time, "Party Like A Rock Star" seemed like it would get us out the hood, and it definitely did, so we were 100% behind it.

We are not rock stars – period. Little Richard was a rock star. But what they do to him? They went and turned it, it lightened it and snatched it. Now they rock stars. Nah, this the get back group. Shop Boyz, they the get back group. It's been happening like this for years. Somebody hear something they like and take-off with it, and then somebody go get mad 'cause they didn't start it. No, we didn't start it, but we driving from there!