LANCASTER, Calif.—Countless groups can dance. Numerous groups can sing. Some do both. But not many can combine those talents like Second2None Entertainment.

Second2None Entertainment, better known as 2-2-0, is comprised of four young men from Lancaster. Candymann, 18, founded the group. He is also the group’s CEO. He attends Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music in Hollywood, majoring in filmmaking. He started an organization called “Dreams for Success,” which was created to provide opportunities for kids of all ages to turn their dreams into reality. Candymann sports an elaborate pompadour hair style, which is occasionally dyed red.

Harris, 18, is the group’s lead artist and co-CEO. He also attends Musicians Institute, taking courses in audio engineering, post production and live sound. Harris produces most of the group’s music and is its engineer. As an independent artist, Harris has acting credits, appearing in episodes of “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Cold Case” and “Lincoln Heights”.

Jayace, 18, (pronounced “Jayce”) attends College of the Canyons, studying theater arts. He is the group’s spokesperson. After finishing at College of the Canyons, Jayace plans to transfer to the University of Southern California and study law.

The oldest member of the group at 21 is Tim Brownn. Brownn handles networking and promotions. He attends Charter College.

Harris has known Candymann since age 8. Candymann knew Jayace. They found Tim Brownn on YouTube through his Jerk videos. Someone suggested that they collaborate after seeing each other’s work on YouTube. When asked how the group came together, they shared stories of how they met years before, attended the same events, even shot videos in the same area. After 2-2-0 was formed, little by little their past meetings were recalled, leading to numerous, “Man, that was you?!” moments.

During the interview for this story, the group put Candymann on the spot and made him reveal how he got his name. Slyly, Candymann responds, “It started out as a hustle.” The group bursts out laughing. He continues, “I was at school selling candy and everyone started calling me candy man. So I thought ‘you know what? I might as well keep this name.’”

Music performances were soon incorporated into the group after Harris was brought on board. 2-2-0 saw how some people liked the dance performances, while others liked the music performances. “So we were like ‘Why don’t we just put it together and be different,’” explained Brownn, “instead of doing what everyone else does and just going on stage and rapping. How about we just have entertainment for the people?” Thus the group fully grew into its name.

LA Showdown is a jerk (street) dance competition that was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Brownn says that everyone thought it was just a freestyle competition. “We were the first group to bring dance routines to the competition, says Brownn.” 2-2-0 took second place. They also performed in the Cali Dance Festival at the Los Angeles Sports Arena where they again took second place. The group says the Cali Dance Festival was a broader competition with different styles. “That was a big accomplishment for us,” the group says. 

On Jerk All-Stars, a MySpace competition, their video had the most views, with more than 4 million hits. The young men believe they stood out because they were dressed alike. “Everyone else looked like they were straight off the streets,” says Brownn.

Following these successes, they began concentrating more on music, and around that time they partnered with KNS Rockstar, a male-female duo, and embarked on a regular Stop the Bullying school tour. They started in Oxnard and Ventura County. They will be visiting approximately 80 schools and are working on getting into the A.V. schools.

While doing these shows 2-2-0 learned that schools in Ventura County had not had performances like this before. KNS Rockstar and 2-2-0 were the first such shows these schools have had. The Stop the Bullying shows were so popular that 2-2-0 and KNS have been asked to return.

A look at 2-2-0’s resume lists a host of well-known names such as rappers Paul Wall, Ice T, and Ludacris. Add to that resume performances in famous niteries like the Dragonfly Club, The Terrace, Rhythm Lounge and Club Silk. At the Key Club, they performed as dancers for Lloyd Banks during the NBA All-Start weekend. In June, and again in August, 2-2-0 performed at the Celebrity Center in Hollywood. They were selected to be the promotional group for Fan Club International, which sponsors the Celebrity Center showcases.

Recent local appearances include the Antelope Valley Fair this past weekend, and the Juneteenth celebration at Jackie Robinson Park. They also perform occasionally at Mazzika’s in Lancaster.

The group says that most people would be surprised at the amount of talent there is in the Antelope Valley. The reason other groups remain undiscovered is that people don’t know the right steps to take. Rosalyn Harris, the group’s general manager, adds: “And the music’s gotta be clean. Our group does strictly clean music.” 2-2-0 builds on that statement: “We’re probably the only group … that does actual clean music that raps and does dance routines; not just singing but raps.”

 “Creativity boost is at an all-time high right now,” says the group. Everyone is an individual but still part of the group. Each individual’s talent is maximized to help the entire group. For example, when it comes time to make a video, Candymann gets the call. When engineering or new beats are needed, they go to Harris. “It’s a respect thing,” says Jayace. Collaboration is key. By keeping all aspects of developing and promoting the group in house, they believe they will be a force to be reckoned with when they come to the attention of the big record labels.

Rosalyn Harris reminds the group that they have a lot of good supporters behind them. David Ruffin Jr., son of the legendary lead singer of the original Temptations, is one of those supporters. Ruffin mentors them each week on techniques in entertainment.

When asked how 2-2-0 would describe themselves, Harris responded, “2-2-0 is the new world order of positive change for this generation. (We are) living our lives to change others.”

It is at this point where 2-2-0 begins to reveal that there is more to them than just dancing and singing. “We can’t really express how much we love doing this, and how much we really want to change people.... We are trying to create a positive movement.” They take turns speaking out:

“Just because you work hard every day doesn’t mean you’re taking the right steps, or are putting that hard work to use in the right areas for you to make it. So you really have to analyze what it is you’re doing.”

Harris joins in: “If you’re blessed, why not bless somebody else?”

“Whatever you’re doing, just keep pressing on,” says Jayace. “You’ll be surprised. People really will work with you…. Learn how to humble yourself around people that can help you.”

2-2-0 believes rap becomes art when you put your perspective on it. “People come from different areas so they are going to rap about different things. Just because they rap about drinking and smoking and everything else doesn’t mean they are ignorant to everything else. That’s what they know, so that’s what they feel. We’re from the A.V.; therefore, the type of music we make is going to be different. Our message is going to be different. But the significance is still the same.”

Upcoming events for 2-2-0 include the L.A. County Fair and the Fresno Fair. Their performance at the Indie Music Fest in Las Vegas next spring will be sponsored by Urban Culture magazine.

On terrestrial airwaves, 2-2-0 can be heard on Indie Urban Radio, Q104.7 in Ventura County, sister station to Power 106, and Urban Soul Radio.

For more information about 2-2-0, visit www.wix.com/second2noneent/second2noneent, Facebook at 2-2-0 Ent, Twitter at Second2NoneEnt, YouTube at Second2nonetv.