Although not from my assigned publication, I read this article in the Wall Street Journal that I found very interesting--"But Can You Dance to It?" by John Jurgensen. It delineates the recent trend for writing dance steps as lyrics in hip hop songs. This new fad, made most popular by Soulja Boy's "Crank Dat" which not only inspired millions of people to learn and embrace the dance, but also was responsible for launching the careers of those who capitalized upon Crank Dat's success with the teen generation. Two teenagers who made "Crank Dat Batman" recently signed a deal with Universal MoTown after their talent was noticed and applauded by websurfers all across the country.
What is most important to note is the way teenagers are the group responsible for this change in music, facilitated by the fact that sites such as YouTube have made it all the easier to upload material and have it reach a wide audience. It is also interesting that this dance craze was not started by the head of a record studio, or at the whim of a marketing executive who thought it might sell the song better if people would be able to learn a dance while listening to the song. It has launched into a music genre all its own, with songs such as "Walk It Out," "2 Step," "Pop Lock and Drop It," "Cupid Shuffle," and most importantly "Crank Dat." This has not pleased executives--""The kids have taken hip-hop back and the adults don't like it," says Michael Crooms, better known as Mr. Collipark, an Atlanta producer and record executive who discovered the movement's poster child, a 17-year-old named DeAndre Way." DeAndre Way is also known as Soulja Boy.
This is a great example of how the new generation is able to turn the focus of an entire industry into marketing songs that have dance steps incorporated within the lyrics--it has now become very common to upload onto YouTube not only the music videos but also instructional videos for learning the dances. Has this become the modern teenager's take and appreciation of the classic musical? I think so.
4 comments:
This was something I was discussing with Kim and Imade last week-- regarding how I like these kind of music videos since they "teach" the viewer something (in this case, a new dance). I love it when everyone on a dancefloor is doing the same steps. I am not sure if it originates from line dancing (i.e. no partner, synchronized movement), but it also reminds me of the 1950s/ 60s music like Twist and Shout, Bunny Hop, etc. Interersting fad!
As someone that's very much into hip hop I actually think that most of these "hip hop acts", if you can even call them that, who have instructional dance songs are very much commercial and focused on selling record and ring tones and getting played in clubs and on the radio. That's the whole premise behind making songs that are dance club friendly, not that there's anything wrong with listening to good danceable music at the club. But to say that these groups are decommercializing hip hop and taking it back from record execs is a bit of a stretch.
Also you can make club friendly music and still be musically and lyrically creative without making music like a lot of these acts. All you have to do is look at Tupac Shakur, who did it in the 90s, and even Kanye West, who's doing it now. If you take a look at the track titles on Soulja Boy's record you'll know what I mean: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", "SideKick", "Snap n' Roll", "Bapes", "Let Me Get 'Em", "Donk", "Yahhh!", "Pass It to Arab", "Soulja Girl", "Booty Meat", "Report Card", "She Thirsty", "Don't Get Mad". You get the idea, there's not a lot of lyrical substance going on.
I find it hard to associate anything Soulja Boy does with Classic film musicals, or anything of quality, for that matter. The "Soulja Boy" was merely one in a long line of urban dances sprouting in neighborhoods and blowing up nationwide, just like the Harlem Shake and the 2-step before it, just a flash in the pan fad. I think the "Soulja Boy"'s popularity and its subsequent knock-offs are examples of how prone we are to fall in love with the newest fads (not a new phenomenom in the least). Additionally, it is a testament to the power of the internet in creating buzz -- just think about the insane buzz following Cloverfield, back when it was just a mysterious trailer before Transformers, people speculating, thinking it was about anything from Cthulhu to The Dark Tower. Buzz is a cruical tool, and amazingly effective when used correctly.
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