The Bottom Line
Just when Hurricane Chris had snatched the focus away from Atlanta to his home state of Louisiana with the summer chant "A Bay Bay," Atlanta teen DeAndre Way (aka Soulja Boy) arrives to consolidate some of the great moves from the likes of Dem Franchize Boyz and Yung Jock into a new dance and its accompaniment. "Crank That," the result is climbing the chart and, due to the appeal of the dance, is picking up some high profile fans along the way. It's thoroughly enjoyable while it's hot and ultimately forgettable a year from now.
- The best contemporary hip hop dance yet
- Insanely catchy
- Superman!
- There's really not a song here
- Forgettable once its period as a hit is over
Description
- The simplest of synth tones for a basic melody
- Chanted and rhymed lyrics
- Rhythmic snaps
Guide Review - Soulja Boy - Crank That
17-year-old DeAndre Way (aka Soulja Boy) seems to have worked his way through the halls of the recording industry on sheer chutzpah and talent. After taking to the internet and MySpace in particular, Soulja Boy was signed by Mr. Collipark, of Ying Yang Twins fame, and ended up with distribution of his first single by Interscope. It's no surprise "Crank That" rose to the top when you see Soulja in action on his various videos. The dance accompanying the whisp of a song is fun to watch and do and just complicated enough that learning it is an achievement.
"Crank That" is not only appealing to young fans. It has caught the attention of some top artists as well. Check out these videos:
If you want to follow in their footsteps, there is an outstanding instructional video created by Soulja Boy himself:
It's likely that "Crank That" and possibly even Soulja Boy himself will be an afterthought a year from now, but for today get up off the couch and "Crank that Soulja Boy...Yuuuuuuuuuhhhh!!!"
