How to crank dance

How to Do the Soulja Boy hip hop cranking move « Hip Hop :: WonderHowTo

By Linda Chang
10/4/10 4:08 PM

When rap sensation Soulja Boy came out with his namesake hit "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" in 2007 you could walk past a single neighborhood block without witnesses at least one kid out in his driveway practicing the arm swishes and leg pops.

Even three years later, the Soulja Boy crank is still one of the most popular and widely known hip hop dance moves around. If you want to learn it for yourself, check out this dance tutorial.

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Soulja Boy and Dance Crazes

Kevin Driscoll

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During the summer of 2007, U. S. pop media seemed saturated with talk show hosts and pro athletes dancing along to “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy).” By the time an official music video was shot in late July, the dance craze was already approaching an apex, with new videos appearing daily on MySpace and YouTube. Close inspection of the phenomenon reveals a diverse array of overlapping audiences exploiting “Crank Dat” as a producerly framework for the expression of personal, social, and political messages. Steeped in southern hip-hop’s independent tradition, teenage rapper Soulja Boy Tell ’Em championed the songs, dances, and videos produced by these audiences in pursuit of his own commercial success. “Crank Dat,” for all its confusion, contradiction, and welcoming incompleteness, is a valuable demonstration of spreadability in practice.

In the dominant narrative of the 1990s, hip-hop was driven to pop dominance by a rivalry between Los Angeles and New York City. Excluded from mainstream media channels, artists living in the southern U. S. were forced to develop an alternative hip-hop industry supported primarily by locally grown “indie” record labels with connections to regional radio personalities, nightclub DJs, and mom-and-pop record-shop owners (Grem 2006). This independence enabled the southern artists to develop innovative sounds and styles quite distinct from their coastal peers. In 2003, with CD sales flagging, major record labels turned to these indies in search of new talent to revitalize the industry. Among the many southern styles attracting attention, snap music deviated the most from the conventional hip-hop template. Snap’s minimal drum programming and repetitive lyrics destabilized unquestioned hip-hop norms such as the value of complex wordplay and the use of funk and soul samples.

Snap records such as “Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It,” by Dem Franchize Boyz, explicitly call on listeners to get “loose” and move their bodies. True to the genre’s name, the music video for “Lean Wit It” depicts crowds of dancers freezing on the third beat of every bar to flamboyantly snap their fingers. Such a wholesale embrace of dancing was simply not compatible with the hard gangsta pose prevalent among contemporary New York City and Los Angeles artists. New York rapper Fat Joe makes the tension plain in his 2004 hit “Lean Back,” when he professes that “gangstas don’t dance,” over a decidedly bouncy, southern-inflected beat. Unlike the joyful abandon of Dem Franchize Boys, the dancers in Fat Joe’s video plant their feet and twist at the hip in a self-conscious antidance far removed from the breakdancing and pop-locking that once characterized New York City hip-hop.

By 2006, snap music’s nationwide visibility was on the wane, but a small group of young hip-hop producers continued trading fun, often parodic, snap songs on the music-sharing website Soundclick. Many of the lyrics in their songs turned on the same goofy phrase: “Crank dat!” The producers were connected in parallel on other sites, and the songs, lyrics, jokes, and videos they created frequently migrated back and forth across these platforms. As the “Crank Dat” phenomenon grew, some of the participants created dances to the songs and uploaded videos of themselves performing the steps.

Shortly, there were a number of songs and dances floating around with similar titles: “Crank Dat (Robocop),” “Crank Dat (Roosevelt),” “Crank Dat (Mega Man),” and so on. The same snap simplicity that drew criticism from hip-hop traditionalists proved a fertile foundation for the young music makers on Soundclick. Whereas the densely layered, sample-based recordings characteristic of coastal hip-hop can intimidate or confound tenderfoot producers, snap’s minimalism makes it highly legible to newcomers. Individual drum hits stand out from the sparse sonic structure, and the basic snap rhythm is easily reproduced using low-cost software such as FL Studio or Garageband. Each new version of “Crank Dat” provided a blueprint from which subsequent versions could be produced.

DeAndre Way, better known today as Soulja Boy Tell ’Em, was one of the snap producers actively posting music to Soundclick in 2006. As a high school student in Batesville, a town in the rural northwest corner of Mississippi, Way learned to make animations, to edit photos, and to record music on his home computer. Following a pattern set by other commercially successful southern artists, the aspiring rapper soon produced a hip-hop mix tape, found a manager, and started performing on the weekends in roller rinks and at teen dances. Week after week, he documented this slow grind toward pop stardom in home videos, cell phone pictures, and short journal entries posted to his MySpace blog.

Way, like several other Soundclick users, created his own version of “Crank Dat” titled “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy),” incorporating a looping steel-pan melody, a catchy refrain, and his own quirky slang. Throughout the track, his lyrics instruct the listener to perform various movements: “crank it,” “roll,” “superman,” “lean/rock,” “supersoak,” “roosevelt,” “shuffle,” and “jig.” To the average hip-hop fan, some of these movements would be familiar, but others, such as the roosevelt, were peculiar to the Soundclick niche from which “Crank Dat” emerged.

Soulja Boy catalyzed and accelerated the “Crank Dat” phenomenon when he reposted a video by the Cash Camp Clique to his MySpace page on February 25, 2007. Above the video of three teenagers dancing to “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy),” Way wrote, “Dis is how u do da dance to my new song. Just punch to da left or right den crank it 3 times.” Within a month, he had collected and reposted half a dozen videos of other people doing “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy),” each time garnering more comments and attention to his MySpace blog. By the end of the springtime, his page had received millions of views, and his songs on Soundclick were being downloaded tens of thousands of times (de Leon 2007). On May 15, Soulja Boy signed a contract with a major record label due in large part to the online popularity of “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy).”

For a particular cultural artifact to spread, its expressive potential must be accessible across seemingly disparate audiences. The Cash Camp Clique demonstrated, through their idiosyncratic clothes, slang, dancing, and southern accents, multiple points of entry into the “Crank Dat” phenomenon. And Soulja Boy, by debuting his song as the soundtrack to another group’s homemade dance video, implicitly invited viewers to create further variations. The audiences that took up this invitation kept only the elements they found relevant. They felt free to create new dance steps, to rework the audio, to alter the video, and to introduce their own symbols of local significance.

The thousands of videos that make up the “Crank Dat” phenomenon present dimensions of hip-hop culture that are typically absent from conventional pop channels. References to video games, comics, professional sports, and anime appear alongside self-conscious performances of nerd, jock, geek, and preppy stereotypes. This light-hearted imagery inevitably commingles with culturally specific markers of ethnic, racial, and gender-based difference—signs frequently referenced in the public comments left by viewers. Not only did video makers use the “Crank Dat” framework for self-expression and identity play, but they took advantage of the discursive affordances of YouTube and MySpace to engage in discussion and debate around the videos they created.

In the first year of Way’s career as Soulja Boy Tell ’Em, he rarely performed the role of rapper or producer. Rather, he acted as curator, cheerleader, and embodied symbol for the collective “Crank Dat” phenomenon. Realizing the potential value of his popular MySpace blog, Way reposted select videos, rewarding the creators with social capital in the form of visibility, respect, and esteem. He frequently encouraged fans to become producers and tried to inspire friendly competition among them, challenging listeners explicitly in his lyrics, “Y’all can’t do it like me / so don’t do it like me.” Occasionally, reflecting on the curious trajectory of his career, he credited the “fans” for his success. On the day he signed his major-label contract, Soulja Boy blogged, “I still need yall support all da fans yall da ones who helped [me] get signed! i luv yall!”

DeAndre Way’s goals were not radical. As prefame blog posts from 2006 attest, his aspirations did not stray far from the title of that summer’s Cam’ron single: “Girls, Cash, Cars. ” Yet it is precisely the unremarkable nature of his ambitions that makes this story worth examining. Way was not trying to undermine the conventional music industry—quite the contrary—nor did he attempt to control “Crank Dat” after signing a major-label contract. By maintaining this balance, Way enabled powerful reciprocity between the popular productivity of his peers online and the amplifying apparatus of the pop media industry.

References

de Leon, Krishtine. 2007. “Youngest in Charge.” The Source 216 (December): 54–59.

Grem, Darren E. 2006. “The South Got Something to Say: Atlanta’s Dirty South and the Southernization of Hip-Hop America.” Southern Cultures 12 (4): 55–73.

Dancing as a sport: choosing the right direction

October 31, 2016 Health

If you're tired of the treadmill or the monotonous fitness routine, then it's time to go dancing. Lifehacker will tell you about the advantages of different dance styles and help you choose the right one for you.

Why you should dance

Regular dancing will make your body slimmer. During training, from 200 to 800 kcal are burned per hour - no worse than when doing fitness. nine0010
You can strengthen the respiratory organs and the heart, increase the body's endurance, cleanse the blood vessels of cholesterol.
Beautiful posture and gait - something that you can be proud of after regular exercise. Dancing will help you learn how to hold your back correctly.
You will develop excellent coordination, responsiveness and flexibility of the body.
Become sociable and self-confident.
Learn not to be ashamed of your own body and move beautifully to the music.
You will have the opportunity to express yourself. In dance, a person is completely liberated, which contributes to psycho-emotional unloading.
You are in a great mood. After a gym or fitness training, many people feel tired, and after dancing, on the contrary, a surge of strength and vigor.

Which direction to choose

Hip-hop

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Hip-hop is a cheerful, perky and very energy-intensive youth dance direction. You will be able to express your emotions, feelings or protest, to be liberated thanks to the movements that the body itself suggests. This is drive and adrenaline, the spirit of competition and leadership. Rules and restrictions are blurred here, but at the same time, a bright, clear style is felt. nine0003

This direction is characterized by downward-facing movements, relaxed half-bent knees and a low body position. High jumps are replaced by sliding on the floor, there is a quick and unexpected transition from undulating and slow movements to sharp and clear ones. The dancer should appear completely relaxed, and the dance should be cheeky.

Who suits

Anyone who is young or feels young, confident and bold. Hip-hop can be a useful hobby for your child. For children and adolescents, it will help strengthen the musculoskeletal system, correct slight stoop and form a proportional figure. Moreover, this dance direction brings up strong-willed qualities and determination, helps to show individuality. nine0003

According to the study, hip-hop is the most beneficial dance direction for a child: 57% of the duration of a workout a person is in motion. Scientists recognized flamenco as the least active: in this case, the children were mobile only 14% of the time.

Features

The main distinguishing feature: hip-hop is not danced to the rhythm of the melody, but to the beat, which must be recognized and clearly captured in the musical composition.
This is not just a dance, but a way of self-expression and a way of life. Hip-hop fans often wear clothes that emphasize their freedom: wide leg pants, sneakers, baseball caps, hooded sweatshirts. nine0010
Hip-hop is always open to experimentation and improvisation. An important role in this direction is played by character, namely, confidence, self-affirmation, a certain stubbornness and perseverance. This type of dance will help you become more daring, psychologically liberated and open in communication.
This dance perfectly works out the muscles of the legs, arms and shoulder girdle, improves fine motor skills.

Contraindications

Hip-hop can be considered a set of anaerobic exercises, so the contraindications are standard, as well as for regular workouts. People who have problems with their knee joints should be especially careful with such activities, as they have a large load. nine0003

Strip plastic

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Training combines aerobic exercise with elements of seductive dance. Each lesson includes a warm-up, including stretching, and learning the dance sequences. The muscles of the legs and arms, hips and buttocks, abdomen, back and chest receive an excellent load.

Beginners will have to master the basic elements: waves with the body and arms, circular movements of the hips and chest, arches in the back while standing, sitting and lying on the floor. As you progress, the training includes complicated dance combinations with elements of acrobatics (splits, flips, racks). nine0003

Suitable for

This type of dance is designed for all girls and women, regardless of their physical form, appearance and age. If you not only strive for a beautiful figure and graceful walk, but also want to learn how to love yourself, attract and seduce the opposite sex, then strip plastic is ideal for you.

Peculiarities

Strip-plastic will help to overcome complexes more easily, give you the opportunity to see your body and its advantages in a new way, as well as correct or hide imperfections. After regular exercise, you will not only look better, but also feel more confident and attractive. nine0010
When teaching this style, much attention is paid to posture and stretching, without which it is impossible to perform high-quality dance elements.
The program also includes a fashion show. It will take a few weeks, and you will begin to move smoothly and uninhibited, and the gait will become easy.
Another advantage is that many of the movements are done with arch in the lower back. Usually these muscles are poorly developed due to a sedentary lifestyle. This type of dance will be an excellent prevention of diseases such as scoliosis and osteochondrosis. nine0010
During this training, reincarnation takes place, you will be able to reveal your sensuality and tell about secret desires, try on different roles - from a modest housewife to a vamp. You will master the art of attracting men and learn how to arouse their interest.

Contraindications

Diseases of the respiratory system, heart, blood vessels and joints can become an obstacle to exercise. With osteochondrosis, there is a limitation: you can not twist strongly in the spine. At the same time, strengthening the muscles of the back and abs, stretching the muscles of the hips, shoulder girdle and pelvis will help to significantly alleviate the manifestations of the disease. nine0003

Belly Dancing

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This is one of the sexiest trends that helps to prolong a woman's youth and attractiveness. Mandatory components of oriental dances are strikes (sharp movements of the hips) and vibration in combination with smooth waves, circles, eights. Movement coordination is very important. The dance pattern should look holistic, capturing all the attention of the viewer.