My Love Affair With Booty Shake!

Posted by nicknotnikki on November 12, 2010 · 12 Comments 

       There’s a beat that’s very specific to booty shake music. That is the actual name of the music. “Booty shake.” The thing is that I sometimes forget that booty shake music is a regional thing. For all the things that I don’t like about Florida. This music isn’t one of them. My house was a combination of Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand along with songs from musicals. My mother tried to have my sheltered not realizing that sooner or later, I would have to leave the house.

    What’s crazy is, I have a specific memory to standing outside of my house at 10 years old with a walkman in my ears listening to “Doo Doo Brown.” Yes, I realize how that title sounds. I knew how the title sounded back then, but the beat thumped so hard we didn’t care. In between Jodeci mixes and the spanish hood music that Power 96 loved to play, there was Luke, Uncle Al, and Jam Pony Express.

   I made it to middle school and all of a sudden acrobatic ability was necessary to do some of these dances. I remember I could do the “One Leg Up” with no problem, but the first time that Nikki Bryant put her foot all the way up, all the fellas SWOONED! (I mean they fell all tha wayy over).

    Fast Forward to high school. Where your friend has a car to take you to the football games

No, this wasn't the dance, but this made me laugh so good..

. And what’s even better is that she stopped off at the mall and got the Uncle Al tape beforehand so she could bump it in the tape deck. I mean, as much bump as a ’91 Corolla could have anyway.

    I often joke that my knees haven’t been the same since high school and it isn’t a lie. To dance to booty shake music involved some serious knee action that all the light hours of Doodoo Brownin’ hadn’t prepared me for. I danced on the flag team in the hopes of getting low in the pep assemblies, but my band director was not so inclined. The music he picked was WACK!

    There’s a soft spot in my heart for booty shake music. We still do mixes on the radio. If the DJ is feeling extra generous, he’ll play a set at the club. We felt vindicated when VH1 honored some booty shake music on their Hip Hop Honors one year, but somewhere deep in me just thought they were out of ideas. From my heart to your speakers, I’m giving you “Nick’s Gotta Lotta Booty Shake Hits”:

   1. Luke- I Wanna Rock

      After 2 Live Crew, Luther Campbell became Uncle Luke, then just “Luke.” When the beat drops in I wanna Rock there’s a lot of hype people. A LOT of hype people..

   2. Luke- Scarred

     I’m fully aware that it’s possible this is not the real name of the song. It’s just what we call it. I have YET to meet a woman that can do the Hydraulics: Scarred dance. I will erect a pencil monument in her honor. And I’m also convinced that the woman that can do the Hydraulics dance can Leyomi Drop. (Cheekie, check that spelling for me please. THanks)

   3. Crazy Legs- Bump ya Rump 2 Da Funk

     One sentence.. “Up and down, jump around, Crazy Legs gon’ make ya do tha doodoo brown..” What comes after this sentence is the MOST “get low” beat drop I have probably ever heard. But then again, I’m only three deep in this list and I might give that honor to another song further down.

   4. Splack Pack- Scrub Da Ground

   5. Jam Pony Express- Got a Lotta Booty

      “Oohhhhhhh.. oh oh oh oh”… there’s a lot of grunting in the beginning of this song. And in the middle of this song. And at the end. But it goes HARD in tha mutha effin paint!

   6. Crazy Legs and Prince Raheim- Loose My Money Honey

     “Gigalo gigalo gigaLOT” You know, now looking at the title and some of the lyrics, I’m convinced this song was an early pimp’s anthem. There was a dance that went along with this one that I still remember/know how to do. I wish I’d thought of this while the girls were here so that they could witness the greatness.

   7. Half Pint- One Leg Up

    I talked about this up top. This dance had the potential to be vulgar, so I reserve this dance for a “party of two”  it helps if those hip flexors are stretched out.

   8. JT Money- Shake whatcha mama Gave Ya

     This was a little slower as far as how fast booty shake really had to be. We use it as a transition song on the turntables. You better catch yo breath and getcho water because if the DJ is worth a nickle, he’s about to put something on after this that’s gonna get the party hype. (and you’re gonna need your energy)

   9. Uncle Al- Mix it up

    Uncle Al was a regional DJ down here. I haven’t heard of many people outside this area that know about him. But if I tell you that his WHOLE tape was nothing but perhaps beat after beat with him talking a little on each track. (Yep, that tape with him in the UM jersey on the cover) #RIP

   10. The Dogs- Doggamix

     This one doesn’t get a lot of love. The Dogs came out with a song that was a mix of perhaps all their songs rolled into one. I remember the video looked like it could’ve been filmed on my camera with a Glamour Shots background. It doesn’t bump as hard as some of the other booty shake hits, but it makes me move nontheless..

    What about you? I know that at least one of my readers has heard of booty shake because he and I had a conversation about it. But is there anything that I left out? I realize that not everyone will know what booty shake (true booty shake) music is, but what’s something from way back when that makes you shake your ass everytime you hear it? Oh! and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, there’s YouTube for that. (I’d offer to help, but I don’t have speakers. #SadTweet)

    Get at me in the comments…

    Peace and Love, Nick

Filed under Nostalgia, silly girl