Crank That (Soulja Boy)

Crank That (Soulja Boy)

Soulja Boy

One of the most notorious songs of all time, “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” is the debut and breakout single for Chicago rapper and television personality Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, better known simply as Soulja Boy.

Serving as the first single from Soulja Boy’s 2007 debut album Souljaboytellem.com, the song quickly blew up and hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 14, 2007, where it stayed for seven weeks. “Crank That” went on to become one of the biggest hits from the snap genre and is still remembered as one of the most prominent dance songs of the 2000’s to this day.

Much of the song’s popularity is due to the dance that accompanies it, demonstrated in the music video by Soulja Boy and others. The dance was explained by Wall Street Journal upon the song’s release:

Dancers bounce back on their heels, ripple their hands, crank their wrists like motorcyclists, then lunge into a Superman pose.