DJ WebSploitation

Maybe it's because an American History undergrad degree essentially translates to four years of studying social trends, but I'm pretty sure the 6 month arc seen by DJ Webstar's Chicken Noodle Soup provides a very specific answer to a question someone much smarter than me has asked. And it probably had the terms "contemporary," "blackness," "mimicry," and "class" in there somewhere.

Below find the beautiful trilogy that as a whole describes a social phenomenon. A trend in its past, present and future stages. Or in other words: organic, commercial and corporate. Add "Black," "Harlem" and "YouTube" into the mix and I'm pretty sure you got a strong sociology thesis on your hands.

Crass Roots



I came across this vid like 4 months ago when trying to see how exactly to pull the Chicken Noodle Soup dance off at an apartment warming party. Bedroom solo renditions of dances have become the unofficial heralding of the birth of a new trend.

106th and Propagate



In August (about 3 months after the original song hit the streets) BET's 106th and Park presents a conveniently "authentic" performance of the dance for a mass audience by young, Black Harlemites bringing their culture to devouring eyes...cable.

Dance, Dance, 10 cents per minute

And finally, we have Cingular's latest Ad campaign . I wonder what a 4 year undergrad marketing major would have to say.