Jerkin'

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A male rejecting for a crowd Kids jerkin.jpg
A male rejecting for a crowd

Jerkin' or Jerk is a street dance culture and hip hop subgenre originating in urban California in the late 2000s. It gained mainstream popularity outside of California by Inland Empire-based groups New Boyz and Audio Push, [1] and has origins in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. [2] Since breaking into the mainstream in 2009, jerkin' gained fans along the West Coast, East Coast, and in Europe, notably France and Germany, although it was heavily derided in the Southern United States. [3]

Contents

According to Oktane of Audio Push, jerkin' culture came from gang members dancing at parties, stating: "Jerking actually came from gang-banging. Like, it was a dance that gang members did. Like, the anti-dance. If you were in the party and everyone was dancing, [the gang members] would be doing the jerk." [1] The dance itself consists of moving your legs in and out called the "jerk", and doing other moves such as the "reject", "dip", and "pindrop". [4]

Music

The rap group New Boyz wrote and recorded a hit in Los Angeles entitled "You're a Jerk", [5] while Audio Push wrote and recorded "Teach Me How To Jerk". As the jerk culture continued to flourish, several new groups specializing in the Jerk style were being courted and signed by major labels. Arista had signed to the group The Rej3ctz, and the label was seriously looking into many other jerk groups that were flourishing on the Internet. [6]

Recently in the early 2020's, a new style of "Jerk Rap" has formed inspired heavily by the Cloud Rap scene with artists such as Xaviersobased, Nettspend, and Zuro.[ citation needed ]

Dance crews

Once Jerkin' went mainstream, new dance crews and artists began competing and performing at events in Southern California as well as in other parts of the world as its popularity spread. The Ranger$ crew not only competes in dance contests, winning numerous awards, but have recorded several songs and have been signed to a major label. [7] Other notable crews in the Southern California area include Action Figure$, U.C.L.A. Jerk Kings, and the LOL Kid$z. [6]

Fashion

People who jerk usually wear skinny jeans (varying from the unusual to the usual colors and washes), considered a rejection of the baggy pants style. Many elements of scene and the raver are used in the jerkin' movement, such as bright colored clothing, tight pants, or novelty graphic tees. Also, people who dance the jerk generally wear hightop or retro shoes, including Chuck Taylor and Nike hightop shoes. Shoes may or may not be multi-colored. [4]

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New Boyz were an American hip hop duo consisting of rappers Earl "Ben J" Benjamin and Dominic "Legacy" Thomas They debuted in the spring of 2009 with their viral hit "You're a Jerk" taken from their 2009 debut studio album Skinny Jeanz and a Mic. The song peaked in the top thirty of the Billboard Hot 100, and it was the first song to bring the jerkin' style to the national forefront. A second single, "Tie Me Down" featuring Ray J, was also successful and peaked in the top thirty in early 2010. In May 2011, their second and final studio album, Too Cool to Care, was released. It includes the top 40 hits "Backseat", featuring The Cataracs and Dev, and "Better with the Lights Off" featuring Chris Brown. The New Boyz have also been featured on Hot Chelle Rae's song "I Like It Like That", which peaked at No. 28 on the Hot 100.

<i>Skinny Jeanz and a Mic</i> 2009 studio album by New Boyz

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">JHawk</span> Musical artist

Jeremy Hawkins known professionally as JHawk or JHawk Productions, is an American record producer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. He is known for pioneering the Jerkin' Movement, accumulating tens of millions of views and streams, contributing heavily to the success of a number of Los Angeles-based artists. Hawkins is perhaps best known for producing The Rej3ctz's breakout hit "Cat Daddy" in 2011 which reached Number 77 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and achieved Platinum certification independently.

References

  1. 1 2 "Fashion Flavor: Audio Push Discusses What Killed The Jerking Culture And Their Fashion Influence On The Mainstream". Vibe. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  2. Reid, Shaheem (2009-07-13). "New Boyz Say They're More Than Just Jerkin' Rappers – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". MTV. Archived from the original on July 16, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  3. Weiss, Jeff (2009-08-06). "We're Jerkin (Starring the New Boyz, J-Hawk and Pink Dollaz) – Page 1 – Music – Los Angeles". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  4. 1 2 "'Skinny Jeans Movement' Bringing Jerkin' Online". tubefilter.tv. Archived from the original on 2010-05-10. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  5. Roberts, Steven (2009-07-29). "New Boyz Challenge Chris Brown To A Jerkin' Competition – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". MTV. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  6. 1 2 "Jerky boys and girls: New Boyz, Rej3ctz and more lead a new youth movement". L.A. Times Music Blog. June 12, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  7. "The Ranger$". HotNewHipHop.