The Singles Jukebox

Officially better than the Dougie…

[Video][Website]
[6.71]

David Turner: Regional rap dances are one of the few national treasures we still have in the United States. “Nae Nae” isn’t as good as Soulja Boy’s “Crank That,” but can anything ever be that good? Probably not. And though I doubt retroism was at the forefront of We Are Toonz crew’s minds when making this song, that it sounds like a throwback to all of those “Crank That ______” songs from Atlanta rappers who were closer to Crime Mob than Soulja Boy on the ’07 ATL Rap Spectrum only makes this stick even close to my heart. 
[8]

Josh Langhoff: Forget dancing, I just wanna diagram the composite vocal rhythms. (This does not make me popular at wedding receptions.) When it all piles up near the end, there’s gotta be six to eight different lines going at once, but it all fits together with a through-line of “HUAHHHHHH!”
[8]

Patrick St. Michel: As an isolated song, “Drop that Nae Nae” is just OK: energetic, but ultimately not as pleasing on the ear as, like, “Versace.” The rating here goes just for the song. But who cares, because the song really just exists for the dance, which is the real draw here, viral gold that brings out high-school creativity and whatever the fuck this is. I’m currently listening to this in a Starbucks, which is just wrong — this belongs in clubs and YouTube binges.  
[5]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: As far as novelty anonymous dance one hit wonders go, this tries its hardest to make the verses matter by sheer speed and dexterity. Shame those parts don’t end up in Vine videos.
[5]

Anthony Easton: This gets really interesting in the last thirty seconds when the dripping sounds start, and the vocals become pure texture. That little abstraction as a coda is clever, in how it makes an aesthetic argument above all others. It would be nice to have some of that skill leak to the rest of the song. 
[6]

Crystal Leww: I can’t even imagine being cynical enough to hate the Nae Nae, a dance that some kids made up and popularized on the internet. Yet another example of hip-hop self-policing, the Nae Nae started out as a way to make fun of ratchet girls in the club, and yet, you see everyone — dudes, chicks, NBA basketball players — throw themselves whole-heartedly into it. It’s a wholly inclusive dance, meant for fun and participation rather than shame and exclusion: “You ain’t gotta dance/we call it jigging on the beat.” The kids aren’t relenting from taunts of “this shit gay” (check the YouTube comments on that first link) either, and the Nae Nae is pure joy distilled into a little sway motion during “WHOOOOOAHHHHHH!” Fun dancing aside, “Drop that Nae Nae” is just a good track: callbacks to hip-hop history with a “crank that,” unrelenting, busy yet never crowding backgrounds chatter on the chorus, and droplet sound effects, which are still hot in hip-hop beats.
[8]

Brad Shoup: Martin continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. I’m pretty powerless against debut songs that brag about radio play, and namechecking Hot 107.9 is a bonus. It’s the dance break that puts it over for me, just a goofy plosive where the name of the dance would normally go. 
[7]