"Move Ya Body" is a song by American musical duo Nina Sky featuring rapper Jabba. It was released on April 12, 2004, as the lead single from their debut album, '' Nina Sky'' (2004). The song became the duo's only solo single to reach the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was ranked at number 250 on ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

''s "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" and is well known for the use of the recurring

ostinato In music, an ostinato (; derived from Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include ...

on the

bongos Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

known as the "Coolie Dance"

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

. This has been the subject and musical

motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...

of many musical samples.

Background

Record producer the Jettsonz introduced the girls to Cipha Sounds, a hip hop DJ. Cipha Sounds was impressed when he heard the girls sing and suggested that they compose a song using the "Coolie Dance"

. The twins wrote "Move Ya Body" in response, and recorded a demo. The demo got them signed as Nina Sky to

Next Plateau Entertainment Next Plateau Entertainment (formerly Next Plateau Records) is an American record label that currently operates in association with Republic Records. Background 1980s New York City-based independent label Next Plateau Records began in the early ...

and

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. After writing "Move Ya Body", Nina Sky quickly wrote more songs to form their debut album, released in June 2004.

Composition

"Move Ya Body" has a length of three minutes and fifty-four seconds. It features a guest appearance by rapper Jabba and was written by Nicole Albino, Natalie Albino, Cordel Burrell, Luis Diaz, Paul George, Curtis Bedeau, Gerald Charles, Brian George, Elijah Wells and Lionel Bermingham while it was produced by Wells and Bermingham. It was recorded in 2003 in The Hit Factory studios, located in New York City. The song contains lyrics from

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were an urban contemporary band and one of the first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of vocalist Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Valez), guitarist/bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, ...

's song, " Can You Feel the Beat". The title of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's song was repeated many times during the song.

Critical reception

The song was ranked the 29th best song of 2004 by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

''.

Commercial performance

The song was a huge hit and is one of only a few singles by the duo to chart (the others include " Turnin' Me On" and " Curtain Call"). "Move Ya Body" is their biggest hit, as it charted at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 22 on the 2004 ''Billboard'' Year-End Chart. It also reached number six on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

on January 26, 2005. It also reached the top ten in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso ...

and

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

charts. The song earned the duo two nominations for

International Dance Music Award The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs is an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards have been held every year since the conference's creation in 1985 e ...

(Best Pop Dance Track and Best New Dance Artist (Group)) and one nomination for Soul Train Lady of Soul Award (Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo), all in 2005. They won one award for the song, Rapgra Award (Utwor R'n'B) in 2004.

Music video

An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for the song was released in 2004. Posted in 2012, it was viewed over two million times on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

. However it was never posted on Nina Sky's official channel and it became unavailable few years later. The video had 34 second shorter length than the song. It features guest appearances from Jabba, Cipha Sounds and

Angie Martinez Angela Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, rapper, singer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice of New York" during her two-decade tenure at New York City station HOT 97 (WQHT), she left that position in 2014 to jo ...

. The whole video takes place in a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

and features the twins, mostly singing and dancing to the song.

Awards and nominations

Track listings

* US maxi-CD single # "Move Ya Body" (radio edit) – 3:30 # "Move Ya Body" (instrumental) – 3:30 # "Move Ya Body" (call out hook) – 0:19 # "In a Dream" (radio edit) – 3:25 # "In a Dream" (acappella) – 3:25 * US 12-inch single :A1. "Move Ya Body" (radio edit) – 3:30 :A2. "Move Ya Body" (instrumental) – 3:30 :B1. "In a Dream" (radio edit) – 3:25 :B2. "In a Dream" (acapella) – 3:25 * UK and Australian CD single # "Move Ya Body" – 3:30 # "Move Ya Body" (Hyperspace remix) – 4:28 # "In a Dream" – 3:25 # "Move Ya Body" (video) * UK 12-inch single :A1. "Move Ya Body" – 3:56 :A2. "Move Ya Body" (Hyperspace remix) – 4:28 :B1. "Move Ya Body" (instrumental) – 3:30 :B2. "Move Ya Body" (acapella) – 3:37 * European CD single # "Move Ya Body" – 3:30 # "In a Dream" – 3:25 * European maxi-CD single # "Move Ya Body" (radio edit) – 3:30 # "Move Ya Body" (Jiggy Joint radio mix) – 3:30 # "In a Dream" (radio edit) – 3:25 # "Move Ya Body (album version video) – 4:30

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2004 debut singles 2004 songs Next Plateau Entertainment singles Nina Sky songs Reggae fusion songs Songs about dancing Universal Records singles