"My Boo" is the only

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

released by Ghost Town DJ's. It was released on

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

So So Def So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music. So So Def has managed artists such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, T ...

label and

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

. The song, an invite by a female to a male, blends R&B-style vocals over a bass beat. It was written by Carlton Mahone and Rodney Terry, with lead vocals sung by Virgo Williams. The song peaked at number 31 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on its initial release in 1996. In 2016, the song was re-popularized by the "Running Man Challenge" and re-entered the Hot 100, achieving a new peak of number 27 twenty years after its original release. "My Boo" was also a big hit in New Zealand, where it peaked at number three in October 1996.

Background

Originally, an artist named Akema Johnson-Day was slated to provide lead vocals for the song with Virgo Williams on background vocals, however when a scheduling conflict prevented Akema from taking part in the production, Virgo Williams’ vocals became the lead vocals.

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...

was an A&R Director for

at the time. Rodney Terry and Carl Mahone produced it, and it was the second version of the beat currently used in the song.

Music video

The music video features a pool party. The group did not appear in the video, but

does.

Chart performance

"My Boo" entered the ''Billboard'' charts on the issue dated June 15, 1996 with its number 71 debut on the Hot R&B Airplay chart, with early airplay concentrated at

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

R&B radio stations. Three weeks later, following its commercial release as a

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from viny ...

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

, it entered the

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and Hot 100 charts at numbers 41 and 65, respectively. On the latter chart, where it was the highest-ranking debut of the week, nearly 85% of the single's chart points were derived from airplay, with its vinyl-only release precluding a larger contribution from sales. Though it was ultimately never released domestically in the more popular cassette and CD configurations, the single managed to peak at numbers 18 and 31 on Hot R&B Singles and the Hot 100, respectively. The song was especially popular at

rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...

radio stations, peaking at number 2 on the Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart. Abroad, the song became a major hit in New Zealand, where it rose to number three on the

RIANZ Singles Chart Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

and earned a

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

certification for sales in excess of 5,000 copies. Nearly twenty years after the song's original chart run, a resurgence in its popularity driven by the Running Man Challenge viral meme prompted its re-entry on the charts dated May 21, 2016. On the strength of 35,000 digital download sales and 12.3 million domestic

streams A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ...

, "My Boo" re-entered the R&B chart, which had long since been renamed

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, at number 14, and the Hot 100 at number 29, surpassing the single's initial peaks on both charts. It subsequently peaked at numbers 10 and 27, respectively.

Remixes

In the 2004 song "I Wanna Be Your Lady" from

Cam'ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" ...

Nicole Wray Nicole Monique Wray (born May 2, 1979), also known as Lady Wray, is an American singer and songwriter. Her 1998 debut single "Make It Hot" was certified gold. Early life Nicole Monique Wray was born on May 2, 1979, in Salinas, California, to ...

, &

The Diplomats The Diplomats (also known as Dipset) is an American hip hop collective formed in 1997 by childhood friends Cam'ron and Jim Jones in Harlem, New York. The group was originally composed of Cam'ron, Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey, all of whom gre ...

' second album together on '' Diplomatic Immunity 2'', the song was interpolated. In 2007, the song was interpolated on

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

and

Lloyd Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), American ...

's "Secret Admirer". In 2009, the song was sampled in the So So Def Mix of " H.A.T.E.U." by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the ...

. A slowed down

witch house ''Witch House'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Evangeline Walton. It was published in 1945 by Arkham House in an edition of 3,000 copies. It was the first full-length novel to be published by Arkham House and was listed as the initial bo ...

remix was released by

Balam Acab Alec Koone (born April 14, 1991), better known by his former stage name Balam Acab, is an American electronic musician and producer originally from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Koone began creating hardcore and metal at the age of 13 with a ...

in 2011. Interpolations of the song are featured in

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

's 2013 single " Body Party". In 2016, the group released four 20th anniversary mixes of the song.

Cover versions

*Brooklyn-based band Friends released a cover of "My Boo" as the B-side to their single "I'm His Girl", released on October 31, 2011. *Australian producer

Flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to ...

released a cover of "My Boo" featuring American rapper

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper and singer. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records. Staples rose to p ...

and Australian singers Kučka,

Ngaiire Ngaire Laun Joseph (born 1984, in Lae), known by her stage name Ngaiire (pronounced ''ny-ree'' or /naɪəriː/), is a Papua New Guinea-born Australian-based R&B and future soul singer-songwriter. Her musical career commenced in 2003 with an enr ...

, and

Vera Blue Celia Pavey, known professionally as Vera Blue, is an Australian singer-songwriter signed with Island Records Australia, which is part of Universal Music Australia. Her folk-inspired album ''This Music'' peaked at number 14 on the Australian A ...

for Triple J's

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...

on December 1, 2016. The cover was later released on iTunes on December 16, 2016.

Running Man Challenge

In 2016, twenty years after its initial release, "My Boo" gained notoriety through the Running Man Challenge, a viral meme in which participants filmed and shared short clips of themselves performing a dance resembling

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

to the song. The original videos were posted on

Vine A vine ( Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners thems ...

by high school students Kevin Vincent and Jeremiah Hall in

Hillside, New Jersey Hillside is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 21,404, reflecting a decline of 343 (−1.6%) from the 21,747 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in ...

. Inspired by Vincent and Hall's video, two players from the University of Maryland basketball program, Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley, filmed their own versions of the Running Man Challenge, spreading the meme. The challenge went viral on Vine, and Vincent, Hall, Nickens and Brantley were invited to perform it on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pr ...

''. Many other athletes from various sports, a number of celebrities and the general public embraced the trend and produced their own takes of the dance.

Track listing

Maxi CD single (US

romo only Romantic Modernism, more commonly known as Romo, was a musical and nightclubbing movement, of glam/style pop lineage, in the UK circa 1995–1997, centred on the twin homes of Camden-based clubnight Club Skinny and its West End clone Arcadia ...

& Europe) #"My Boo" (LP Radio Edit) – 4:09 #"My Boo" (Quiet Storm Radio Edit) – 4:04 #*Remix by Carlton "Carl Mo" Mahone, Jr.*, Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith #"My Boo" (Hitman's Club Mix) – 7:07 #*Remix by Mike "Hitman" Wilson 12" vinyl (US) #"My Boo" (LP Version) – 5:47 #"My Boo" (Just Da Beat Club Mix) – 6:25 #"My Boo" (Quiet Storm Mix) – 4:04 #*Remix by Carlton "Carl Mo" Mahone, Jr.*, Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith #"My Boo" (Hitman's Club Mix) – 7:07 #*Remix by Mike "Hitman" Wilson #"My Boo" (Armand Representing Da East Mix) – 7:23 #*Remix by Armand Van Helden #"My Boo" ( A cappella) – 4:27 12" vinyl (Europe) #"My Boo" (LP Radio Edit) – 4:09 #"My Boo" (Quiet Storm Radio Edit) – 4:04 #*Remix by Carlton "Carl Mo" Mahone, Jr.*, Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith #"My Boo" (Hitman's Club Mix) – 7:07 #*Remix by Mike "Hitman" Wilson #"My Boo" (LP Radio Edit) – 4:09 #"My Boo" (Quiet Storm Radio Edit) – 4:04 #*Remix by Carlton "Carl Mo" Mahone, Jr.*, Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith #"My Boo" (Hitman's Club Mix) – 7:07 #*Remix by Mike "Hitman" Wilson

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:My Boo (Ghost Town Dj's Song) 1996 songs 1996 debut singles Ghost Town DJ's songs Internet memes introduced in 2016 So So Def Recordings singles