"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 American

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

Miami bass Miami bass (also known as booty music or booty bass) is a subgenre of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The use of drums from the Roland TR-808, sustained kick drum, heavy bass, raised dance tempos, and frequently sexual ...

group

Ghost Town DJ's Ghost Town DJ's (often stylized as Ghostown DJs) was an American hip-hop/Miami bass group from Atlanta, Georgia whose members consisted of DJ Demp, Rodney Terry, Greg Street and Kito. They recorded the 1996 hit single, " My Boo". The Miami bass ...

. It was released in May 1996 on

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

So So Def So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, founded by producer Jermaine Dupri in 1993. Specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B, and bass music, the label has signed musical acts such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Xsca ...

label and Columbia. The song, an invitation 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. In 2022, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked it number 101 in their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".

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's 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, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

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.

Chart performance

"My Boo" entered the US ''Billboard'' charts on the issue dated June 15, 1996 with its number 71 debut on the

Hot R&B Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

chart, with early airplay concentrated at Southern 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 vinyl ...

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 surface, compa ...

, 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 po ...

and

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

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 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; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

certification for sales in excess of 5,000 copies. 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 stream ...

, "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.

Music video

The music video for "My Boo" features a pool party. The group does not appear in the video, but

does.

Remixes

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

Cam'ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), known Mononym, mononymously as Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the early 1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed with Lance Rivera, Lance "Un" Rivera's Lance Rivera, Untertainment, a ...

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. In the 2010s, she began pursuing a more traditional soul sound, first as part of the d ...

, and

the Diplomats The Diplomats (also known as Dipset) were an American Hip hop music, hip hop collective formed in the summer of 1997 by childhood friends Cam'ron and Jim Jones (rapper), Jimmy Jones in Harlem, New York City. The group was originally composed of ...

' second album together on ''

Diplomatic Immunity 2 ''Diplomatic Immunity 2'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop collective The Diplomats. It was released on November 23, 2004, through Diplomat Records with distribution via MNRK Music Group, Koch Records. Production was handled by The ...

'', the song was interpolated. In 2007, the song was interpolated on Pitbull and Lloyd's "

Secret Admirer A secret admirer is an individual who feels adoration, fondness or love for another person without disclosing their identity to that person, and who might send gifts or love letters to their Puppy love, crush. Grade school The goal of a secret a ...

". 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, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

. 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 ...

remix was released by Balam Acab in 2011. Interpolations of the song are featured in

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...

's 2013 single "

Body Party "Body Party" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Ciara for her self-titled fifth studio album (2013). It was written by Ciara, Jasper Cameron, Nayvadius "Future" Wilburn, Michael Williams, Pierre Ramon Slaughter, Carlton Mahone, Ro ...

". In 2016, a remix by Parx was released.

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 Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

resembling

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

to the song. The original videos were posted on

Vine A vine 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 themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

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 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,456, an increase of 1,052 (+4.9%) from the 2010 census count of 21,404, which in turn reflected a ...

. Inspired by Vincent and Hall's video, two players from the University of Maryland basketball program,

Jared Nickens Jared Drew Nickens (born December 27, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the KW Titans of the National Basketball League of Canada. He played college basketball for Maryland. Early life Nickens attended the Westtown School ...

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'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

''. 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 listings

* 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 Arcadi ...

& 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 Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

) – 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

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

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 t ...

released a cover of "My Boo" featuring American rapper

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper. Born in Compton, California and raised in Long Beach, California, he first became known for his appearances on projects by Odd Future members—''Earl (mixtape), Earl'' by Earl Sw ...

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 enrol ...

, 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 ...

for

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

's ''

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a long-running weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves musicians playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs and then a cover version. The series was created by pres ...

'' on December 1, 2016. The cover was later released on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

on December 16, 2016.

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 Columbia Records singles