I never learned how to Crank That Souljah Boy, or the Batman. I looked almost as bad as Tom Cruise when I tried to do the Yung Joc dance. And I'm cool with this. I haven't been up to date on dances since I was in college nearly 20 years ago. So you have to understand the excitement I felt when I saw this video "New Era" by The Retro Kidz.
The rap group has created an authentic '90s hip-hop video. They rap over a sample of Snap's "The Power," and dress, dance and rhyme like Kid N Play, Big Daddy Kane and Redhead Kingpin.
They are doing all the dances that I used to kill at the college parties and clubs--the Kid N Play Kick Step, the Running Man, and the Whop. (You know, I did actually win a $100 Robocop contest back in 1988 to Rob Base's "It's Takes Two." Sure there were only two other contestants and the applause that named me the winner wasn't impressive, but it was the loudest and that's all that matters.)
In the video, each of the Retro Kidz is styled like a particular '90s hip-hop icon, whether one of the aforementioned rappers, Spike Lee, Rosie Perez or Kwame. Their interpretations are as good as Tina Fey's SNL impression of Sarah Palin. Plus, these guys are super young, from 18 to 22, and hail from Queens, Long Island, Harlem and Brooklyn.
Their nostalgic vibe is what sold BroBot Entertainment head Aamek Richards, who signed them to this indie.
Just watching the "New Era" video made me start surfing for videos from some of The Retro Kidz' obvious inspirations. Take a look some of these classic clips and compare.