The Daily Swarm

Update: 9/27/2007 – Soulja back on top of the charts:

Soulja Boy’s “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” trades places with Kanye West’s “Stronger” atop the Billboard Hot 100 with a 2–1 increase, thanks to its best digital sales week yet (183,000 copies). “Crank” is also the second song this year to return to the chart’s top position, following Maroon 5’s “Makes Me Wonder” in the June 2 issue.

As summer draws to its extended conclusion, its seems fitting – and more than a bit overdue – that we pay tribute to the 2007 season’s dance sensation that is, as of today, the #1 song in the nation. That would be “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” – a bedroom-made crunk track produced by now 17-year old DeAndre Way and his partner Arab that is stronger than Kanye on the charts and well along the way to overtaking 2006’s Chicken Noodle Soup and Aunt Jackie as the rightful heir to the Macarena throne.

Update: Travis Barker remixes Soulja Boy:

According to Billboard, the song managed to hit the top spot following two high-profile television performances last week:

Seventeen-year-old rapper/producer Soulja Boy races to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his debut single, “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” The track jumps from No. 2 thanks to sales of 144,000 digital downloads and Aug. 27 performances by Soulja Boy of the song and its signature dance on MTV‘s “TRL” and BET‘s “106 & Park.”

But the song – and its catchy Casio-style, ringtone-ready hook – has been working its way into mainstream consciousness for several months now in the old/new-fashioned way, propelled by a homemade instructional YouTube video that has been viewed nearly 11 million times and spawned literally hundreds of tribute and imitation clips in its wake. Keyshia Cole, Beyoncé, Omarion and Bow Wow are in on the action, working the dance into their current stage shows. The song and its dance have also inspired dozens of budding video editors to rework cartoons, movie, clips, and TV characters into utterly convincing and hilarious spots.

Interscope snatched up Soulja Boy via Collipark Records (home of the Yin Yang Twins), and his debut album, Tellemsouljaboy, is due next month.