Who would have thought that the song and dance that has made fans out of grandparents and young children alike was created as a joke? According to We Are Toonz, that's exactly the way things panned out when they gifted the world with the Nae Nae.
Two brothers, Levi and KB, a cousin, Crash, and a friend/fellow performer, Callamar, joined forces at a high school talent show and created a dance that has sent a shock wave through social media. No one imagined that one comedy skit would be the launching pad for what seems to be a very promising career in entertainment.
"The experience is crazy," said Callamar of the group's almost instant rise to fame. "Just knowing what we come from. We never thought we'd be here. Worldwide people know our name, in different cities and overseas."
Other members of the group chimed in calling their experience an overwhelming blessing. But these guys have been preparing for stardom for some time now.
"We've been dancing since we were little," explained Crash. "Our parents were artists and dancers and singers so we've been doing this since we could walk, basically."
Apparently, their parents' influence has rubbed off in more ways than one. Toonz may have won fans over with impeccable, and at times, amusing dance moves, but that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the group's full capabilities.
"Even when we were performing, we made sure it was known that we don't just dance," Callamar said. "We want people to know that we are entertainers. And it's perfect because we made the Nae Nae and it came right with the music. It opens people's ears and eyes."
Days after renditions of the dance flooded social media, the group released a song to accompany the back arching moves and an official music video following a tutorial clip. Although the song and dance have earned the group more than a few fans and a Coca Cola commercial they filmed after performing on the World of Coke AHH stage during BET weekend this past June, it has also brought some flack over the femininity of the Nae Nae. The group admits they also had their reservations about the dance when Levi approached them to include it in a skit.
"The skit was based on a girl in the club, who would be considered ratchet now days," Levi explained. "We were all dancing one day and I said we're going to make this a dance and everybody was like 'I don't know about that. That looks kind of feminine.' So I said forget that. I know it's going to make the crowd laugh and next thing you know everybody was doing it. We did it for the show and it was a success."
Toonz says they put a video of the dance on Instagram that same night after being approached by members of the crowd after the show. The video's initial "20 something likes" multiplied as people began tagging others and spreading the word of the dance that would go on to become an internet craze.
The dance wasn't short lived like many of the other fads that popped up in spurts following Soulja Boy's 2007 "Crank That." Everyone was doing the Nae Nae... From Dwight Howard, who collaborated with We Are Toonz for an official Nae Nae promotional video to Jennifer Lopez, who did the dance in her "I Luh Ya Papi" video, the Nae Nae is inescapable. Miley Cyrus even put her twerking to rest and found a new favorite in the slow rocking move. Although the Internet has seen many variations of the Nae Nae, Toonz wants to maintain the dance's authenticity, especially when it's being promoted by celebrities, hence their reasoning behind calling Cyrus out after she did the dance on an Australian morning show.
"We weren't really trying to bash on her or anything like that," Callamar said of the group's video for Cyrus. "But it was like okay if you're going to do the Nae Nae and take it out there, we want to make sure that you're doing it right. You were doing all these other dances but we're going to show you how to really do it so we can make it even more big. That's what we were really trying to express to her."
"And who better to teach you than the originators," Levi added.
Callamar also mentioned that the group hopes to collaborate with Miley Cyrus on an EDM track in the near future. But the Atlanta quartet has garnished the attention of more than just the carefree pop star and their hard work is coming to fruition. We Are Toonz will be performing at this year's Soul Train Awards alongside fellow ATL rhymer Lil' Jon. Earlier this year, the group collaborated with the King of Crunk - T-Pain - and French Montana for the official "Drop That #NaeNae (Remix)." This will be their first major performance since going viral and the group seems thrilled about their big debut.
"Soul Train is about to go crazy," Callamar blurted out. "Make sure everybody watches because we have different things. We're doing the Nae Nae but we want to really show you what we're about. We're going to give a real show, not just rappers walking around, holding their pants."
According to Toonz, true live performance is a lost art in hip-hop and that's something they hope to breathe back into the game. Callamar says their performance is one thing the group prides themselves on, a thing he remembers from one of the group's many influences, Busta Rhymes.
"During one of his interviews, he said if you're going to be on stage, give a show. Don't just walk around. Give the people what they paid for and that's what we're going to do."
Toonz have also been putting in some work in the studio. They recently released their Radio Toonz mixtape via DatPiff and Live Mixtapes. The group described themselves as a "very diverse act," which shows in their tape considering that each member both sings and raps. The music scene has been flooded with new acts with a slew of emerging stars from Toonz's hometown, but they say one key element is missing: the groove. Rappers no longer have the full package.
"People don't rap the way they used to as far as the flow, the style, personality, persona," Callamar noted. "We want to bring that groove back."
Aside from preparing for their performance and promoting their mixtape, Toonz have been working on more new music and gearing up for overseas tour dates, a dream come true for the four entertainers. And if seeing Toonz performing at the next big awards show and bumping through your speakers isn't enough, they plan on making their way to the big screen as well.
"We want to be a powerhouse. We want to be known and heard, not just a group that made a dance and fell off five or six months later."
Referring to We Are Toonz as simply the creators of the Nae Nae would most certainly be an understatement. The group has huge aspirations and with the success they've been having thus far, anything is possible.
The Soul Train Awards 2014 airs on Centric and BET on November 30 at 8 p.m.
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