XXL celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with this moment:
Jan. 14, 2006: Atlanta rap crew D4L crafted a platinum-selling hit and guaranteed new millennium party-starter when they recorded their 2005 single, “Laffy Taffy,” which appeared on the group’s one and only studio album, Down for Life.
Released in October 2005, “Laffy Taffy” enjoyed a steady rise up the charts, and D4L members Fabo, Mook-B, Stoney and the late Shawty Lo celebrated their first ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on Jan. 14, 2006. “Laffy Taffy” was officially remixed by Busta Rhymes later that same year, and the phrase “Shake that Laffy Taffy” serves as a pop culture reference for any kid who grew up in the early 2000s.
D4L brought a brand new sound to Atlanta when they helped kick off the snap music craze in the mid-2000s. Produced by Born Immaculate, Broderick Thompson Smith and K-Rab, “Laffy Taffy” uses a sample from New Edition‘s 1983 hit “Candy Girl,” and intricately plays with elements of Southern snap music in the most catchy way possible. What’s even better, when the song’s video was dropped, D4L introduced the easy and infectious snap dance move to the masses, making it easy to do on the dance floor. The song’s ubiquitous hook was hard to ignore and had party people all over the place shaking that laffy taffy.
On Aug. 12, 2009, “Laffy Taffy” was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for three million copies sold in the U.S.
Watch D4L’s “Laffy Taffy” Music Video Below
See 20 Surprising Facts About Hip-Hop Songs That Went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Over Last 20 Years
Hip-hop is all over the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
