We Are Toonz | |
Origin: | Stone Mountain, Georgia |
Genre: | Hip-Hop, Pop-rap |
Years Active: | 2013–2015 |
Label: | VPP,[1] Epic, Sony |
Website: | WeAreToonz.com |
Current Members: |
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We Are Toonz is an American hip hop group from Stone Mountain, Georgia,[2] formed in 2013, known for the viral debut dance single "Drop That #NaeNae", inspired by Martin Lawrence's character Sheneneh Jenkins from his popular 1990's sitcom Martin.[3]
We Are Toonz released Drop That #NaeNae in 2013 without much fanfare. The group posted a video of themselves performing the #NaeNae Dance on the social video sharing website Vine and other social media websites like Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. As the song gained momentum the Drop That #NaeNae went viral. The Michigan State Football team can be seen dropping that #NaeNae on YouTube, and breaking down the #NaeNae dance on Vine.[4] Video postings from other college teams dropping that #NaeNae to foster team spirit started going viral as well, Ohio State,[5] Temple University,[6] Auburn University,[7] Notre Dame,[8] and Mercer Bear basketball team victory #NaeNae over Duke's Blue Devils.[9]
Houston Rockets', Dwight Howard posted videos of himself dropping the #NaeNae.[10] After which, he reached out to the group to record a video in Atlanta.[11] Washington Wizards', John Wall celebrated his slam dunk contest win by dropping that "NaeNae" with Paul George.[12] Due to the Vines, videos and GIFs the group saw a 311% spike in mentions of the #NaeNae hashtag.[13]
In August 2014, Coca-Cola released a commercial featuring We Are Toonz for their Ahh Campaign targeting the teen and young adult demographic.[14] We Are Toonz are the first hip-hop act to collaborate with Coca-Cola since R&B singer Tyrese Gibson. The group was selected by the brand after seeing them perform at the World of Coke Ahh stage at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
Single | Year | Label | |
---|---|---|---|
"Drop That #NaeNae" | 2013 | VPP, Epic | |
"Drop That #NaeNae Remix" (featuring Lil Jon, French Montana & T-Pain) | 2014 | VPP, Epic | |
"DJ Play My Song" (featuring Mike Epps) | 2014 | VPP, Epic | |
"Lit Up" (featuring Jazze Pha) | 2015 | VPP |