Daily Jam - Bust a Move

Somewhere in the inner recesses of my brain, there still exists a 10-year old version of myself, running freely among all the neurons and synapses, reading and drawing comics, playing Nintendo games, studying about sharks, and probably wondering why I haven’t gotten a group of kids together to play a mean game of wall-ball. He’s always there, even when I pay him no attention, palling around with the surlier teenage version of me and waiting to react at the slightest notion of nostalgia.

And he’s usually jamming to Young MC’s “Bust A Move.”

Released at the beginning of the summer in 1989, the young rapper Marvin Young had already made a name for himself, penning hits for Tone Lōc earlier that same year, but “Bust A Move” positioned the artist as the break-out performer of the year and built hype for his debut LP, Stone Cold Rhymin’, to be released that September. And it was everywhere, almost inescapable, even for 10-year old me. MTV, radio stations, and every birthday party, roller rink, or swimming pool I attended that summer (and for some time after) had it on full blast, heads bobbing, bodies moving, and preadolescent eyes wandering.

And it was awesome.

And there was nothing in it that my parents might find objectionable, and thus did not need to be hidden away with my dubbed N.W.A. and Eazy-E cassettes.

And Flea plays bass on the thing, and appears in the video wearing his stuffed animal pants.

And the follow up, “Principal’s Office,” was just as fun…though not as memorable.

And when I was a senior in high school, a friend and I petitioned to have it named as our class song (it was not chosen).

And did I mention it was awesome? It still is. Sometimes 10-year old me knows what’s up. I should listen to him more often. Anybody down for some wall-ball?