Recorded 1989 | Length 4:20 | |
B-side "Got More Rhymes"
"The Fastest Rhyme-My Name Is Young" Released May 22, 1989 (1989-05-22) Format 12-inch vinyl
7-inch vinyl
cassette
CD Genre Pop rap
dance-rock
rap rock | ||
"Bust a Move" is a song by British-American rapper Young MC. It won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. It appeared on his album Stone Cold Rhymin' and was his biggest hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in Australia. The song stayed on the Billboard 100 for 39 weeks and 20 weeks in the top 40 alone.
The song is built on a sample of "Found a Child" by the group Ballin' Jack. The drums, produced by a Linn drum, are sampled from the song “Radio-Activity” by RoyalCash. The breakdown segment contains a combination of beats sampled from the songs "Scorpio" by Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band, and "Daytime Hustler" by Bette Midler. Bust a Move also featured guest vocals by Crystal Blake and bass guitar by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, both of whom also appeared in the video.
In 2008, it was ranked number 47 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs and number 60 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA in the U.S.
In popular culture
The song is featured on the soundtrack to the 2000 film Dude, Where's My Car?, starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott. It appears in the film during the pool party montage scene.
The song is also featured in the 2009 film The Blind Side, when Quinton Aaron and Jae Head singing along to the lyrics while Aaron drives.
Young MC landed a cameo role in the Jason Reitman 2009 film Up in the Air. Young played himself, performing Bust a Move at a software convention and the characters Ryan (played by George Clooney) and Alex (Vera Farmiga), who are among the audience, are seen shouting the chorus.
The song appears on the soundtrack of the 2016 video game Forza Horizon 3.
In the television show My Name Is Earl, the song is regularly used as Randy's favourite party song.