We Are Toonz Explained

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]

Music career

Social media influence

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.

Discography

Singles

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rauly Ramirez. New Hip-Hop Dance Craze:'Drop That #NaeNae'. Billboard Magazine. January 27, 2014.
2. Web site: Atlanta's We Are Toonz storming the country with the Nae Nae . Melissa Ruggieri . accessatlanta.com.
3. Web site: Rauly Ramirez. New Hip-Hop Dance Craze: 'Drop That #NaeNae'. www.billboard.com. Billboard Magazine.
4. Web site: Ben Cornfield . Michigan State players break down #NaeNae dance in locker room . gamedayr.com.
5. Web site: Ohio State Football NaeNae & Dougie. YouTube.com. xgamerjd.
6. Web site: Football does the Nae Nae Dance. YouTube. Temple Owls Football.
7. Web site: Auburn football players do the NaeNae. YouTube.com. Kasey Langley.
8. Web site: Tristan Thornburgh . Notre Dame Football Busts out NaeNae Dance After Pinstripe Bowl Win . bleacherreport.com.
9. Web site: Glenn McGraw. Mercer Dances All Over Duke With NaeNae, Dance White Boy Dance . GamedayR.com.
10. Web site: Glenn McGraw. Video: Dwight Howards breaks out 'NaeNae Dance' for Instagram .
11. Web site: Edwin Ortiz . We Are Toonz Lay Claim to the #NaeNae Dance and Talk About Meeting Dwight Howard . complex.com.
12. Web site: Jason McIntyre . John Wall Doing the Nae Nae with Paul George Was Better Than the Dunk Contest . thebiglead.com. 18 February 2014 .
13. Web site: Rauly Ramirez . We Are Toonz' 'Drop That #NaeNae' Dances onto Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs . billboard.com.
14. Web site: We Are Toonz, Creators of the Nae Nae, Ink Deal With Coca-Cola. Musictimes.com. Erika Benton-Martin.