Affion Crockett Reminisces On His Days As a "Soul Train" Dancer

BY Erika Marie 2.9K Views
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Affion Crocket Soul Train
Affion Crockett is known as a comedic movie star, but in the early stages of his career, he was a "Soul Train" dancer for three years.

Every celebrity had a life before they became household names, and Affion Crockett is taking fans on a stroll down memory lane. The comedic actor is known for his roles in Soul Men, For the Love of Money, A Haunted House (1-3), Baggage Claim, Man & Devin go to High School, Charlie's Angel's, and Dance Flick, but not many people know that early on in his career, Affion Crockett was bustin' a move on Soul Train as a regular dancer from 2000 to 2003.

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The comedian revisited his dancer days in a segment for BET and talked about moving from his home state of North Carolina to Los Angeles back in 1998. He learned how to dance from watching films like Breakin' and Beat Street, as well as keeping himself glued to music videos that came out in the 1980s. He idolized Michael Jackson, so Affion went on to study ballet, jazz, and even martial arts, fusing everything together to come up with his moves.

"Honestly, if I was old enough, I would have wanted to be on Soul Train back in the '70s," Affion Crockett said. "But by the time I got to L.A., I was already a comedian. I wanted to be on Soul Train because it was TV, it was something to do, it was historic. I ended up getting on there and it was fun!" He approached production and let them know that he was a comedian coming from Def Comedy Jam and had no aspirations of being a professional dancer, so Affion told them he wanted to "be a character." So, he decided not to take things too seriously and became this animated dancer to stand out.

Watch his clip below as he also recalls meeting Fabolous and Lil Mo when the pair of artists performed "Superwoman."


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.