Today's music industry (the one that made "Juju On That Beat" go viral) bears little resemblance to the industry of the mid-aughts—a glorious time in hip hop that witnessed the peak of "ringtone rap" and seminal moments in crunk, hyphy, and snap.
What/WHO were the biggest one-hit wonders of 2006? We've (tragically) DQed DJ Unk ("Walk It Out") and Yung Joc ("It's Going Down), both of whom released singles that cracked the top 25 the same year. Read through the gallery to take a trip down memory lane.
Cover
Jibbs - "Chain Hang Low"
Hot 100 peak: #7
"Chain Hang Low" is the GROWN version of the classic nursery rhyme/ice cream truck song "Do Your Ears Hang Low." It's a Raticate vs. Rattata scenario.
The single appeared on Jibbs' first and only album Jibbs Featuring Jibbs. He is supposedly working on his sophomore album, Ten Years Later.
Bubba Sparxxx - "Ms. New Booty" feat. Ying Yang Twins
Hot 100 peak: #7
Bubba Sparxxx has endured in the hip hop psyche because A) he had a semi-decent career (we're using the term "one-hit wonder" loosely here), B) he has made a remarkable 180 from making booty-themed club smashes, and C) of the sheer audacity of "Ms. New Booty." It continues to shock, amaze, and inspire.
DJ Webstar & Young B - "Chicken Noodle Soup" feat. AG
Hot 100 peak: #45
A scorching hot Harlem summer anthem/dance craze, "Chicken Noodle Soup had everyone age 4 and up "letting it rain" in the summer of 2006. Neither Webstar nor Young B were able to recreate the song's magic, despite Universal president Monte Lipman's claim that "this isn't some novelty, quick hit type of record."
The Pack - "Vans"
Hot 100 peak: didn't chart
"Vans" was one of the few songs to escape the confines of the Bay's cloistered, self-sustaining rap scene. A true grassroots hit that didn't benefit from any type of label push, it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 (in true Bay fashion). Though it represented the zenith of The Pack, it was only the beginning for Lil B, who was soon to begin his quest to become a vital American folk hero.
Young Dro - "Shoulder Lean" feat. T.I.
Hot 100 peak: #10
Somewhat surprisingly, Young Dro's only single to crack the Billboard Hot 100. Little endorsement is needed beyond that of Vince Staples, who once rapped “feelin’ like Young Dro, summertime ‘06" and offered the following exchange during his 2015 interview with HNHH:
Is there any music you remember listening to at that time?
We were heavy on the Ja Rule, heavy on the Young Dro, heavy on the T.I.. You know what it is... Pharrell, Dem Franchize Boyz movement.
The number one rap songs during that summer were T.I.'s "What You Know," Yung Joc's "It's Going Down," and Young Dro's "Shoulder Lean," so that definitely lines up with your playlist at the time.
That sounds like an amazing time period. That sounds like fun. That sounds beautiful. That sounds like black culture, black history.
Huey - "Pop, Lock, & Drop It"
Hot 100 peak: #6
We began this list with one St. Louis rapper (Jibbs) and we're ending it with another. Huey will go down in history as the man who made "Pop, Lock, & Drop It," a horny, high-octane crunk slapper that begins with a foreboding moment of musical uncertainty before plowing ahead with Huey's raunchy chants an irresistible call to hit the dance floor. His next best-charting song peaked at #80 on the US R&B chart.