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Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)

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"Watch Me"
Single by Silentó
ReleasedMay 5, 2015
Recorded2014
Genre
Length3:05
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bolo Da Producer
Silentó singles chronology
"Watch Me"
(2015) 		"Lightning in a Bottle"
(2015)
Music video
"Watch Me" on YouTube

"Watch Me" (also known as "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)") is the debut single by American rapper Silentó. In March 2015, he was signed to Capitol Records, which released the track as a single with an accompanying music video. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent six non-consecutive weeks. With a viral clip on YouTube, the song was popular for its dance despite negative reviews, a combination of two popular moves cited in the title: the "Whip" and the "Nae Nae"[1] as well as other hip hop dances from various songs, such as "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" and "Stanky Legg". As of 2024, it remains his most well known song.

Release

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The song was released on May 5, 2015. Starting August 28 until September 6, 2015, Silentó performed a remixed version for Nickelodeon to help advertise their Labor Day weekend line-up of shows; (SpongeBob SquarePants, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks, Harvey Beaks, Sanjay and Craig, and Pig Goat Banana Cricket) under the title "Epic Dance Party". In the promos, portions of Silentó's original music video are used, although there are new shots featuring him dancing with the Nick characters and rapping the remix.[2]

Music video

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The music video was uploaded online on Silentó's Vevo channel on YouTube on June 25, 2015, and shot in Atlanta, Georgia. It was directed by Marc Klasfeld. Set in a high school gymnasium, Silentó performs the dance moves mentioned in the song with dance crews, high school, and university cheerleaders, fans, even a trio of conservative women who later join in on the dance, and also incorporates videos sent in by viewers. Lil Scrappy and Rich White Ladies make guest appearances in the video.[3] As of March 2023, it has surpassed 1.9 billion views on YouTube,[4] making it one of the site's 80 most viewed videos.[5]

The video was listed as Vevo's second most watched video of all time.[6]

DanceOn campaign

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The digital media company DanceOn was crucial to the success of "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)." After striking a deal with Silentó, DanceOn reached out to its network of dance content creators to make instructional videos to the song for their #WatchMeDanceOn campaign. 50 of their creators made videos that they then posted on YouTube. Instantly they gained popularity bringing in more than 250 million views in under three months.[7] The campaign was launched on April 13, 2015, and by May 22, 2015, the track's sales tripled from 17,000 units a week to 42,000 a week.[8] [9]

Reception

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Commercial

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"Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, where it has spent six non-consecutive weeks being kept from number one on the chart by songs such as "Cheerleader" by Omi and "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd. It spent eighteen weeks in the top ten of that chart before dropping out on October 14, 2015.[10] Internationally, the song has peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, as well as the top twenty of the charts in Denmark, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.[11] The song reached over 2 million in sales by November 2015,[12] and has sold 2,440,000 copies as of June 2016.[13]

Critical

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Elliot Wilson listed it #2 on his list of 15 worst singles.[14] Complex called it "One of the most annoying things to ever exist", and listed it among their "Songs We Hated in 2015".[15]

It received a nomination for Song of the Summer at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards[16] and another nomination for R&B/Hip-Hop Song at the Teen Choice Awards.[17]

In other media

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The song is featured in the television shows South Park, The $100,000 Pyramid, and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It can also be heard in the film The Emoji Movie and the first teaser trailer for Trolls. The track appears in the video game Just Dance 2017, and is playable in the demo for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch; Wii U copies of the demo keep Justin Bieber's "Sorry" as the playable demo track.

Covers and adaptations

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In 2015, The Australian group The Janoskians released a parody of the song titled "We Don't (Whip/Nae Nae)".[18]

Charts and certifications

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[64] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[65] 3× Diamond 750,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[66] 2× Platinum 160,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] Platinum 60,000^
Germany (BVMI)[68] Gold 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[69] Gold 25,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[70] Platinum 15,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[71] Platinum 20,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[72] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[74] 6× Platinum 6,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Stanos, Brittany (December 9, 2015). "2015's 10 Most Viewed Music Videos on YouTube". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  2. ^ Nickelodeon (August 27, 2015), Watch Me Whip Nae Nae Nick Remix | Silentó | Nick, retrieved August 25, 2016
  3. ^ "Watch Me: Behind the Scenes" from YouTube (Posted July 21, 2015)
  4. ^ SilentoVEVO (June 25, 2015), Silentó – Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) (Official), retrieved August 17, 2016
  5. ^ "Top 1000 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time". YouTube. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  6. ^ "10 Most-Watched Vevo Videos of All Time". Billboard. October 16, 2019.
  7. ^ "Madonna cofounded a startup that manufactures viral dance trends — and 'Whip/Nae Nae' was its first monster hit". Business Insider. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  8. ^ "Atlanta Rapper Silento's Road to a Label Deal, Chart Success: Professional YouTubers". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  9. ^ Silento's 'Watch Me' Whip/Nae Nae Lesson - So You Know You Can't Dance Ep. 9, July 9, 2015, retrieved September 14, 2023
  10. ^ "Silento Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  11. ^ "Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". acharts.co. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  12. ^ Mansell, Henry (November 14, 2015). "Hip Hop Single Sales: Drake, Justin Timberlake & The Weeknd". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  13. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 06/06/2016" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  14. ^ "'15 Worst Singles #1: Wiz Khalifa "See You Again"". Rap Radar. January 8, 2016.
  15. ^ "Songs We Hated in 2015". Complex.
  16. ^ "Song of Summer". MTV. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  17. ^ "2015 Teen Choice Awards, Nominees, Winners, TV Schedule". chiff.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
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  19. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  20. ^ "Ö3 Austria Top40: Single-Charts". orf.at. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
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  27. ^ "Lescharts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in French). Less classement single. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
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  29. ^ "Chart Track: Week 35, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  30. ^ "Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 37 (dal 2015-09-11 al 2015-09-17)". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
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  32. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  33. ^ "charts.nz – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  34. ^ "Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  35. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201535 into search. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  36. ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-09-15". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  37. ^ "Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  38. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Singles Top 60. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  39. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  40. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  41. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  42. ^ "Silento Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  43. ^ "Silento Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  44. ^ "Silento Chart History (Latin Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  45. ^ "Silento Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  46. ^ "Silento Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  47. ^ "Silento Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  48. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  49. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2015: Urban" (in Dutch). Ultratop Flanders. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
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  51. ^ "Track Top-100 2015". Hitlisten. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
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  53. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2015". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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  56. ^ "Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  57. ^ "Year-end – US Hot R&B/Hop-hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  58. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  59. ^ "As 100 Mais Tocadas nas Rádios Jovens em 2016". Billboard Brasil (in Portuguese). January 4, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  60. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
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  62. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  63. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  64. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  65. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  66. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Silento – Watch Me". Music Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  67. ^ "Danish single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  68. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Silentó; 'Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  69. ^ "Italian single certifications – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  70. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  71. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2016 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  72. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 42, 2015 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 23, 2022. Scroll to position 77 to view certification.
  73. ^ "British single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  74. ^ "American single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
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