Catching Up with MIT: They’re Kinda Cranky
So, what have the brilliant minds at Cambridge’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology been up to in 2007?
I spent significant time this morning browsing assorted Best Of 2007-type compilations on numerous local publications’ websites. As I expected from one of the most widely read free newspapers around these parts, the Boston Phoenix produced some particularly interesting and entertaining content throughout the year to chronicle the highlights and lowlights of Beantown, including a nice video-based list on the Phoenix Phlog.
That’s where I discovered a bit of news concerning Boston’s second most famous academic institution that I sorely regret missing when it occurred back in early October. The event in question was co-organized by graduate student Kevin Driscoll (pictured here), a Boston-based DJ with the moniker Lone Wolf who has taught computer science and graphic design.
Follow the jump to get more positive proof why MIT is one of the world’s more renowned universities. It’s truly a cure for anyone suffering from the holiday blahs, and I bet you’ll never guess what it is (unless you peek at the Technorati tags first, of course).
According to the Boston Phoenix article “Crank That, Techie,” those MIT dancing machines were taking part in some Comparative Media Studies-inspired activity to commemorate 17-year-old hip-hop newcomer Soulja Boy Tell Em’s (aka DeAndre Ramone Way) major-label debut album Souljaboytellem.com.
The beat-heavy “bubblecrunk” tune from the release playing at the beginning is “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” a song that might never have come to be without the current Internet-video mania perpetuated by such social websites as YouTube and MySpace. It went all the way to the top of the Billboard charts this summer and is roundly acknowledged as one of the top singles of 2007 for both spawning yet another phenomenal dance craze and once again demonstrating how deeply the Internet continues to impact culture in contemporary society.
Now that you’ve seen MIT students and faculty put their unique Bay State spin on the Soulja Boy Crank Dat dance fad (Henry Jenkins, the co-founder of MIT’s Comparative Media Studies program, claimed that the event would “single-handedly transform the coolness factor for MIT”) check out the original video below for a little more study and comparison, Down South-style.
Tags: best-of-2007, boston, boston-phoenix, bubblecrunk, comparative-media-studies, crank-dat, crank-dat-soulja-boy, dance-fads, dances, deandre-ramone-way, hip-hop, lone-wolf, massachusetts, massachusetts-institute-of-technology, mit, Music, myspace, new england, soulja-boy, soulja-boy-tell-em, videos, viral-video, youtubeRelated Stories
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