Little Known Ratchet History Fact #1: The "Twerk" Revolution

Happy Black History Month!!!   

I know your favorite blogs, radio shows and tv networks are doing the obligatory nod to great moments in black history. You're gonna hear stories about Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jim Crow and The Montgomery Bus Boycott among other things. This AIN'T what that is. The time is long overdue for us to salute ratchets for their contributions to American History. That time is now. 

Join me on this 87th anniversary of Negro History Week as I share some little known facts about ratchet history throughout this month. Why? Because ratchets deserve history books and you will DEAL. In today's installment, we learn about The "Twerk" Revolution. 

Twerk (v): A combination of dance moves that involve wining and gyrating one's hips and booty in a sexually provocative manner. Made popular by a group of Atlanta-based dancers called "The Twerk Team." 

According to their Facebook Fan Page (get into it!), the Twerk Team is an Atlanta based dance group that started in 2005. The two official members, Mizz Twerksum and Lady Luscious, got their start by dancing at house parties. The two got their big break after they posted a video of them dancing to Soulja Boy's "She Got a Donk" and it got over 1 million views on Youtube in the 1st week. 

Although the group currently has two official members, the ladies have added (and cut) other members like Betty Butt, Kandy Girl and Shawty Bear. Some time in 2009, they began building a following with their #TwerkTeamThursday booty shaking videos. At that time, Thursdays signaled the release of new videos by the three ladies "twerking" to different rap and hip-hop songs. When Waka Flocka Flames gave them props in his "Ass Clap" song with the line "Bounce that ass/shake that ass like the Twerk Team" he sent amateur twerkers into a frenzy and helped The Twerk Team take their career to the next level. 

Once the Twerk Team's career took off, the Twerking Revolution began.  The ladies began traveling nationwide to do shows and host/judge Twerking Contests. Thousands of women began uploading videos of themselves twerking in their underwear at home. A quick check of the site YouTwerk.com shows just how many "girls next door" are twerking. There have been twerking contests via Twitter, WorldStarHipHop and even Facebook (which is usually behind on the ratchet curve). If you don't have at least one person uploading videos of themselves twerking with captions like "just playing around" you're losing at using social media.

I'm from South Florida so I'm down with all kinds of dancing. The women (and men) in South Florida have been twerking since Morgan Freeman was a lil boy, but the Twerk Team has made it a "thing." iSalute them for that. Twerk Team's videos feature the women wearing form fitting clothes while twerking to popular songs in front of a large mirror inside of a home. Their videos average 1 million views. To the untrained eye, it appears the ladies merely throw on a pair of shorts in an empty house and dance the same damn dances to whatever song is getting the most radio play. And that's fine. 

You can follow them on twitter: @TwerkTeam 
So what do you think of the Twerk Revolution? Do you know any amateur twerkers? Do you or any of your friends twerk? I'm listening. 

Twitter: @LegallyRatchet1

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Email: TalentedGeneration@gmail.com