"Teach Me How to Dougie" is a song recorded by American hip hop groupCali Swag District. It was produced by Runway Star for Cali Swag District's debut studio album, The Kickback. The song was written by Chanti Glee, Charon Childs, and Corey Fowler, and was released digitally on April 12, 2010 as the first single from the album through Capitol Records. The title refers to the Dougie dance, which originated in Dallas, Texas by rapper, Lil' Wil from his song "My Dougie".This is Adeliyi's first song release as a rapper. "Teach Me How to Dougie" was a commercial success, and peaked at number 28 on the BillboardHot 100, peaked at number 9 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and peaked at number 6 on the Hot Rap Songs. It was certified platinum in the United States. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Yolande Geralds. The video shows Cali Swag as well as other people partying, dancing and skateboarding.
Composition
The song features a metronomic and "cowbell-bolstered" beat. Cali Swag District trades their verses "tag-team" style, bragging about the "Dougie" dance and the "special treatment it earns them from women." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times states that JayAre "stakes out dissenter ground", and quotes the lyric: "Back of the party, I don't really like to boogie / I'm just trying to get bent and meet a thick redbone."
Critical reception
Melanie Bertoldi of Billboard said the track seeks to pick up where "You're a Jerk" and "Crank That" left off, and commented while the dance might leave something to be desired, that the track's "catchy, refreshingly simple hook makes it a no-brainer for repeat play." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times praised the song, especially JayAre's verse, calling him "kinetic", and said he flows "hard on all angles."
Music video
The music video was directed by Yolande Geralds, and was filmed in the group's hometown of Inglewood, California. Aside from showcasing Inglewood's diversity, video features cameos from B-Hamp, New Boyz, and Teyana Taylor, as well as the members of Cali Swag District dancing, partying and skateboarding in the town. It also includes dancing shots of "bubba", a person referenced in the song because of his ability to do the Dougie. C-Smoove stated:
We enjoyed it because everybody came through. It was like our whole city came, so we pretty much knew everybody and if we didn't, we got to meet them. It was all around fun, because we didn't expect that many people to turn out, even though that's what we were looking for. We hoped for the best, but... it turned out better than we expected. It was just a good look.
Chris Ryan of MTV Buzzworthy complimented the dance and video, comparing it to Hurricane Chris's "Halle Berry" and Digital Underground's "The Humpty Dance", stating, "Finally, a dance movement that we can actually see ourselves participating in. It's simple, slow and looks fun enough."
