9/3/13 Artist Jayson Musson: The Voice of the "Harlem Shake" Sample - ANIMAL

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ARTIST JAYSON MUSSON: THE VOICE OFTHE “HARLEM SHAKE” SAMPLEBy  Marina  Galperina  |  February  15,  2013  -­  02:30PM

“And if you bring a forty bottle to battle me/ I’ll just punch you in the face/then do the Harlem

Shake.”

That’s artist (and curator) Jayson Musson rapping, you guys. He’s also “Hennessy Youngman,”

the internet’s best art critic whose acclaimed series Art Thoughtz is one of the best things that

ever happened to the internet. And art. And art on the internet. Here’s his famous take-down of

Damien Hirst, ohhhhhhhh….

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9/3/13 Artist Jayson Musson: The Voice of the "Harlem Shake" Sample - ANIMAL

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But before this, Jayson was a Philly art student. Fader reports that the Harlem Shake meme that

you’re all still doing — from Times Square to porn sets – is based on Brooklyn’s Baauer-

produced track… which samples Philadelphia party rap crew Plastic Little, specifically Jayson’s

line. The backstory is amazing and actually, very violent:

The “Harlem Shake” sample is at 3:54.

Tags: Harlem Shake, Hennessy Youngman, Jayson Musson, Rap, Sample, Video Art

The lyric came about as a result of getting into a fist fight over graffiti back in

2001, the same year that “Miller Time” was made. A friend of mine told me this

kid was crossing me out, so logically I began crossing him out. Then one night

after a [Plastic Little] show, I heard that the writer I had issue with was waiting to

see me outside the venue. So I head outside with Kurt [Hunte], who is also in

Plastic Little, to I guess talk with this guy. As I walk outside, I hear someone call

me by my graffiti name so I turn to see who it is, only to be greeted by a 40 bottle

to the face. Despite sneaking his opponent with a bottle, this kid got his ass beat

(he was really bad at fighting). After several minutes, I got pretty bored with

throwing punches so I grabbed him by his collar and tried to put his head through

the passenger side window of a parked car. It didn’t go through luckily, but it

created a lull in the fight where the two of us just stared at each other covered in

blood. This was my first fight and I didn’t know how to properly “end” a fight, so I

just smiled at him and did the Harlem shake, blood gushing from glass cuts on my

face. The other kid, I guess not wanting to fight anymore, or maybe not wanting to

fight someone who just danced at him, got on his skateboard and took off without

his shoes. That’s why “Miller Time” ends with the line, And if you bring a forty

bottle to battle me/ I’ll just punch you in the face/then do the Harlem Shake.

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