WMPH

American hip-hop group Cali Swag District has gained massive popularity with their hit “Teach Me How to Dougie,” but that dance how-to would not have been possible without Doug E. Fresh. Fresh gained fame as the frontman for Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew, which recorded two of hip-hop’s early big hits: the single “The Show,” which sampled the Inspector Gadget theme and detailed the preparation for a rap show, and its B-side “La Di Da Di,” where Fresh provided the human beatbox backdrop to MC Ricky D’s (Slick Rick’s) raps.As Fresh gained in popularity and became an enduring hip-hop icon (his last album was released in 1996, but he released a single with Square Off in 2007), his iconic dance moves became club staples. These mainly involved Fresh smoothly wiping his hand across his head from front to back, but the term “Dougie” also grew to encompass someone with an impressive personal style.The dance mentioned in Cali Swag District’s track originated when the crew observed some Texas college students doing a dance called the “D-Town Boogie.” The musicians realized that the new dance had its roots in the Dougie, and decided to spread the knowledge to the world. “Teach Me How to Dougie” is the first single for the group, which was founded by rappers Big Wy and Dairold Potts. The single debuted at Number 91 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and rose to Number 28 by its 13^th week. On the Billboard Heatseekers chart, however, the single reached the number one spot.The single is featured on the group’s debut album The Kickback, releasing on January 18, 2011 on Capitol Records’ Checkmate Entertainment imprint. Besides kickstarting Cali Swag District’s career, Fresh has also enjoyed a resurgence of popularity. He performed with CSD at the BET Awards Pre-show on June 27, 2010, taught CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer the dance at the Soul Train Awards on November 8, 2010, and voted on the best “sports-related” Dougies on ESPN’s First Take on December 10, 2010. Fresh voted host Skip Bayless’s dance the best.