Well, actually not my cheer in the traditional sense, but she definitely does steal part of the little black girl songs I remember from my youth for her new video “Work.” Amidst all the gyrating and some impressive dancing (I give props to anyone with the knees for all that low-to-the-ground booty popping), Ciara throws in a few lines from the sassy girl games and songs I remember playing growing up:

 

“We got the rhythm of the beat, we got the ryhtm of the hands, lets get the rhythm of the feet. Jump in, jump out, jump in, jump out.”

 

She might as well have said, “my hands up high, my feet down low, and this the way I gigolo,” I recall that being a favorite song of mine around age 11. But maybe that would have been too obvious, lol. Remember these hood girl ditties? Most of them were tied to games you played in a circle and involved random booty shaking and (in my case forced) solo dancing. Or if they weren’t played in a circle then the song about kissing boys or somesuch would be sang while we doubledutched.

 

I’d be interested to know where these songs originated and why the hell my momma let me sing them. What did my 11-year-old self really know about a gigolo, anyway? Maybe some girl in each neighborhood made them up, I give kudos to whomever she was in mine for being so creative.  Or maybe folks learned them from cousins on sleepovers and summers spent up north/down south/back east/out west/not at your mamma’s house. I wonder what new remixes exist today.

 

This isn’t the first time in recent history Ciara looked to the hood for lyrical inspiration. She channelled the now internet-infamous (and seriously troubled– don’t make fun) “Marta Girl” on her song “Go Girl, too (”It’s CiCi and T-Pain/I’m a go girl, I’m finna do my thang”). I personally thought that was a little tacky, though.

 

But I actually like this video, despite the fact that Ciara is trying to do the pantsless thing (between Rihanna, Gaga and Beyonce I think that lane is congested). Ciara and Missy are always a pretty good combination. Now if only CiCi would hook back up with Jazze Pha and fire her graphic designer, she might be in it to win it again.

 

 

Tags: Ciara, Go Girl, Hood ditties, Marta Girl, Work