Jookin' History Pt. 2

Jookin' History (Part 2):


The term Memphis Jookin' is used as a cultural term used to represent the original Memphis-born dance “Gangsta Walkin” and many other levels of approaches to the style. During its evolution, the Gangsta Walk began to be referred to interchangeably as Buckin, Choppin, and Jukin. The spelling of the term “Jukin '' was changed to “Jookin” during a conversation between Jai Productions and UDIG Jukin Academy as a collective effort to expose the world to the style. The confusion of Chicago Jukin’ led to the choice to refer to the Memphis styles as “Memphis Jookin” and this change in spelling allowed it to be distinguished from the Chicago-based style. 


At the same time, Memphis had a rich musical history that influenced the world and undeniably heavily impacted the face of Memphis underground hip hop. The musical shift from the late 80s, to the earlier 90s, to the late 90s, and early 2000s had the most influential changes of the Memphis dance culture. This term Jookin' became more popular in the early 90s and changed with the pace of music that was evolving in the city of which was codified as a slower sound.

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