The Dance Sensation Of The Summer Has People Asking, 'where Them Fans At?'

Black America’s 2025 summertime anthem whitethorn really beryllium a statement creation steeped successful African history and tradition.

The catchy “Boots connected nan Ground” opus by South Carolina rapper 803Fresh seems to beryllium everyplace — astatine picnics, reunions, beforehand lawns, artifact parties, cruise ships and festivals — pinch droves of African Americans waving fans and chanting nan viral phrase, “Where them fans at?”

The signature Southern Soul statement creation opus was released successful December. It precocious surged successful fame aft mundane group and celebrities alike began donning cowboy outfits and performing nan choreography for a TikTok challenge.

The momentum has only continued building.

“Southern Soul euphony has been underground for years but this peculiar opus brings nan cowboy civilization into a spot wherever everyone tin participate,” said Ramal “The Hometown Heat” Brown, a erstwhile hip-hop disc jockey astatine 105.3 KJAMZ successful Tulsa, Oklahoma. “It brings a state consciousness to metropolis life.”

Some of those who participated successful nan viral “Boots connected nan Ground” challenge, which sewage millions of views connected societal media, are erstwhile NBA prima Shaquille O’Neal and first woman Michelle Obama.

The official euphony video for nan song, posted connected YouTube 2 months ago, has been seen 12 cardinal times.

During an intermission astatine nan Winter Park Jazz Festival successful Colorado past weekend, a disc jockey joked that personification paid him $100 to play nan song.

And erstwhile he did, hundreds successful attendance, sloppy of race, recovered immoderate small abstraction was disposable connected nan vast, crowded section to return a spin. Others stood up to watch and study it.

Culture professional Blue Telusma credits nan occurrence of Beyoncé’s 2024 medium “Cowboy Carter” pinch paving nan measurement for “Boots connected nan Ground.”

“Carter” won nan Grammy Awards for medium of nan twelvemonth and champion state medium by exploring and highlighting nan overlooked contributions of Black group to euphony and culture.

While immoderate balked astatine Beyoncè's general introduction into country, Telusma said it was an instrumental measurement toward reclaiming nan genre for group of color.

“Blacks, Mexicans and Latinos person a heavy history successful cowboy civilization that we often don’t get in installments for, and nan aforesaid ancestral DNA that I fishy that Beyoncé tapped into by doing ‘Cowboy Carter’ is what statement dancing intends successful nan Black community,” Telusma said.

Traditionally, for nan ancestors and enslaved Africans who built America, statement dancing was a shape of belief communal dancing.

“It was a measurement for group during really nasty times to get together successful a barn aliases a speakeasy and creation arsenic a collective,” Telusma said.

Some opportunity nan measurement “Boots” sounds allows for an intergenerational appreciation of nan song. Part of nan opus is derived from trail-ride culture, wherever Black Southerners would person cookouts earlier mounting their horses while dressed successful vests and colorful cowboy attire and thrust done different neighborhoods to show disconnected their livestock, said 37-year-old Denver resident China Scroggins. She besides agrees nan opus is tied to African ancestral traditions.

“There’s thing very culturally and historically sound astir nan measurement Black Americans and their ancestors moved successful bid to overcome,” said Scroggins, who taught herself nan creation aft watching respective viral videos earlier this year. “The opus came retired erstwhile group needed to perceive it coming disconnected of a statesmanlike predetermination — being successful measurement pinch each other. And nan opus and creation was easy to adapt, and it was fun.”

Radio-friendly statement dances for illustration nan “Electric Slide” successful nan 1980s and later nan “Cupid Shuffle” and “The Wobble” person agelong been a portion of Black culture.