Bust a Move (song)


"Bust a Move" is a song by British-American rapper Young MC. It won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. It appeared on his album Stone Cold Rhymin' and was his biggest hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in Australia. The song stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 39 weeks and 20 weeks in the top 40 alone.
The song is built on a sample of "Found a Child" by the group Ballin' Jack. The drums, produced by a LinnDrum, are sampled from the song "Radio-Activity" by RoyalCash. The breakdown segment contains a combination of beats sampled from the songs "Scorpio" by Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band, and "Daytime Hustler" by Bette Midler. Bust a Move also featured guest vocals by Crystal Blake and bass guitar by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, both of whom also appeared in the video.
In 2008, it was ranked number 47 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs and number 60 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA in the U.S. in January 1990.

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

In popular culture

The song is featured in the 1989 film Uncle Buck, and appears in both the 2000 film Dude, Where's My Car? and its accompanying soundtrack. The song is also featured in the 2009 films The Blind Side, 17 Again, and Up in the Air, and the 2017 film It. It appears in the end credits of the 2001 film Max Keeble's Big Move.
The song was performed by Will Schuester in the Glee episode "Mash-Up" and is regularly used in the television show My Name Is Earl as Randy's favourite party song. The song appears on the soundtrack of the 2016 video game Forza Horizon 3, and is played in the Futurama episode "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV". It also makes an appearance in The Big Bang Theory season 9 episode "The Positive Negative Reaction", where Leonard and Raj sing the song at a bar during karaoke.