NFL
By: Brock Vierra
As New Boyz (mentioned in a previous article) were known for their music that went alongside the dance craze called jerkin, Cali Swag District’s hit song “Teach Me How To Dougie” took off like a muscle car in a street race. The Dougie is a dance movie that was popularized in the early 2010s. Allegedly the Dougie originated in Dallas, Texas but was popularized by the black community of Inglewood, California. Cali Swag District and its four members, M-Bone, JayAre, OFB Yung, and Smoove Da General took the Dougie to the internet with both the song and a subsequent music video that essentially broke down all the moves to the dance. Overnight it became an instant sensation and eventually, everyone from across the county was participating in the dance. Of course, having your opening hit song be popularized by a dance is never a good sign that a group will achieve long-lasting success but it seems that as fast as their star rose, it fell even before their song fell off the charts. What happened and where is Cali Swag District now?
Cali Swag District was a group that was active from 2009-2015. When Teach Me How To Dougie dropped in 2010 for their debut album The Kickback, they followed up the success of dance hits You’re A Jerk by New Boyz, Cat Daddy by Rej3ctz, and Crank That by Soulja Boy. However though timing and era played a huge portion in their success, the song was propelled by a catchy beat, lyrics that were highly quotable, and the aforementioned dance associated with the song. If they already didn’t have everything going for them, viral videos of various celebrities, athletes, and media personnel were constantly being posted of them dancing to the song. It all came to a head when Gabby Douglas, the gold medal-winning U.S. gymnast performed the dance upon qualifying for the Olympics.
Literally, nothing they did could stop the train that was the Dougie and only the most tragic or inconceivable thing could end Cali Swag District. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. On May 15th, 2011, M-Bone was tragically killed in his car outside a liquor store. One of the finest performers of the Dougie, M-Bone or Montae Talbert was a victim of what seems to be a random drive-by shooting. Over a decade later, we still do not have any answers on who killed Talbert or what was the reason behind it. Talbert was only 22 years old. The fallout of Talbert’s death was massive and the group never recovered. Their debut album was delayed and when it finally dropped, the single which garnered them so much attention didn’t really have the same popularity to it.
Cali Swag District would go on to release some mixtapes and singles to little or no success while their second album We All We Got which was supposed to be released in 2013 was shelved. It seemed to be the end but the glimmer of hope was still there until 2014 when JayAre whose legal name is Cahron Childs passed away from cardiac arrest caused by the effects of Sickle Cell anemia. Less than 12 months later, Cali Swag District was no more.
So that leads us to what are OFB Yung and Smoove Da General up to these days. Though both men are done with Cali Swag District, they remain heavily involved in the music industry. Via social media, OFB Yung continues to rap and produce while he also seems focused on being a mentor or source of advice for up-and-coming artists. Smoove Da General operates as a DJ as he focuses on his responsibilities as a father. There seems to be no beef between the two and both constantly celebrate the lives and work of their fallen bandmates.
Though a reunion seems highly unlikely, their song continues to be a source of nostalgia for many. Success in music can happen so fast and go by so quickly that we as fans never got a chance to really appreciate how much of a cultural impact Cali Swag Distract had on so many. To OFB Yung and Smoove Da General, I wish both men continued success and blessings in their lives while giving M-Bone and JayAre the flowers they deserved so long ago. Maybe one day, for the next generation, they can once again Teach Me How to Dougie.
