The “Harlem Shake,” the viral craze that has swept the nation, has attracted passionate followers as well as confused spectators. With such excited and perplexed voices chiming in on the conversation, it begs the question: what is the real “Harlem Shake?”

The original “Harlem Shake” was known as the “albee,” named after “Al B,” a resident of Harlem in 1981. Al B introduced and popularized the dance, which was renamed the “Harlem Shake” as it spread throughout the Harlem community. Al B referred to it as “a drunken shake” that everyone has come to appreciate. Prior to its popularity in Harlem, however, the albee was derived from ancient Egyptian mummies, the strange motions emulating their discombobulated and disjointed movements. As the mummies were tightly wrapped in their gauze, it was difficult for them to move. What they could do, however, was shake. The albee also drew inspiration from an Ethiopian dance called the “Eskista” which has been performed widely across America and has been made prominent by artists including Beyoncé, who features the “Eskista” in the beginning of her music video for “Run the World (Girls).”

While popular among residents of Harlem and the hip-hop scene that was prevalent in New York City, the “Harlem Shake” didn’t receive big-time mainstream recognition until its appearance in G-Dep’s video for his hit “Let’s Get It” in 2001. The video features young dancers performing the rhythmic and seemingly uncontrolled dance with great precision, which made the “Harlem Shake” a must-learn dance for many rap and hip-hop performers. Soon after, the dance was known everywhere. In Jadakiss’ 2001 “Put Ya Hands Up” video, it was perfected. Bow Wow, then still Lil’, became one of the biggest “Harlem Shake” fans, performing the dance in his 2002 “Basketball” video and continuously throughout his career. The “Harlem Shake” was brought back to prominence in 2006 through another famous dance craze, DJ Webstar’s “Chicken Noodle Soup.” Since then, a whole knew generation of hip-hop fans have been able to enjoy the dance, even if they can’t quite do it.

Today, however, the “Harlem Shake” is another entity entirely, with no ties to the original. In early February, DJ-producer Baauer launched his techno track titled “Harlem Shake,” which has been reproduced and replicated by YouTube users all over the nation, featuring regular office workers, bored groups of friends with nothing better to do and university students longing to become part of the trend. In the neo-“Harlem Shake,” one person sporting a crazy costume is positioned in the center of the video, flailing around, often doing pelvic thrusts. When the beat drops, the casual office workers or the studying students break out into crazy moves, similarly dressed in outlandish outfits. Even Binghamton University has created its own version.

Now that the “Harlem Shake” has become such an institution, it is confusing to some hip-hop fans and Harlem residents alike why there is a new viral craze with the same name. With such wildly different versions of what people call the “Harlem Shake,” it is clear why this confusion exists and why some may not have reacted in kind to the new fad. Across the Internet, people have expressed their reactions to this new “Shake,” some feeling slightly offended. Harlem residents especially feel that the random dancing done to a song with the same title as their beloved dance makes a mockery of the creation that represents an art form for those who appreciated it in its original form. There are others, however, who enjoy its new image.

“I think the ‘Harlem Shake’ is just another viral video phenomenon and that it was fun to jump on the bandwagon,” said Spenser Carrion, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, upon filming with the Binghamtonics. “It was hilarious to see how everybody dressed up and what crazy thing they chose to do during the video.”

So, what is the real “Harlem Shake?” Well, the YouTube era, which did not exist when the original “Harlem Shake” was created, has allowed the new version to reach great heights. While this has led to competing views over the authenticity of this shake, it may be best to leave this question unanswered. It is clear that the dance that originated in Harlem is still prevalent and has its own merit; however, we can also appreciate today’s “Harlem Shake” without forgetting the past.