My Humps

"My Humps"
Song
B-side	"So Real"

"My Humps" is the third single from The Black Eyed Peas' fourth album, Monkey Business. Released in 2005, the single reached a position of #3 in the U.S., becoming the Black Eyed Peas' third Top 10 single on the U.S. mainstream radio charts. The single also reached #3 in the UK Top 40 making it their sixth Top 10 single. The song, was not initially released as a single ("Don't Lie" was intended to be the lead-off release for the album).

Track listing

1. My Humps (Single Version)
2. My Humps (lil Jon Remix Version)
3. So Real
4. My Humps (video)

Criticism

"My Humps" has been the subject of severe criticism by the music press. John Bush, writing for All Music Guide, described it as "one of the most embarrassing rap performances of the new millennium" [1], while Bill Lamb, writing for About.com called it "the musical equivalent of a bad Farrelly Brothers movie".[2] Hua Hsu of Slate said, "It's not Awesomely Bad; it's Horrifically Bad. ... There are bad songs that offend our sensibilities but can still be enjoyed, and then there are the songs that are just really bad—transcendentally bad, objectively bad." [3].

Much of the criticism of the song stems from its repetitive lyrics ("My hump" is repeated fifty-five times) and its exploitation of the female body. Additional criticism comes from the different interpretation of some of the lyrics, as well as the song's actual meaning. Some critics have noted that "junk in the trunk" is urban slang for someone who insists on wearing pants or jeans that are far too tight for an excessively large posterior. Others criticize the message of the song as being one that praises the efforts and successes of a "golddigger" in such a way that it encourages women in general to take everything they can from any man who's interested and give absolutely nothing in return. Due to this interpretation, some strip clubs in the US and Canada have banned this song from their entertainers' playlists much in the same way Tina Turner's Private Dancer was banned in the 1980's due to that song's suggestive overtones in favor of prostitution.

Music video

File:MyHumpsVideo.png

Fergie and backup dancers in the music video.

The official music video for "My Humps", directed by Fatima Robinson, premiered on TRL and shows Fergie dancing with backup dancers as images of expensive items such as Louis Vuitton purses and jewelry appear on the screen, which is supposed to be the jewelry her men have bought her. The other members of the Black Eyed Peas -- Apl.de.ap, Taboo, and will.i.am -- sing about how much they spend on Fergie as she sings about her "humps" and "lovely lady lumps." In some vignettes you see Taboo, Apl.de.ap, and will.i.am behind women erotically dancing. Of all of the videos released by the band, "My Humps" is the first to showcase Fergie above all other band members. Now this is common as she is a solo artist as well as the band member.

The video received the award for Best Hip Hop Video at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards on August 31, 2006.

In popular culture

• In an episode of the American version of the television show The Office, the song can be heard as Michael Scott's ringtone (episode: Branch Closing).

• In Scary Movie 4, Brenda shouts out the line "My lovely lady lumps" when she is in the car with Cindy, while sleeping.

Parodies

This song has been popularized in Singapore after an edit made by mrbrown on 22nd August 2006 on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's rally speech on 20th August 2006. [4]

A parody of the song was featured on an episode of MADtv. It was retitled "My Slump," referring to George W. Bush's slumping approval rating.

Two strips[5][6] of the Cyanide and Happiness webcomic make a reference to this song.

Also, on SuburbanHomeboy.com , there is one called He's Drunk, referring to Bush.

Charts

Chart	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3 (6 weeks)
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	2
U.S. Billboard Dance Radio Airplay	17
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	57
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks	10
U.S. Billboard Hot Ringtones	1
World Singles Top 40	2
Austria Singles Top 75	4
Irish Singles Chart	1
Finland Singles Top 20	7
Dutch Top 40	4
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	2
UK Singles Chart	3
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	1
Sweden Singles Top 60	19
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
Swiss Singles Top 100	3
Belgium Singles Top 50	3
Norway Singles Top 20	4
Lithuania Airplay Chart	1
Germany Singles Top 100	4
Czech IFPI Chart	7
France Singles Top 100	11
Latvian Airplay Top	12