Dancing has always been a staple in hip-hop. From b-boys breaking to Soulja Boy teaching America how to "Crank That," dancing has been a outlet used by fans and artists alike. In the early 2000s, every song that was popular featured a dance. D4L demonstrated the intricacies of how to "snap," Dem Franchize Boyz instructed viewers how to "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" and Chingy introduced the chicken head dance to the world when "Right Thurr" dropped.

In 2015, there has been a resurgence in hip-hop dance culture thanks to big records finding their way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Silento's "Watch Me (Whip/Nae-Nae)" peaked at No. 3 and stood there for six non-consecutive weeks while ILoveMemphis's "Hit the Quan" scored a No. 15 slot. Those tracks exploded with the help of Vine, YouTube and Snapchat and sent more than a few kids into stardom.

"How I want to change the game is have everybody happy," ILoveMemphis told XXL. "And how everybody going to be happy is when they dance. When they dance, you laugh at yourself because you feel like you did something goofy. So if everybody happy, all the crime and stuff will shut down and on top of that, people will be exercising by dancing. So, you know, it’s a win-win."

XXL takes a look back at the five biggest dance moves of 2015 and breaks down how they became popular.

  • The Whip/Nae Nae

    People who made the dance popular: Silento

    Though two completely separate dances, the Whip and Nae Nae became a national phenomena when then-little known Silento exploded onto the scene with his single "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)." Now you can't go a week without hearing the song or seeing a celebrity on television showing out with their own moves.

  • The Dab

    People who made the dance popular: Skippa Da Flippa, Migos

    Now the origin of the Dab is debatable but most credit Skippa da Flippa's 2014 video "How Fast Can You Count It" for popularizing the dance. Moving into 2015, fellow Atlanta rappers Migos and PeeWee Longway helped popularize the move after creating an entire song dedicated to it, "Look at My Dab." Even Carolina Panthers' star Quarterback Cam Newton brought it to a national scale. This is the year dabbin became a viral hit. But remember "dabbin is a way of fashion," not "a strong way to smoke marijuana." Sorry, Bow Wow.

  • Hit the Quan

    People who made the dance popular: ILoveMemphis

    "The Quan" was created by Rich Homie Quan. The Former XXL Freshman unveiled the dance in the video for "Flex" earlier this year. But the dance really blew up after ILoveMemphis' "Hit the Quan" became a hit single. Now celebrities all over the world can be seen doing it. Just watch Terry Crews and Kendrick Lamar hit the Quan in the video for "These Walls" if you need a quick refresher of how to do it properly.

  • Hit Dem Folks

    People who made the dance popular: Odell Beckham, Bankroll Fresh

    Hit Dem Folks is a dance that originated from Atlanta but became popular after New York Giants star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was seen doing it in a bunch of videos with the like of "Drop the Nae/Nae" creators We Are Toonz. He then adopted the dance as his go-to touchdown celebration.

     

  • Milly Rock

    People who made the dance popular: 2 Milly

    For two consecutive years, a Brooklyn native has started a dance craze. In 2014, Bobby Shmurda taught the world how to Shmoney dance. This year, 2 Milly brings the "Milly Rock" to the masses. Now the Milly Rock is a go-to celebration for some of the NFL's youngest stars such as Jeremy Hill, Tavon Austin, Chris Baker and Muhammad Wilkerson.

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