Hurricane Chris, A Bay Bay | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 12th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we highlight “A Bay Bay” performed by Louisiana rapper Hurricane Chris. 

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy ! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the 12^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we dive into “A Bay Bay”, the one-hit wonder by Hurricane Chris.

“You wanna know what we say in the club (A Bay Bay) / White folks, gangstas, and the thugs (A Bay Bay).” Woo! Shreveport, Louisiana rapper Hurricane Chris (Christopher Dooley) had a once-in-a-lifetime hit with “A Bay Bay”.  “A Bay Bay” is the second track from Chris’ debut album, 51/50 Ratchet, released in 2007. Dooley penned “A Bay Bay” alongside Baton Rouge, Louisiana producer Phunk Dawg (Earl Williams). Although Dooley reached the pop charts a couple more times, “A Bay Bay” was his sole top 40 hit. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.  Notably, the song was certified platinum by the RIAA. 

“A Bay Bay” begins distinctively with a ‘baby’ intro, specifically Baby 3. The intro sets the tone.  The sound of the record exemplifies 2000s southern rap with clapping snares and bright synths.  Sure, the sound palette has changed since then, but hearing “A Bay Bay” for the first time in years, reminded me how hard it slapped during my collegiate years.  Lengthy, clocking in north of five minutes, Hurricane Chris has a lot to say, rather, rap! First and foremost, the section to beat is the endearing, memorable chorus excerpted above.  Hurricane Chris continues:

“Stuntin’ with a stacks of them dubs (A Bay Bay)

Ridin’ in the ‘lac with a mug (A Bay Bay)

I’m in the club hollering

A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay.”

Ayy! Beyond the chorus, he brings plenty of attitude, energy, and personality to the track.  He delivers a compelling cadence and flow.  “Now when I holla A Bay Bay, I’m finna get my groove on,” he spits in the first verse, continuing, “It’s so hot up in the club that I ain’t got no shoes on / Holdin’ up a big stack of dem hunnids in a rubber band.” Woo! In the second, he gets raunchy as he raps, “You goin’ to let me get in your mouth / Well that’s where I’mma be.” Damn! The drip ‘drips’ in the third verse: “I go to Saint Louis and let my chain hang low / Canary yellow diamonds mixed with rose gold.” A BAY BAY! While this club banger lacks transcendence, it’s a helluva lot of fun.  The goal is always to earn more than one hit but the silver lining for Hurricane Chris is that “A Bay Bay” is the sugar honey iced tea.

Hurricane Chris // 51/50 Ratchet // J / Sony BMG Music Entertainment // 2007

Hurricane Chris, A Bay Bay: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 12 (2024) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; J / Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Antoni Shkraba, KoolShooters, Pavel Danilyuk, Photo By: Kaboompics.com, RDNE Stock project from Pexels; AcatXIo, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]