"Laffy Taffy" is a 2005 song by Atlanta-based hip hop group D4L which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2006. The song's success on the charts was largely due to its enormous online sales. The music video version of the song samples and interpolates elements of "Candy Girl" by New Edition, whereas the CD single version of the song excludes the sampling. The song was produced by Born Immaculate, Broderick Thompson Smith and "K-Rab", and the music video was directed by Thomas Forbes.
| "Laffy Taffy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by D4L | ||||
| from the album Down for Life | ||||
| Released | October 18, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Studio | PatchWerk Recording Studios (Atlanta, Georgia) | |||
| Genre | Snap[1] | |||
| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label | WEA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lafabian Williams, Adrian Parks, Dennis Butler, Cory Way, Broderick Thompson Smith, Michael Johnson, Kenji Westbrook | |||
| Producer(s) | K-Rab | |||
| D4L singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Criticism
During "The Champ" from 2006's Fishscale, Ghostface Killah asks "My arts is crafty darts/ while y'all stuck on Laffy Taffy/Wondering, how'd y'all niggas get past me?" Ghostface had mocked the "snap dance" during his 2005 tour.[2] There has also been controversy on who wrote "Laffy Taffy". Rapper Liam "Smack Eyes" Thomas claims that the group had stolen the lyrics from his rhyme book.[3]
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2005–2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[4] | 53 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[5] | 61 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 48 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 25 |
| Scotland (OCC)[8] | 31 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 29 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[10] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 1 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] | 15 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[13] | 6 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[14] | 14 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2006) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Urban (Music Week)[15] | 28 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[16] | 46 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] | 83 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[18] | Gold | 500,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[19] Mastertone | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||