Producer “speedruns” Soulja Boy’s ‘Crank That’, recreating in 19 seconds

Producer and content creator Simon Servida has recreated Soulja Boy’s iconic 2007 hip-hop track Crank That in a speedrun lasting just 19.91 seconds, the world’s fastest attempt to date

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In a video posted to his YouTube channel, the producer uses FL studio, the same DAW as Soulja Boy reportedly used to produce the original track, to recreate the song’s iconic elements including piano bass, hip-hop percussion and catchy steelpan riff.

Speedrunning, more commonly found in the video gaming community but gaining popularity in music production, is the process by which a task is completed as quickly as possible, often in a competitive setting.

In music speedrunning, producers are documenting themselves recreating popular tracks or completely new beats in the fastest time possible, often inciting comments and challenges from others.

Starting off the video with an original speedrun of 37.39 seconds, Servida receives multiple challenges from producers online attempting to break his attempt. The fastest record is from producer Eliminate, who completes the speedrun in 22.74 seconds, setting a new world record in the process.

Sevida then challenges himself to beat this record over the course of a week, eventually managing it within five days. However, the producer is underwhelmed at his achievement, saying, ‘‘I think I can go way faster,” before attempting a sub-20-second speedrun, filming each attempt as it happens and sharing helpful tips along the way.

Crank That, the breakout single from Soulja Boy Tell’em, was an international success; spending 7 weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the most downloaded song in the USA in 2007.

Instantly recognizable by its iconic steelpan hook, the track reportedly took Soulja Boy very little time to make: “It took me an hour to produce the Crank That song– at the most,” he famously admitted in an interview with HipHopDX.

Find out more about Simon Servida at simonservida.com