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Auto-Tuned Accidental Singer Antoine Dodson Hits the Billboard Hot 100

by Terrence O'Brien on August 21, 2010 at 09:00 AM

Antoine Dodson and The Gregory Brothers
If you don't know who Antoine Dodson is, and haven't heard the 'Bed Intruder' song, you've been missing out. We don't have time for a full recap, so catch up by checking out Antoine's original appearance on the Web, thanks to his on-camera rant about a man who attacked his sister. The over-the-top tirade was ready-made for memedom. But things really took off when the Gregory Brothers, the quartet behind Autotune the News, got their melodically inclined mitts on the clip, and turned it into three-and-a-half minutes of pure (accidental) pop brilliance.

Since landing on iTunes earlier this month, the 'Bed Intruder Song' has sold tens of thousands of copies, climbed the iTunes charts, and even entered the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached number 89 on the Billboard charts this week, surprising everyone -- even its creators. To our knowledge, this is the first viral video-inspired track (and really, a viral video in and of itself) to enter the pop charts. It's a legitimate Web sensation that has inspired numerous cover versions, including this incredible marching band version.
Don't think this is a bunch of Web-savvy hipsters exploiting some poor sap they found on the Web, though. The Gregories split the proceeds from the iTunes sales 50-50 with the Dodson family, and Antoine has capitalized on his accidental celebrity by selling T-shirts and doing promotional tours of various news shows. Antoine Dodson has taken what was initially a source of embarrassment and turned it into a (temporary) money-making venture. Antoine recently told ABC News that he'd made "a nice amount of money" from his 15 minutes of fame, "enough to move my family from the projects." And there isn't anything wrong with that.

Tags: antoine dodson, AntoineDodson, autotune the news, AutotuneTheNews, gregory brothers, GregoryBrothers

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