That time FBC Senior Adult Choir proved that it’s the attitude, not the age, that matters in music when they bumped hip hop classics in church, becoming YouTube legends. The senior choir opened the viral performance with Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”, but they weren’t done yet. The 20-strong choir then dropped cheeky arrangements of Chamillionaire’s “Ridin'”, and even got a bit spicy by singing The Pussycat Dolls & Busta Rhymes’ “Don’t Cha”. It’s not all about the novelty factor, as the choir dropped some fire vocal arrangements on the hip hop classics, and how much fun they were having with it made the performance iconic!
FBC Senior Adult Choir also performed Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” and MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”. The video indicates that FBC Senior Adult Choir filmed the hip hop medley as a talent show audition tape. It’s not clear what talent show they were applying for, but clearly they were in it to win it with this fresh take on classic hip hop. Unsurprisingly, the performance went all kinds of viral, drawing 1.6 million views on YouTube.
Viewers found a whole lot to love in the FBC Senior Adult Choir’s performance. Hip hop fans thought that Eminem would approve of the senior choir’s hip hop skills. Viewers also added comments such as “The choir leader looks so proud” and “I’d go to church every Sunday if these guys were the choir.” Viewers also praised the performance as “wholesome” and said that how much the choir members were enjoying themselves made this a great moment.
The FBC Senior Adult Choir is based in the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia. The choir gained national coverage from TV and radio outlets from their viral hip hop medley, and even picked up coverage from across the pond by the likes of Classic FM. It’s easy to understand why the surprising setlist from the choir made such a big splash. You can see the FBC Senior Adult Choir take on “Hot In Here” below.
The clip of the medley, uploaded to YouTube by fan channel Siyclone in late 2008, continues to draw appreciative listeners. The video has also been reuploaded countless times across various social media platforms, and continues to gain media coverage into the 2020s.
What makes the recording endure is not flawless vocal polish but the sheer joy of watching two different musical worlds collide. By treating iconic party tracks with the earnest discipline of a community choir recital, these vocalists created an unexpected online favourite. It serves as a reminder that great songs cross any generational divide, especially when performers aren’t taking themselves too seriously.