:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/PZDHZAX4IJEHFPSPOFBYCYZC5I.jpg)
It’s a great time to be a Baltimore Ravens fan: We have the best record in the AFC North division and just beat the Seattle Seahawks in a humiliating manner this weekend. Odell Beckham Jr., though, had even more to celebrate as he enjoyed his 31st birthday on Sunday by scoring a touchdown — his first since the 2021 Super Bowl, when he was on the Los Angeles Rams.
Beckham celebrated his recent six-pointer in a truly Baltimore way: by doing the Park Heights Strut. The dance consists of a two-step or “strut,” followed by several other unique leg motions and a spin. Since the wide receiver joined the Ravens, he quickly adapted to the community of the city by hosting youth camps here and taking on a leadership role for the team. He told reporters after the Seahawks game that he originally had a different touchdown celebration in mind, but that “there’s so much that I want to do for this team, organization and also the city of Baltimore. They’ve embraced me in the culture and that’s all I want to do is be able to put on for them, make them proud and just see where we go from there.”
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/HMMVNLIPBFB53P4X4NUM4WZ62Q.jpg)
The Park Heights Strut has been around for years, but it reached new heights of popularity last year courtesy of TikTok, where the dance went viral. Bunkey Jr., the man who popularized his own iteration of the dance, previously spoke with The Banner about the importance of the dance to Baltimore as “something positive for the city.”
“It makes me feel great because our city is always known for something bad,” Bunkey said in an October 2022 interview. ”Like I got the kids supporting me, I got a lot of shows to do, I met a lot of people all because the city is behind me.”
Bunkey has since partied with Diddy, traveled across the nation and more, but he still has a big stake in his hometown. “[T]his history for me and u,” Bunkey, who calls himself the strut king, posted on his Instagram account alongside a video of Beckham doing the dance. “[K]eep getting busy I love my city man we amazing let’s keep going up.”
More from The Baltimore Banner
In honor of OBJ’s touchdown celebration, we wanted to spotlight some of our other favorites from the Ravens.
Jacoby Jones’ tribute to Ray Lewis in Super Bowl XLVII
A lot of Jacoby Jones’ celebrations were must-see-TV — including his Choppa City Juke dance — but our choice here is his Ray Lewis “squirrel dance” imitation in which he slides side to side followed by a hip thrust (usually done while Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” is playing). It was Lewis’ final season when Jones busted this out, so to see Jones’ tribute to the Hall of Fame linebacker during Super Bowl XLVII, the biggest stage of the NFL season, was heartwarming to watch. The wide receiver and return specialist even got an invitation to star on “Dancing with the Stars” due to all of his eye-catching performances.
Lamar Jackson’s Kodak Bop
Lamar Jackson’s friendship with rapper Kodak Black is well-documented: Both are from Pompano Beach, Florida, and Jackson has even appeared in Loe Shimmy’s music video for “Bounty,” which features Kodak. Jackson paid homage to his friend several times while doing his somewhat stiff Kodak Bop by simply getting low to the ground and moving his arms in a circular motion. He might’ve actually missed the “bop” part, but it’s Lamar Jackson so we accept it.
Alex Collins’ Irish Dance
Former Ravens running back Alex Collins was known for the Irish jig he would do after scoring a touchdown. Some even labeled it as the best touchdown celebration in the NFL. Unfortunately, Collins tragically lost his life in a traffic collision just several months ago. We can all honor him by watching compilations of his popular dance.
taji.burris@thebaltimorebanner.com
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/baltimorebanner/992d383e-d543-45c4-9c8a-c85d0df8210c.png)
Taji Burris has covered the Baltimore music scene since 2015 for outlets such as The Working Title and The 4th Quarter, and now at the Baltimore Banner.
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/GTCCVJZJVNETVJQAABDIYOSCW4.JPG)
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/C5RNK4UYEZHJ5KRAE5TAXBVZEM.jpg)
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/SAIF3W6YERGZFPARMH64PQNMEM.jpg)
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/XQSZB3ZBDNC5REANQW2HY7RPHI.jpg)