Being Mocked And Making Money: 5 Thriving YouTube Videos

2. Antoine Dodson: Man of the Hour

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Antoine Dodson was having a bad day: he had just saved his sister, Kelly, from being raped by “some idiot in the projects.” And when the news crew showed up, he was visibly distraught: “Hide ya kids, hide wife,” he warned the residents of Huntsville, Alabama. But then the Gregory Brothers, of AutoTune the News, got their hands on the footage and duly turned the soundbyte into the “Bed Intruder Song,” one of the catchiest, gets-stuck-in-your-head-iest pop tunes of the year, in my view.

And thanks to its YouTube popularity–it’s been viewed over 34 million times in a matter of weeks–Dodson has managed reverse his fortunes. With proceeds from iTunes sales of the song and other ventures, Dodson has been able to buy a house–outside the now-famous Lincoln Park Projects. And praise his wit, Dodson quickly realized he was sitting on a YouTube goldmine. He began selling merchandise on his website and accepting donations via PayPal. There’s even an official Antoine Dodson Halloween costume! He and Michael Gregory (of AutoTune The News) “performed” the song live at the BET Hip Hop Awards last week. And, according to his Twitter page, Dodson is headed to L.A. to “talk about a reality show.” Sadly, the perp has yet to be caught.