'Run and tell'at,' Antoine is for real

On July 28, 2010, Antoine Dodson had no idea that just a few days after the harrowing attack on his sister in their Lincoln Park apartment in Huntsville, Ala., he would be on the rise to viral video infamy, much less have one of the most downloaded songs of 2010 by the end of the year.

Although some may think it silly, Dodson’s story is proof that good things still happen to regular people. A few days after the clip went viral, The Gregory Brothers of “Auto-Tune the News” fame called to collaborate with him to create a song. It quickly exploded all over the internet and has become one of the most downloaded songs of 2010 and has over 54 million views on YouTube.

His anthem has made people laugh, it’s inspired people and brought an onslaught of covers from well-known bands to choirs to marching bands and hundreds more of unknowns across the web.

Compared to other viral videos in the year’s top ten, Dodson’s story stands out as unique. This wasn't a slow climb to the top, this happened almost literally overnight and without purposeful promotion. Dodson became an internet meme within a surprising 48 hours.

He was just as shocked with the sensation his interview made as anyone else. In the beginning, Dodson claims that when he saw himself on the web, he was angry at the way he seemed to be portrayed, but quickly realized the good that could come out of this rags-to-riches experience. Criticism from some that his and his family's ordeal is exploitation has been denied by Dodson. He looks upon the outcome of that tragedy as a silver lining.

In several interviews, Dodson pressed that he doesn’t want people to think of him as aggressive or angry, and that in his original interview he was emotional because of the incident his family had just suffered. He wants people to know he's a good-tempered person who was upset about what had happened to his sister.

Since Dodson’s rise to Internet sensation, he’s done quite a few things to help his family. Within just 50 days of his first appearance on the local news, waving his bus schedule around at the camera, Dodson was able to move his family out of Lincoln Park to a new house in a better neighborhood.

Even though Dodson is working on his celebrity status, he maintains a sense of humility. His flamboyance and strong character make for good story, but he truly seems to be the real deal. His smile is genuine, and he is a polite young man, with a great sense of style.

From the looks of things, Antoine Dodson isn’t letting this once-in-a-lifetime chance pass him by. This good luck, this blessing, this fluke or whatever you want to call it, he has embraced it with open arms. Antoine Dodson is on his way to becoming a super-star. Now you can run and tell that, homeboy.