Stanza one is an introduction: our main players are introduced -- The Brain Supreme and Steve Rollin', together comprising Tag Team. We, the listeners, are appealed to as "party people" and it is requested that we "make some noise," and "jump, jump, rejoice," as well as to "shake [our] derriere[s]." The locations of two or more parties are disclosed -- "over here" and "over there." Then the crux of their thesis -- such as it is -- is presented: "these three words mean you're gettin' busy: 'Whoomp, there it is'." (I remind the reader at this point that these words were penned by a man calling himself "the Brain Supreme.")
Stanza two alerts us to the fact that the true meaning of the song is still upcoming, however: "I'm about to show you folks what it's all about," says the Brain Supreme. The anticipation is felt, but once again, B.S. continues to tell us what he's going to do, instead of just doing it; he informs us that it's "time to get on the mic[rophone]" (one wonders how we were able to hear his recorded voice prior to this point) and "make this party hype," and then offers some jusitifcation, but then merely requests that we join him in saying "Whoomp, there it is" (which, if you'll remember, is a signifier that we're "gettin' busy.")
The remainder of the song -- the bridge, plus stanzas three, four, and five -- do not enlighten the listener any further. They are either nonsensical ("Whoomp chak a laka chack a laka," etc.) or self-referential ("the underground sound that you have found [is] amazing, outstanding, demanding"). The "demanding" claim is backed up by the fact the that song does make several demands of the listener, as noted above (paragraph 2, e.g. jumping, rejoicing), but nothing that resembles a "point" can be discerned anywhere in the song, save that the phrase "whoomp there it is" indicates "gettin' busy."
And that, I believe, is the height of inanity. It probably made Brain Supreme several hundred thousand dollars, if not more. I love it like my own children.
UPDATE: Several interesting points are raised in the commentary section.
No less an authority than Japanologist Dave Rupert of rupeandconk.com offers us a survey course worth of knowledge about hip-hop:
... the lead rapper's acumen is put into question when he says "these three words mean you're gettin' busy: 'Whoomp, there it is'." That is clearly 4 words, as appearing on the album cover.And no less an authority than esteemed municipal blogger Craig (not to be confused with Semprini, presumably the name of an evil Italian marionette) raises some interesting questions about quality control and epistemological coherence in pop songs:
... Was there, at some point, any internal discussion regarding how many words are actually in the phrase "Whoomp there it is?"
These four words are what it’s all about… I just don’t know.
Dear God, I really hope not.
Regarding the number of words in the song: perhaps the name of the song was originally "Whoomp! There 'Tis" before the record label made them drop the pirate theme. Or maybe it was translated from Spanish; my junior high Spanish teacher (author of The Kennedy Corridos: A Study of the Ballads of a Mexican American Hero and amateur pan-flute player) once treated my class to an a capella rendition of "¡Whoomp! ¡Hay Está!"
Please, dear readers, share your thoughts. We may be able to solve these mysteries together.
As I learned in my Language Culture Communcation: Hip-Hop Nation course at the University I attended, my professor, Dr. Streets, pointed out the the self-referential, outwardly focused taunts are called "The Boast". A rapper or lyrical gangster will "boast" about themselves to taunt other rappers and make them aware of their inferior skills, be it lyrical/sexual/monetarily.
ReplyDeleteBoasts typically appear in the rapper's first stanza as a brief form of introduction and a show of status, similar to the Japanese custom of meishi (business card exchange).
Perhaps the Tag Team's ability to throw multiple parties simultaneously with their beats that cause involuntary rump-shaking is a form of boasting.
However the lead rapper's acumen is put into question when he says "these three words mean you're gettin' busy: 'Whoomp, there it is'." That is clearly 4 words, as appearing on the album cover.
Despite this glaring error, this song somehow rose to become an international success and I think it is appearing in the new movie Beverly Hills Chihuahu!
I think that this discussion raises an interesting question regarding lyrical accuracy, especially with regard to mathematical and/or literary concepts in popular music composition. Was there, at some point, any internal discussion regarding how many words are actually in the phrase "Whoomp there it is?" In another popular music song was the true definition of irony ever compared to the case study of flies in wine? Or are there artistic overriding considerations that make counting and/or reading irrelevant given the greater goals of the song?
ReplyDeleteThese four words are what it’s all about… I just don’t know.
My guess is that Brain Supreme and his companion made the common mistake of thinking an onomatopoeic word is not a word. Thus they considered "Whoomp" the mere "sound" of getting busy, and "there it is" as the three linguistic signifiers for getting busy.
ReplyDeleteThis (possible) resolution brings up a potentially more interesting question: is the precise syntactical relationship given in the song--"there it is"--necessary to the signification of getting busy, or can each of those three words signify "the biz" on its own?
B.S. leaves himself open for the latter, "maximalist" interpretation; if the resulting linguistic polyphony is intentional--and given B.S.'s unrivaled brilliance, we must insist that it is--then the song is a masterpiece of erotic literature.
Thus, I beg you to reconsider your judgment of inanity. Though I realize you may have to reconsider your love for the song, I trust that continued exposure to these higher arts will give you a taste for the finer things in life.
More importantly, is "shacka lacka shacka lacka shacka whoomp" one word (Shackalackashackalackashackawhoomp)or several? I don't think that this has any implications on the larger discussion, I just wonder if I can play "shacka" in Scrabble, or if I would need to wait for an expanded 34-tile version?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have no idea who Craig is--what a stupid name.