Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check
Encyclopedia
"Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" is Busta Rhymes
' first solo single and was released in 1996 from his solo debut album The Coming
. It peaked at #8 in the U.S. on April 20, 1996 and #2 in the UK. In the U.S., the song was released as a double A-side single with "Everything Remains Raw".
The song's instrumental contains a sample from "Space" by Galt MacDermot
. The punch line for the song is a reference to Big Bank Hank
's punch line in the 1981 Sugarhill Gang release "8th Wonder
": "See it's up my back, it's around my neck / Woo-hah! Got them all in check." Rapper Rampage
features for a short pre-verse introduction.
Busta Rhymes indicates that, once he was offered to do his first solo album, he spent close to seven months with writer's block
. At the time, he was seriously concerned because of the financial commitments that were in place to have the album issued, and with having nothing to deliver. He claims to have been playing a round of basketball
when, suddenly, he juxtaposed the line from "8th Wonder" in his mind with a shouted "Woo Hah!" he heard around him. All of a sudden, he says, he felt like a gate was opening in his mind. By the end of the day he had written three songs for the album (including "Woo Hah!"), and had the entire album written over a weekend. He describes his mental block in "Woo Hah!", in the deadpanned rhetorical question
: "Yo! Which motherfucker
stole my flow?"
In 1996, It was nominated Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards, but lost to Coolio
for Gangsta's Paradise
.
In 2008, It was ranked number 56 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
The song was selected as one of many songs you must hear & download in the musical reference book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download
(directed by Hype Williams
) is shot entirely through a fisheye lens
, with some parts being shot in slow motion so the end result appears sped up, something that became Rhymes' trademark in later videos. The video opens with the song "Everything Remains Raw" and Busta rapping in a car while driving through New York. The video is also highly-acclaimed by many hip-hop fans as one of the most creative rap videos of all time.
member Ol' Dirty Bastard
and the video for that is shot in a padded room located in the hotel, Jib - Jab.
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
' first solo single and was released in 1996 from his solo debut album The Coming
The Coming
The Coming is the debut album by former Leaders of the New School member, Busta Rhymes, released in 1996 by Elektra Records. The Coming features rapping from Def Squad members Redman and Keith Murray as well as a guest appearance from Q-Tip and singing from Zhané and different future Flipmode Squad...
. It peaked at #8 in the U.S. on April 20, 1996 and #2 in the UK. In the U.S., the song was released as a double A-side single with "Everything Remains Raw".
The song's instrumental contains a sample from "Space" by Galt MacDermot
Galt MacDermot
Galt MacDermot is a Canadian composer, pianist and writer of musical theatre. He won a Grammy Award for the song African Waltz in 1960. His most successful musicals have been Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona...
. The punch line for the song is a reference to Big Bank Hank
Big Bank Hank
Big Bank Hank is an American old school rapper. Also known as Imp the Dimp, he is a member of The Sugarhill Gang, the first hip hop act to have a hit single, "Rapper's Delight"....
's punch line in the 1981 Sugarhill Gang release "8th Wonder
Eighth Wonder (single)
"8th Wonder" is a 1980 single by the American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang, originally released on Sugarhill Records. It was later made part of their 1982 album 8th Wonder...
": "See it's up my back, it's around my neck / Woo-hah! Got them all in check." Rapper Rampage
Rampage (rapper)
Rampage, is an American rapper who is a member of the Flipmode Squad. He was born as Roger McNair in Brooklyn, New York City to Katherine McNair and Roger Williams...
features for a short pre-verse introduction.
Busta Rhymes indicates that, once he was offered to do his first solo album, he spent close to seven months with writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
. At the time, he was seriously concerned because of the financial commitments that were in place to have the album issued, and with having nothing to deliver. He claims to have been playing a round of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
when, suddenly, he juxtaposed the line from "8th Wonder" in his mind with a shouted "Woo Hah!" he heard around him. All of a sudden, he says, he felt like a gate was opening in his mind. By the end of the day he had written three songs for the album (including "Woo Hah!"), and had the entire album written over a weekend. He describes his mental block in "Woo Hah!", in the deadpanned rhetorical question
Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply. Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to think about what the answer to the question must be. When a speaker states, "How much longer must our people...
: "Yo! Which motherfucker
Motherfucker
Motherfucker is a vulgarism which, in its most literal sense, refers to one who participates in sexual intercourse with a mother, either someone else's mother, or his own.- Variants :...
stole my flow?"
In 1996, It was nominated Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards, but lost to Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
for Gangsta's Paradise
Gangsta's Paradise
Gangsta's Paradise is the second album by rapper Coolio, released on November 21, 1995. The album contained three hits: "Gangsta's Paradise", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, "1, 2, 3, 4 ", which reached #5, and "Too Hot," which peaked at #24.-Track listing:-Samples and...
.
In 2008, It was ranked number 56 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
The song was selected as one of many songs you must hear & download in the musical reference book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download
Music video
The single's videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
(directed by Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
) is shot entirely through a fisheye lens
Fisheye lens
In photography, a fisheye lens is a wide-angle lens that takes in a broad, panoramic and hemispherical image. Originally developed for use in meteorology to study cloud formation and called "whole-sky lenses", fisheye lenses quickly became popular in general photography for their unique, distorted...
, with some parts being shot in slow motion so the end result appears sped up, something that became Rhymes' trademark in later videos. The video opens with the song "Everything Remains Raw" and Busta rapping in a car while driving through New York. The video is also highly-acclaimed by many hip-hop fans as one of the most creative rap videos of all time.
Remixes
The official remix of the song is called, "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Worldwide Remix)", and features the late rapper and Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
member Ol' Dirty Bastard
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
and the video for that is shot in a padded room located in the hotel, Jib - Jab.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| United States 12" single | ||
| A1. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (Album Version)" | 4:40 |
| A2. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The World Wide Remix)" | 4:25 |
| A3. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Jay-Dee J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan... Bounce Remix)" |
4:42 |
| A4. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The DJ Scratch Albany Projects Remix)" | 4:48 |
| B1. | "Everything Remains Raw (Album Version)" | 3:43 |
| B2. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The World Wide Remix Instrumental)" | 4:18 |
| B3. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Jay-Dee Bounce Remix Instrumental)" | 4:42 |
| B4. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Jay-Dee Other Shit Remix)" | 4:42 |
| B5. | "Everything Remains Raw (Album Version Instrumental)" | 3:38 |
| United Kingdom 12" single | ||
| A1. | "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check (Album Radio Edit)" | 4:41 |
| A2. | "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check (Fila Mix 3)" | 4:55 |
| A3. | "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check (The DJ Scratch Albany Projects Remix)" | 4:10 |
| A4. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (TataDenata blend)" | 4:28 |
| B1. | "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check (Origin Unknown Mix)" | 6:44 |
| B2. | "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check (Fila Mix 4)" | 6:39 |
| B3. | "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Jay-Dee Other Shit Remix)" | 4:10 |
| United States CD single | ||
| 1. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check" | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The World Wide Remix)" | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Jay Dee Bounce Remix)" | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The DJ Scratch Albany Projects Remix)" | 4:48 |
| 5. | "Everything Remains Raw" | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The World Wide Remix Instrumental)" | 4:18 |
| 7. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Jay Dee Bounce Remix Instrumental)" | 4:42 |
| 8. | "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (The Jay Dee Other Shit Remix)" | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Everything Remains Raw (Album Instrumental)" | 3:37 |
Charts
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 57 |