Chart Performance: Pop (#11) & R&B (#7); 1993
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
“Whoot” or “Whoomp?” Confusion among two similarly-titled songs from Tag Team – Whoomp! (There It Is) – and 95 South – Whoot, There It Is – is understandable. Both were based on an expression that was taking the South by storm. Starting out as a chant designed to spur on the hometown basketball team, Whoomp was quickly adopted by club deejays. Enter Nathaniel “C.C. Lemonhead” Orange and Johnny “Jay Ski” McGowan. Already passionate producers of speaker-rattling Miami Bass, the two crafted Whoot, There It Is around the popular phrase and a sample from 1983’s Looking For The Perfect Beat by Afrika Bambaataa. Whoot hit the streets first, beating Whoomp onto the R&B chart by five weeks. Throughout the late summer Whoot and Whoomp danced around the R&B and Pop charts together, with Whoot topping out at #7 R&B and #11 Pop, and selling over a million copies.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2023 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- The Bass Mechanics
Lyrics Written by:
- C.C. Lemonhead
- Jay Ski
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).
You must be logged in to post a comment.