Beat em Bust em Cheerleading Routines (videos, words, & comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases various cheerleader routines for the "Beat em Bust em" chant. Brief comments about these featured routines & the words to these versions of that cheer are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, recreational, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
GENERAL COMMENT ABOUT "BEAT EM BUST EM"
"Beat em Bust em" is a cheerleader chant. "Chants" are shorter and more repetitious than cheers. However, cheerleader chants are usually referred to as "cheers".

****
THE INFLUENCE OF NEW STYLES OF CHEERLEADING ON THESE FEATURED CHEER ROUTINES
The inclusion of hip shaking, foot stomping, body rolls & other urban dance movements in many of these videos documents the influence that foot stomping cheers, [urban] dance cheerleading, and stomp & shake cheerleading are having on the choreography of "mainstream" ["Go team Go"] children's & youth cheerleading. Mainstream cheerleading prohibited & what appears to be a large extent still prohibits hip shaking & other such movements as indicated above.

Click http://cocojams.com/content/childrens-cheerleader-cheers for more comments about mainstream cheerleading, modified cheerleading, foot stomping cheerleading, and stomp & shake cheerleading.

****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
{These examples are posted in chronological order by their publishing dates with the oldest video published first.]

Example #1: Cheerleading Dad



Deborah B., Uploaded on Sep 10, 2008

PSA for Fatherhood.gov
-snip-
"PSA" = public service announcement
This video of this ad is given with captions. A man & his daughter practice cheerleader cheers outside of their apartment.
Oh those boys are much too much
those boys are much too much!
We got the spirit, we’re hot
We can’t be stopped.
We got the spirit, we’re hot
We can’t be stopped
We’re gonna beat’em and bust ‘em
Beat ‘em and bust ‘em
That’s our custom.
-snip-
This is actually a combination of three cheers. "Those boys are much too much" is the first cheer. The second cheer begins with the line "we've got the spirit" & "Beat em bust em" is the third cheer.

"Those boys are much too much" refers to the athletic team that the cheerleading squad is cheering for as that squad wouldn't be praising boys in general or the members of the other team. (Saying that people are "much too much" or something is "much too much" is a colloquial form of high praise).

****
Example #2: we got the spirit were hot we cant be stopped (fatherhood)


thermdiggy• Uploaded on Mar 31, 2009
Diggy and his daughter havin fun
Them boys them boys are much too much
them boys are much too much!
We got the spirit, we’re hot
We can’t be stopped.
We got the spirit, we’re hot
We can’t be stopped
We gotta beat’em and bust ‘em
We gotta beat ‘em beat em bust ‘em
bust em
And beat ‘em, beat ‘em,
bust ‘em bust’em
-snip-
This video was almost certainly inspired from the fatherhood video that is given as Example #1 above. Notice the change from "those boys" to "them boys".

****
Example #3: Delta Valley Wolfpack : Beat em bust em Cheerleading Chant



DeltaValleyWolfpack, Uploaded on Jul 21, 2009
-snip-
Beat em
Say*
Beat ‘em and bust ‘em
That’s our custom
And roll ‘em. Roll’em.

[repeat entire chant]
*I'm not if this transcription is correct.

One commenter wrote that this cheer was "kinda ghetto". It's offensive to refer to cheer routines that include Black originated dance movements as "ghetto".

****
Example #4: Beat em Bust em



Allie Thrailkill, Uploaded on Mar 3, 2010
one of our cheers
-snip-
Beat’em. Bust ‘em
Beat ‘em bust ‘em
Come on [team name]
Let’s go beat ‘em.

[repeat entire chant]
-snip-
This routine shows the influence of the African American orginated performance art of foot stomping on the choreography of children/youth cheerleading cheers. The routine used in the cheerleader movie Bring It On All Or Nothing for the cheer "Shabooya Roll Call" is an example of the foot stomping style of cheerleading, although in my opinion, that "Shabooya Roll Call" foot stomping in that movie was very exaggerated, and therefore not true to how that steppin-like movement art is usually done.

Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for information about foot stomping cheers.

****
Example #5: Beat 'Em Bust 'Em

.

CheerCMSVipers,Uploaded on Mar 7, 2010

New Project 8
-snip-
Beat ‘em bust ‘em
Beat’em. Bust ‘em
Beat ‘em bust ‘em
Go, Vipers
-snip-
This routine shows the influences of the African American performance arts of foot stomping & stomp & shake cheerleading on children/youth cheerleading routines.

****
Example 6: Beat Em Bust Em Demo



Rrpwcheer, Uploaded on Sep 25, 2011
-snip-
Beat ‘em Bust ‘em
Cheerleaders ready?
Okay.

Beat ‘em [clap clap]
Bust ‘em [clap clap]
Beat ‘em and bust ‘em
That’s our custom
Go Colts go!
[repeat entire chant]
-snip-
This routine is an example of the mainstream style of cheerleading.
Notice that the cheerleaders don't swing their hips or do any foot stomping & body patting movements in styles that are associated with African American orginated foot stomping/fraternity & sorority steppin.

****
Example #7: Cheers (Part II)



Jenica Smithee, Published on Apr 14, 2012
-snip-
B-E-A-T Beat 'em, beat 'em
B-U-S-T Bust 'em, bust 'em
Beat 'em, bust 'em that's our custom go GCA!
-snip-
The words to the other cheers that were performed can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcQzQAs_ok
-snip-
This Beet em Bust em routine is an example of the mainstream style of cheerleading. There's only a very minimal amount of hip swinging in the first chant routine & these routines show no traces of foot stomping cheerleading movements.

****
Example #8: beat em bust em, we've got the G, paws, and hey hey



nicole russell, Published on Jun 27, 2012
-snip-
(.02-.27)

Beat em Bust em
Set
Ready?

B-e-a-t Beat em
B-u-s-t Bust em
Beat ‘em and bust ‘em
That’s our custom
That’s how we are gonna crush em
Come on
[repeat entire chant]
-snip-
The cheer routines that are shown in this video are examples of mainstream cheerleading with a [minimal] addition of the African American originated stomp & shake cheerleading movements (as shown in the cheerleader's slight hip shaking).

The words to the other cheers are found in the Cocojams cheerleading cheers page whose link is found below. Click http://cocojams.com/content/stomp-and-shake-cheerleader-cheers for information about & examples of stomp & shake cheerleading cheers.

****
RELATED LINK
Click http://cocojams.com/content/childrens-cheerleader-cheers for more examples of children's cheerleader cheers & chants.

****
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

Examples Of The Children's Cheer "Rock The Boat"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part series on the 1974 Disco song "Rock The Boat" and children's "Rock The Boat" cheers.

This post features video & text examples of "Rock The Boat" cheers and also provides some comments about the structure of those cheers.

Part I showcases the song "Rock The Boat" as recorded by The Hues Corporation (1973).

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-hues-corporation-rock-boat-video.html for Part I.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
THE STRUCTURE OF "ROCK THE BOAT" CHILDREN'S CHEERS
"Rock The Boat" children's cheers demonstrate the influence that foot stomping cheers have had on the structure of cheers that are performed by children's cheerleading squads & children's athletic teams. These cheers are composed using a call & response structure that is quite different from the older "mainstream" "Go Team Go" type of cheerleader cheers.

****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are posted in chronological order with the oldest video posted first.)

Video #1: Aniya Rocks The Boat :-)


ti55, Uploaded on Mar 16, 2008
-snip-
This is an example of the "She Slides" sub-category of "Rock The Boat" cheers.

A transcription of this video is given as Example #1 below.

****
Video #2: ROCK THE BOAT



RainbowBrite895, Uploaded on Jul 3, 2008

haha this is my softball team doing one of our cheers
-snip-
Examples of cheers from this video's viewer comment thread are found below. Because those examples are very similar to the cheer that is chanted in that video, I didn't transcribe that video. This "Rock The Boat" cheer is from that cheer's "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" sub-category. It appears from my review of these cheers that examples include either the "She slides" or "the Bang Bang" verses, however there may be examples of this cheer that include both of these verses.

****
Video #3: Bulldogs Rock the Boat (cheer)



mlisa73, Uploaded on Dec 23, 2011

The girls cheering.
-snip-
This cheer is from the "bang bang choo choo train" category of
"Rock The Boat" cheers. A sub-category of that cheer includes the line "bang bang and pull that spirt". Examples of these cheers are found below.

****
Keira & aliyah rock the boat cheer



shawn cavanagh, Published Sep 27, 2012
-snip-
This is an example of the "She Slides" sub-category of "Rock The Boat" cheers.

****
EXAMPLES OF "ROCK THE BOAT" CHEERS
(These examples are from the featured videos presented above or their viewer comment threads. They aren't presented in any particular order.)

Example #1: ROCK THE BOAT
Rock the boat. Don't tip it over.
Rock the boat. Don't tip it over.
Hey, Aniya. "Hey what?"
Hey, Aniya. "Hey what?"
Can you rock the boat? "No way."
Can you rock the boat?! "Ok."
She slides. She slides. She do The Butterfly.
She dips. She dips. She shakes her little hips!
-ti55, Mar 16, 2008, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QuTsAtQPY
-snip-
This is my transcription of the video given above as "Video #1". This cheer is composed using the traditional foot stomping cheer structure. That The Hues Corporations' 1974 record "Rock The Boat" is the source of this cheer is clearly indicated by the "rock the boat/don't tip it over" line.

Furthermore, the group asking the girl to do something, and the girl's first response being "no way" marks this as what I refer to as a "command/compliance" type of [dance style] foot stomping cheer. Click http://www.cocojams.com/content/command-compliance-foot-stomping-cheers for information & examples of command/compliance foot stomping cheers.

"The Butterfly" is a dance of Jamaican origin that was picked up & integrated into American R&B/Hip Hop dance repertoire of the 1990s. A number of mainstream cheers include a referent to doing "The Butterfly". There are also some references to "The Butterfly" dance in certain foot stomping cheers.

****
Example #2: ROCK THE BOAT
I learned

"Hey ____!"
"Hey what?"
"Hey ____!"
"Hey what?"
"Can you rock the boat?"
"I might"
"Can you rock the boat?"
"Alright!"
"Rock the boat, Don't tip it over,
Rock the boat, Don't tip it over"
-TheKaitybugs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QuTsAtQPY, 2012

****
Example #3: ROCK THE BOAT
Rock the boat and don’t tip it over
Rock the boat and don’t tip it over
My name is ___
(rock the boat)
I cheer for bulldogs
(rock the boat)
And if I didn’t*
(rock the boat)
it goes a little something like this
bang bang get it get it
Ah!
And pull that spirit.

[continue with the next girl who says the same words except her name]
-mlisa73, Uploaded on Dec 23, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKGOoqGcWvw
-snip-
This is my transcription of the cheer given in Video #3.
* "And if I didn't" is usually given as “and when I do). Those words make more sense in the context of this cheer.

****
Example #4: ROCK THE BOAT
this is how we do it at my school:

rock the boat dont tip it over
rock the boat dont tip it over
my name is __
yeah!
im feelin fine!
yeah!
u mess with me
yeah!
ill blow ur mind
so bang bang choo choo train
u look at me and i do my thang
no recces pieces no butter cup
i kno karate i kno kung fu
u mess with ill mes with u!

i kno its tottaly off to wat everyone else is sayin but thats wat we sing on the bus all the time.
-slimeshady100, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QuTsAtQPY, 2010

****
Example #4: ROCK THE BOAT
[Editor's note: I assigned numbers for the lines to provide an text analysis of this example. The group's lines are indicated by "G" in brackets. The soloist's lines are indicated by "S" in brackets. The entire group's lines are indicated by G&S in brackets.

we do it like this for cheerleading

1. rock the boat dont tip it over [G&S]
2. rock the boat dont tip it over [G&S]
3. hey_____, [G]
4. hey what? [S]
5. hey_____, [G]
6. hey what? [S]
7. can u rock the boat? [G]
8.no way [S]
9. can u rock the boat? [G]
10. Ok [S]
11. she slides she slides *
12. she gets on a horse and rides,
13. she dips she dips,
14. she shakes her little hips
15. she wants you and you
16. to rock the boat too
-Brooke Esposito, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QuTsAtQPY, 2011

*It seems that this line until the end of the cheer might be chanted only by the Group but those lines might also be chanted by the Group plus the soloist.
-snip-
One significant difference between traditional & some mainstream "Rock The Boat" cheers is whether the group commands (or demands that the soloist) do something or whether the group asks the soloist to do something. If that action is demanded of the soloist or asked of her creates a different tone for those cheers and also conveys an entirely different cultural message. It seems to me that these are crucial differences.

In traditional examples of these cheers, the fact that the girl initially refuses to do what is demanded of her may demonstrate that a value is placed on being independent and not (immediately) acceding to orders (or expectations?) that others have for you. In contrast, in mainstream examples of these cheers, the soloist's refusal to do what is asked of her comes across as rude or bad mannered.

It's possible that "Can you rock the boat" could be interpreted as "Are you able to rock the boat?" However, in the context of that cheer, the soloist's surly answer of "No way" doesn't mean "There's no way that I'm able to do that action that you ask me can I do." Instead, "No way" means that "There's no circumstances which would make me [no reason why] I would do what you ask. The difference between that and the traditional meaning may be subtle, but I think that a difference does exist.

That said, I'm not certain that the girls who chanted/chant the traditional "demanding" version of this cheer and other "command/compliance" cheers consciously recognize the message that the cheer conveys with thpse "command" or demand and refusal to comply lines.

****
RELATED LINK
Visit http://www.cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for additional examples of "Rock The Boat" cheers. The earliest dated examples that I've collected of those cheers are from the 1980s.)

****
This concludes Part II of this series.

My thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and all those whose cheer examples are presented in this post.

Thank you to for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

Overview of Stomp & Shake Cheerleading

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part series that compares three different but closely related African American originated performance movement arts: historically Black fraternities & sororities steppin (stepping); foot stomping [cheers]; and stomp & shake cheerleading.

Part III of this series provides an overview of stomp & shake cheerleading.

Part I provides an overview of historically Black (African American) Greek letted fraternities & sororities. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-black-greek-letter.html for Part I of this series.

Part II provides an overview of foot stomping cheers.
Click
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-foot-stomping-movement.html for Part II.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
PART III
WHAT IS STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING
Stomp & shake is a referent for an African American originated style of cheerleading (first mention of these cheers that I've found is early 1970, but most of the earliest mention I've found is mid 1970s, the same time frame as the first documentation that I've found for foot stomping cheers.

Although there are some male stomp & shake cheerleaders, most of the squads consist of females. The synchronized, choreographed routines that the squad does while chanting include upstomps foot stomping movements. ("Upstomps" are "high kicks" such as those popularized by Black University marching bands). Those cheerleaders also performd "jigga pops", a rhythmical, fast double shake of their hips that is best shown off when the cheerleaders wear pleated cheerleader skirts.

Stomp & shake cheer routines may include some body patting but that isn't necessarily a part of stomp & shake routines.

These movements are done while the squad is reciting cheers. These cheers are usually introduced by one squad members, who says the name of the cheer, but unlike foot stomping cheers, they are unison cheers. Also, many stomp & shake cheers are similar in tone-but not in structure-to the insult/bragging foot stomping cheers. However, stomp & shake cheerleaders may also perform their routines to recorded music.

It's important to remember that drama (role playing) is supposed to be an important part of chanting insult/bragging stomp & shake cheers. The cheer performance fails if the stomper/chanter doesn't act as if she is confident, strong, assertive, and unafraid of the members of the rival cheerleading squad. The facial expression and persona of stomp & cheer cheerleaders is almost diametrically the opposite of the perky, always smiling mainstream cheerleader, particularly when it comes to battle cheers. "Battle cheers" are chanted to big up (brag about) your athletic team and/or your cheerleading squad. The name refers to the fact that the cheerleaders use their words and their movement routines in a contest as to which squad can succeed the most in getting their fans "hyped".

Although there appears to be a certain amount of stigma and disapproval associated with cheerleading squads who use other squad's cheers and cheer routines without permission, thanks to the internet and YouTube in particular, certain stomp & shake cheers & their routines have become part of the cheer repertoire of pre-university cheerleading squads.

Here's a video of a widely replicated "battle cheer":

Howard University Bison Cheerleaders 2



CoachSpence, Uploaded on Oct 19, 2006

Howard University Battle Cheer "Sit Back Down"
-snip-
The words to this cheer & the university stomp & shake cheer given as example #1 below are found on this page of my cocojams website: http://cocojams.com/content/stomp-and-shake-cheerleader-cheers.

****
VIDEOS OF TWO ADDITIONAL UNIVERSITY STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING SQUADS

Example #1: The World Renown Woo Woos of Virginia State University



GoTrojans·Uploaded on Sep 30, 2010

2009 Freedom Classic
January 2009
Richmond, VA

****
Example #2: WSSU Red Team Cheerleaders NC Stomp & Shake Competition



Kiaerica Krishelle, Published on Feb 23, 2013

WSSU opening up the show at the FIRST annual Stomp n Shake cheerleading competition on Saturday 2/23/2013
-snip-
The way the cheerleaders held their hands when they eentered the gym reminds me of the way that the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc step teams perform their signature cheer "It's A Serious Matter". That post and other sorority & fraternity posts can be found on pancocojams by clicking the "steppin" or "fraternity and sorority chants" tags.

****
VIDEO OF A HIGH SCHOOL STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING SQUAD

SASSY (We Shake The Best)



woowooworkit·Uploaded on Feb 17, 2007

JV And Varsity SASSY cheerleaders cheer at the last game against bluestone
-snip-
The words to each of this cheer and other pre-university cheerleader cheers, including several stomp & shake cheers are found on this page of my cocojams website: http://cocojams.com/content/childrens-cheerleader-cheers.

****
RELATED LINK
Click http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/07/21/race-and-the-changing-shape-of-cheerleading/ for a post on stomp & shake cheerleading that I wrote which was published on the sociological images blog.

****
This concludes Part III of this series.

Thanks to the composer/s of these cheers and the performers of these featured stomp & shake cheer routines. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

An Overview Of Foot Stomping & Foot Stomping Cheers

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part series that compares three different but closely related African American originated performance movement arts: historically Black fraternities & sororities steppin (stepping); foot stomping [cheers]; and stomp & shake cheerleading.

Part II provides an overview of foot stomping cheers and also provides information about the syncopated, choreographed performance movement of "foot stomping".

Part I provides an overview of historically Black (African American) Greek letted fraternities & sororities.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-black-greek-letter.html for Part I of this series.

Part III of this series provides an overview of stomp & shake cheerleading.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/overview-of-stomp-shake-cheerleading.html for Part III.

****
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Another longer version of this post is found as an introduction to this page of my cocojams website: http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0.

****
PART II
****
WHAT ARE FOOT STOMPING CHEERS?
Foot stomping cheers are a category of children's cheerleading cheers that have a characteristic call & response structure. Unlike other children's playground rhymes & cheers, rhyming verses may only make up a small portion of a foot stomping cheer.

Since at least the beginning of the 21st century, foot stomping cheers have been adapted & integrated into the repertoire of mainstream children's cheerleading & team cheer activities. That integration means that in discussing those cheers it may be best to refer to "traditional foot stomping cheers" and "mainstream" foot stomping cheers. For instance, traditionally, foot stomping cheers were chanted by two or more girls who performed synchronized, choreographed foot stomp routines similar to historically Black Greek letter organizations' steppin. However, the performance of foot stomps need not be, and often appears not to be, a part of mainstream cheerleaders or team cheers' experiences of foot stomping cheers.

Traditionally, foot stomping cheers start with the group voice. The group may begin by chanting the name of the cheer, and then calls on a member of the group. Or the cheer may begin with the group calling that person & stating their demand. Usually, the soloist responds to the group in a surly manner, and initially refuses to comply with their demand. However, the soloist eventually complies and chants a soloist portion & performs a brief foot stomping routine/dance. At the conclusion of that portion, that rendition of the cheer ends.

However, in other examples of foot stomping cheers, the group chants the same words as the soloist did, and then the cheer ends- only to immediately start again from the beginning with a new soloist. In some foot stomping cheers the soloist's lines are exactly the same, with the exception of the soloist's name or some personal information such as her astrological sign, or her favorite color. In other foot stomping cheers, the soloist's lines can be different, but must fit into the same theme as the cheer, and must follow the same cheer's metronome style beat.

In contrast to that traditional model, in mainstream cheer performances, there's likely not to be any soloist foot stomping or dance performance, and the foot stomping cheer itself may end before every member of the group has a turn as soloist.

Here's an example of a foot stomping cheer that begins with the group call & is followed by the group demand:

GET DOWN
Group- Hey, Shayla
Shayla - What?
Group- Hey, Shayla.
Shayla - What
Group - Show me how you get down.
Shayla - No way.
Group- Show me how you get down.
Shayla - Okay.
[Shayla does a hip swinging dance while saying]
I saida D. O. WN.
And that's the way
And that's the way
And that's the way I get down.
[Group does dance with Shayla and says]
Group - She saida D. O. WN.
And that's the way
And that's the way
And that's the way she gets down.
-T.M.P, mid 1980s, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; collected by Azizi Powell

-snip-
This foot stomping cheer starts again from the beginning with the next soloist who says the same soloist lines but traditionally isn't supposed to repeat the same foot stomping/dance routine. This pattern continues until every member has had one turn as soloist.

In the version of same cheer that begins with the title of the chant, prior to the group calling the soloist by name, the entire group (including the first soloist) chants:
"I saida D. O. WN and that's the way we get down.
D. O. WN and that's the way we get down."

My term for this distinctive modified call & response structure is "group/consecutive soloists". Foot stomping cheers that don't start with the group speaking in unison are called "modified foot stomping cheers". A crucial characteristic of foot stomping cheers- the cheer immediately starts again with the next designated soloist. This pattern is supposed to continue without pause until every member of the group gets one turn as soloist for that particular cheer.

Traditionally, foot stomping cheers were chanted while girls performed a synchronized, choreographed foot stomping routine.
Children who performed foot stomping cheers as an informal leisure time activity were able to perform these cheers in the consecutive soloist format where every member of the group has an equal turn as the soloist. However, actual cheerleaders aren't able to do that, given the time constraints that they face during an actual game or during half-time.

One result of the limited time that cheerleaders have to perform during half-time is that modified forms of stomping cheers and perhaps even modified forms of stomping performances have been integrated into many pre-university cheerleader squads in African American communities as well as in non-African American communities. Read my comments about the changes that may be occuring to "stomps" in my comments after the video given below as Example #3.

Also, since at least the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, a number of foot stomping cheers have retained their distinctive structure but have been separated from their foot stomping movement activity. These cheers have become part of mainstream repertoires of children's softball cheers & other cheers for children's sports games.

****
TWO TYPES OF FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
While there are a number of different categories of foot stomping cheers, "insult & bragging cheers" & "dance" foot stomping cheers are the ones that are most widely known. The most widely known foot stomping cheer, "Shabooya Roll Call" is an example of a insult/bragging cheer. A video clip of that cheer is found below.

It's important to remember that drama (role playing) is supposed to be an important part of chanting insult/bragging foot stomping cheers. The chant performance fails if the stomper/chanter doesn't act as if she is confident and unafraid of her (imaginary, unnamed) opponent.

Another widely found (although not very well recognized) category of foot stomping cheers is what I call "dance style" cheers. These cheers provide an opportunity for their performers to stomp and do particular dance movements. Many of these cheers can be immediately recognizable by what I call the "Hey (person's name)" line that is found early in that cheer. "Get Down" is an example of a dance style foot stomping cheer.

Unlike the prohibition that is attached to the performance of step routines & chants of historically Black Greek lettered organization, and the disapproval that is associated with performing a stomp & shake cheerleader squad's cheers or routines without permission, there's no prohibition or social disapproval attached to chanting any particular foot stomping cheer. Since the synchronized, choreographed movements in foot stomping are formulaic, there can be no prohibition against any other group performing those routines.

****
WHAT IS FOOT STOMPING?
"Foot stomping" is an African American originated performance art in which two or more persons (usually girls) chant a distinctive type of cheer while doing a synchronized, choreographed, rehearsed routine. That routine emphasizes the creation of bass sounding foot stomps that alternate with (individual) hand claps. In many foot stomping cheer routines the foot stomps alternate with body pats (chest, thigh, or foot pats, meaning the soles of the shoe). Unlike hand games, there are no partners in foot stomping, and there is rarely if ever any physical touching of another person.

The main pattern for traditional foot stomp routines is stomp clap stomp stomp clap )stomp x stomp stomp x). Another common fiit stomping routine is stomp stomp clap stomp stomp (stomp stomp x stomp stomp x). While the words to foot stomping cheers is important, the most important thing in the performance of foot stomping cheers is keeping the beat. Foot stomping is performed in a metronome like manner throughout the entire cheer. Once the beat starts, it continues until the end of the cheer.

The idea of a metronome beat can best be demonstrated by the Pop group Queen's 1977 hit song "We Will Rock You":

Queen - We Will Rock You



d4v1s, Uploaded on Apr 13, 2006
-snip-
The "We will we will rock you" words of that song are used in a number of mainstream cheerleader cheers. Examples of those cheers can be found on Cocojams's Children's Cheerleader Cheers page http://cocojams.com/content/childrens-cheerleader-cheers. However, in this post, the focus is on that song's beat pattern.

Notice that the beat pattern for this song continues without change throughout the entire song. Since people are often seated when singing this song on school buses or in the stands at football games, they might use their two hands at the same time to pat both of their thighs (body pat body pat clap (pat pat x).

****
FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Shabooya Roll Call
Editor's note:
"Shabooya Roll Call" is undoubtedly the most widely known example of a foot stomping cheer. Although "Shabooya Roll Call" is included in Spike Lee's 1996 movie Get On The Bus, it is best known from the 2006 cheerleader movie series Bring It On: All Or Nothing.

Here's the video of the Bring It On-All Or Nothing cafeteria dance scene with the words to the Shabooya cheer superimposed on the video screen. (Warning! There is a curse word used prior to the cheer starting.)

bring it on roll call



Uploaded by LoVee2MusiC on Jul 16, 2009
-snip-
In my opinion, the movement performance for this foot stomping cheer was greatly exagerrated. However, this clip shows the similarity between the foot stomping movements & stepping, and the foot stomping movements and stomp & shake cheerleading.

Again, traditionally, it's the cheer pattern with its consecutive soloists & the group voice being heard first & the soloist responding to that group voice that makes a cheer a foot stomping cheer.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/right-rhyming-pattern-for-shabooya-roll.html for a pancocojams post on Shabooya Roll Call.

****
Example #2: Dailey Tigers "Rock Steady"



daileytigers, Published on Nov 17, 2012

Cheerleaders
-snip-
This video is an example of a dance style foot stomping cheer. However, unlike the "standard" structure for foot stomping cheers, the cheer begins with a soloist's voice.

****
Example #3: Stomp Cheer



kmt122181, Uploaded on Jul 14, 2008

Stomp Cheer
-anip-
The narrator says "You have to remember that the most difficult thing about this cheer is keeping the beat".

Here's the pattern these girls are using for this routine:
"stomp x stomp stomp x stomp stomp xx stomp stomp x"
**
"x" stands for "hand clap".

I'm curious if this pattern of stomps & handclaps is or was used by found in formal cheerleader squads, or in informal groups of African Americans. As shown in the video, this pattern works, but it seems different to me.

Overall, I consider this to be a pretty decent basic tutorial video for how to do "stomps". However, I continue to think that these stompers and a number of other stompers in videos I've watched of non-African Americans performing this type of cheers aren't raising their feet off the ground high enough. Consequently, their "stomps" don't produce a bass sound.

I've also noticed in a large number of videos of the "Shabooya Roll Call" cheer that many non-African Americans are substituting miming type actions or swaying back and forth instead of actual foot stomping routines. Those kinds of changes to the ways foot stomping cheers are performed were heralded in the first 2000 Bring It On cheerleader cheer movie when the majority Black & Latina cheerleading squad's routine was modified for the majority White cheerleading squad. In that movie, the performance of the foot stomping cheer "Introduce Yourself" was simplified and much of its foot stomping activity was removed, perhaps because it was difficult to do for those persons who weren't surrounded by that cultural rhythm & beat a much as many African Americans have been. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWG4AX09mqQ for a video of the "Introduce Yourself" scene. Text examples of that cheer are found on my Cocojams Foot Stomping Cheers page. A link for that page is given in this post.

It should be expected that the integration of foot stomping into mainstream cheerleading is resulting in changes to that performance art. However, it seems to me that some critiquing should be done abou certain ways that "stomps" and "steps" are being performed by mainstream cheerleading squads, unless we wake up one morning and anything that can be called "stomps" and "steps" and accepted as being high quality when those routines actually fail to meet the standards of what high quality stepping and high quality foot stomping (as well as what high quality stomp & shake cheerleading) used to be.

****
RELATED LINK
Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for more information and examples of foot stomping and foot stomping cheers.

****
This concludes Part II of this series.

Thanks to the composer/s of these cheers and the performers of these featured foot stomping cheer routines. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

What "Fly", "Fly Girl" & "Fly Guy" Mean In African American Slang

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post focuses on the meanings of African American Vernacular English terms "fly", "fly girl", and "fly guy".

The content of this post is provided for eytmological, folkloric, historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

[This post was formerly entitled "Fly, Fly Girl, Fly Guy (Slang Definitions & Examples From African American Culture)"

THE SLANG MEANING OF "FLY"
"Fly" is a mid 1980s African American English adjective that was largerly retired by the early 2000s. "Fly" means being "hip" (being up to date with the latest fashion styles and urban lifestyles). "Being fly" (being hip & cool) means to be "street wise" - to act in accordance with the values and expectations of Black urban life, and being able to handle oneself in the streets.

“Fly” sometimes was used to describe something that is attractive, such as a "fly dress". The most commonly used noun form of "fly" was "fly girl" (a female who is good looking, "sexy"). Being "hip" to Black street culture was also usually considered part of the description of a "fly girl".

The term "fly guy" was used less often than fly girl. A fly guy was a male who was physically attractive. However, more importantly, a fly guy was street wise male who was very successful in physically attracting and scoring sexually with females.

It should be emphasized that "being fly” or being a “fly girl” or "fly guy" doesn't (necessarily) have anything to do with drug usage (i.e. a person or a female who is high off of drugs).

HOW FLY GOT ITS SLANG MEANINGS
My guess is that the word "fly" was first given the meaning "hip" (up to date with the latest urban fashions & lifestyles) in the mid 1980s as an updated adjective that had basically the same meaning as the 1960s African American adjective "out of sight". A person who is "out of sight" is "fly" since -in its literal sense- something that is flying high in the sky would eventually be out of (eye) sight.

The phrase "fly girl" was popularized by the Boogie Boys' 1985 Hip-Hop record with that title. According to the lyrics of that record, a "fly girl" wasn't always good looking or wasn't even always "up to date with the latest fashions". Given the disagreement about the meaning of "fly girl" as evidenced by the lyrics of the rappers' solos, my guess is that when that song was recorded, the slang meanings of "fly" hadn't become fixed yet. An excerpt from the Boogie Boy's "Fly Girl" record is found below.]

By at least 1991, as evidenced by Queen Latifah's Hip Hop record "Fly Girl", the word "fly" when used to describe a female clearly had the meanings “fine” (physically attractive), and "street wise" (able to handle oneself in urban street cultures). An excerpt of the lyrics of Queen Latifah's "Fly Girl" is found below.]

By at least 1993 "fly" clearly had a different "complimentary" meaning for males as evidenced by Tupac's Hip Hop record "I Get Around". In that record, Tupac brags about how he easily scores with the ladies & then leaves them:
"baby got a problem saying bye bye
Just another hazard of a fly guy"
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/I-Get-Around-lyrics-2Pac/BF82D7758D3AF2DA4825686A000CF3B0
-snip-
My interpretation of those lyrics is that Tupac is saying that females who have a problem with him [or any fly guy] saying goodbye should realize that that's what they should expect when they become involved with a man who's deep into the urban lifestyle. To be clear, according to the use in African American culture of the term "fly girl", while that term meant that a female was "street wise" (able to handle herself in Black urban street life), the emphasis seems to have been placed on how females looked (their face, their body, their clothing). In contrast, while a "fly guy" was likely a male who was good looking (had an attractive face and sexually attractive body), the emphasis seemed to have been placed on how many females the man could sexually score with, and the view was that it was expected that the man wasn't going to be faithful with any one female, nor was he going to involve himself in a long lasting relationship with any female or females.

WARNING: This record's lyrics may not be suitable for children.

Stevie Wonder's 1966 R&B song "Uptight" begins with the words "Baby's everything's alright/uptight/out of sight". Notice that in that song "uptight" is a complimentary term that means the same thing as "out of sight". The word "uptight" is a development of the much older slang word "tight" as in the Blues song "It's tight like that." Interesting, "tight" is still currently used in African American vernacular English while "up tight", "out of sight", and "fly" have been retired.

FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1:
{Some pictures in the collage in Example #1 may not be suitable for children's viewing]
A Fly Girl - The Boogie Boys (1985)



djbuddyloverootsrap, Uploaded on Apr 25, 2011

The Boogie Boys were an American old school hip-hop group from Harlem, New York. They scored one big hit in 1985 with "A Fly Girl", from the album "City Life", that peaked at number six on the R&B charts.
-snip-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Boys

****
Example #2: Queen Latifah - Fly Girl



kaimoe, Uploaded on Sep 9, 2007

Fly Girl from the album, "Nature of a Sista" by Queen Latifah 1991.
-snip-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Latifah

PORTION OF LYRICS FROM TWO "FLY GIRL" RECORDS
From http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/boogie-boys-lyrics/a-fly-girl-lyrics.html
FLY GIRL
(as performed by the Boogie Boys)
...[Romeo JD]
Well I'm Rome JD and I have learned
Fly girl is a name that you must earn
Fly girl's a girl who speak their mind
Some sneaky some freaky some mean some kind
Cold crush waves, fly Gherri curl
Gold watch, gold ring, and a neck full of pearls
Real slim waist, a made-up face
Head turns, eyes burn when she comes in the place
Perfume from France, put you in a trance
Fly enough to mingle, to fly dance
High-stakers, big money makers
Some fly girls are cold heart breakers
Bank accounts of unbelievable amounts
Very picky bout how their name's pronounced
Designer purse, leather mini skirt
Not a speck of dirt, can't help but flirt
She'll make you choke like you inhale smoke
She gave you a number, it was dial-a-joke
You got a real nice voice, you'll be her choice
Till another man comes in a fly Rolls-Royce
The guys get jealous, how can you blame us?
You live a lifestyle of the rich and famous
To play your roll guys lose control
Picturin' you as a center fold
From the Rome JD, cest-la-vie
Each and every one a y'all too much for me
Could it be your style or the way you smile
That puts you on the top of the pile?
Queen of the Nile, o sweet child
Fly girl you drive me wild (you drive me wild
-snip-
From http://www.lyricsfreak.com/q/queen+latifah/fly+girl_10237192.html
"FLY GIRL"
(as performed by Queen Latifah)

... (desire) i know you want me
(you're fine) thank you
But i'm not the type of girl that you think i am
I don't jump into the arms of every man
(but i'm paid) i don't need your money
(i love you) you must be mad
Easy lover is something that i ain't
Besides, i don't know you from a can of paint…

(fly girl, fly girl)
(come here, cuz you're sexy and you're fine)
(and i want you to be mine)
(fly girl, fly girl)
(have no fear, your heart is in good hands)
(won't you let me be your man?)...

SEVERAL ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF THE USE OF THE SLANG TERM "FLY" IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
Example #1: Girls' foot stomping cheer*
FLY GIRL
All: Fly girl
Fly girl
Fly girl One
Fly girl Two
Pump it up Teresa
See what you do.
Soloist #1:(Oh) my name is Teresa
and I’m a fly girl.
It takes a lot of men
to rock my world.
‘cause I can fly like a butterfly
sting like a bee
and that’s way they call me
Sexy...

[The next soloist repeats the exact words of this cheer (except her name or nickname). Continue this pattern until every girl in the group has had a turn as the soloist.]
-Tazi M. Powell, (African American female, memories of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mid 1980s)

*"Foot stomping cheers" is an informal recreational activity which is (or was) usually performed by African American girls ages 7-12 years. The text of "foot stomping cheers" are structurally distinctive from other cheerleader cheers and/or from other children's folk compositions such as handclap rhymes.

Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for information about foot stomping cheers & this particular cheer which was inspired by the Boogie Boys's "Fly Girl" record.

****
Example #2: "Fly Girl" dancers on primarily African American television show In Living Color
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Living_Color
"In Living Color is a sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program...

The Fly Girls
The show employed an in-house dance troupe, known as the "The Fly Girls..."
-snip-
In Living Color Fly Girls Dancing Compilation Season 1 Episode 1


InLivingColorFan,Uploaded on Jul 9, 2010

This is a compilation of the Fly Girls from the very first episode of In Living Color. Love the outfits! lol Songs include "Walk On The Wild Side" Performed by Jaime J. Morgan, "Change" performed by Troy Johnson, and remixed by SW1.

****
Example #3: Flyy Girl book by African American author Omar Tyree
From http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/290039.Flyy_Girl
Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree Published August 7th 2001 by Simon & Schuster (first published 1993)
"The bestselling urban classic novel about a young woman coming of age in the late 1980s. Tracy Ellison, a young knockout with tall hair and attitude, is living life as fast as she can. Motivated by the material world, she and her friends love and leave the young men who will do anything to get next to them. It's only when the world of gratuitous sex threatens heartbreak that Tracy begins to examine her life, her goals, and her sexuality."

****
Example #4: Lyrics to a version of the Iota Phi Theta Centaur Walk Song/Chant,
From Iota Phi Theta member Dwayne Dixon in Elizabeth C. Fine: Soulstepping: African American Step Shows (Urbana & Chicago, University of Illinois Press, 2003; p 61
I say, my bro-thers....
-Yeah?
I say, Who's fly?
-I Phi!

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/iota-phi-theta-fraternity-inc-centaur.html for more information about the Centaur Walk and the Centaur Walk Song.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all the composers & performers of the "Fly Girl" records. Thanks also to all those other persons whose use of the tern "fly" and "fly girl" are mentioned in this post.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

What Is A (Name Of Black Greek Lettered Sorority) Chants

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features examples of the historically Black Greek lettered sorority chant: "What Is A (insert the name of a sorority)".

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

I consider fraternity & sorority chants to be cultural artifacts which deserve to be collected, preserved, and studied. I also believe that fraternity & sorority songs and chants should only be recited and/or performed by those persons who are affiliated with the specific organization that is associated with that particular chant.

COMMENTS ABOUT "WHAT IS A ___" CHANTS
"What is a ____" is a chant whose original composition is disputed among historically Black Greek lettered sororities. Each of the four Black Greek lettered sororities have multiple versions of this chant.

"What Is A ___" chants are performed by members of a sorority to insult (diss, put down) another sorority or more than one other sorority, and to brag about their own sorority. In the bragging portion of these compositions the chanters assert that their sorority is the preference of members of the fraternities which are named in that chant.

For instance, the examples of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc versions of these chants which I've collected thus far begin by dissin "Deltas" (members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc). Those chants then diss "Sigmas" (members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc), and then diss "Zetas" (members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.). The examples end by indicating that that "Alphas" (members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.), "Kappas" (members of Kappa Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc.), and members of "Que Psi Phi" Fraternity prefer to be with AKAs rather than with members of any other sorority.

For whatever reason, in the examples of this chant that I've collected to date, only three Black Greek lettered fraternities are named. Usually, those fraternites are the Alphas, Kappas, and Que Psi Phi (that fraternity's name is usually given in full in contrast to the abbreviated names of the other fraternities).

The chant which is given below as Example #3 is the only "What Is A ___" chant that I've found to date that mentions the newest member of the Pan-Hellenic Council*, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. That chant was posted online by a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, inc.

The chant which is given below as Example #4 is the only "What Is A ___" chant that I've found to date that mentions the Black Greek lettered fraternity Phi Beta Sigma. That example was posted online by a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. That example also has a unique ending in which four of the five historically Black Greek lettered fraternities are mentioned. In that segment of the chant, the Sigmas are the first fraternity mentioned.

It's not surprising that a chant posted by a Zeta would mention Phi Beta Sigma and would name that fraternity first in a list of other Black Greek lettered fraternities. After all, Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority are the only predominately Black Greek lettered fraternity & sorority that are officially connected as "brother/sister" organizations.

*Information about the Pan-Hellenic Council is given below under "Related Links".

The order of the sororities which are named in these chants differs depends on the pattern that is used. I've identified two pattern for these chants. In the first pattern the first sorority named is the name of the organization to which the chanters belong. Each of the featured examples below use this pattern.

An alternative pattern that is found in some "What Is A ____" chants is to begin the chant by dissin one targeted sorority, or by dissin the other three sororities that are members of the Pan Hellenic Council. Here's an example of that pattern:

What is a Delta, What is a Delta?
Who ain't a Delta, Who ain't a Delta?
A Delta is what you can be
Anyone can join this sorority,
just sign your name and they'll put you through
and then you can go Oo-oop too
-LejaLaMorena, http://www.stophazing.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=000243 Frat/Sorority Chants, 9/29/2005
-snip-
Some examples of "What Is A ___" chants include an introductory portion that briefly references the history of the chanter's sorority, or briefly references the history of one of the sororities that is being dissed, from their perspective of those chanting. For instance, the beginning of Example #1 that is found below begins with comments about the history of Delta Sigma Theta which was founded by twenty two former members of Alpha Kappa Alpha:

"Let's kick it to the ivies in the Crimson and Cream.
To be an AKA was your founders' only dream.
See Delta Sigma Theta was perfectly made because all of your founders pledged...AKA.
I say "oops oops" you slipped, you went the wrong way.
You pledged DST but you're dreaming AKA."
-snip-
"Oops oops" is a clever play on words as it's the Delta's signature call & also has the English meaning "I've made a mistake".

In contrast to that introductory passage, the beginning portion of Example #2 below gives the history of how Delta Sigma Theta started from the perspective of a Delta:

"In 1908, you thought YOU were the best
But my 22 founders wouldn't settle for less
In 1913 they envisioned something greater
YOUR president walked out, and founded DELTA SIGMA THETA!!"
-snip-
1908 was the year that Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded. 1913 was the year that twenty two members of that sorority left it to start Delta Sigma Theta.
-snip-
A number of examples of "What Is A ___" chants end with the signature call of the organization whose members are doing the chanting. For instance, "Oop oop oop" is the Delta Sigma Theta signature call and "Skee Wee" is the Alpha Kappa Alpha signature call.

These calls are supposed to be chanted only by persons who are affiliated with that specific sorority.

My experience is that members of other sororities usually respond to these chants with either studied indifference, or with their signature call & their organization's signature hand gesture, and/or with their own bragging/putdown chants.

I've also found this video example of "What Is A Nupe"*: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX1ZEqZ6-cY

In that video, individual members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc brag about their organization. That example doesn't fit the same patterns as the "What Is A ___" sorority chants that i've collected to date. I'm unsure if other Black Greek lettered fraternities have versions of this Chant. If you know of other examples, please share that information in the comment section or by contacting me via cocojams17@yahoo.com.

*Nupe is a referent for members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Visit this page of my cultural website to find omy cultual BClick http://cocojams.com/content/fraternity-and-sorority-chants to find other examples of "What Is A ____" chants. That page also includes examples of other fraternity or sorority chants.

FEATURED EXAMPLES
(Presented in alphabetical order based on the first letter of the sorority's name.)

Example #1: WHAT IS AN AKA
Let's kick it to the ivies in the Crimson and Cream.
To be an AKA was your founders' only dream.
See Delta Sigma Theta was perfectly made because all of your founders pledged...AKA.
I say "oops oops" you slipped, you went the wrong way.
You pledged DST but you're dreaming AKA.

Because an AhhKA is what a Delta ain't
what a Zeta couldn't
what a SGRho can't
what the Ques like
what the Kappas love
what APhiA can't get enough of.

Skeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee- Wee!
- reflection08, Greek Chant Off, http://onolympus.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=life&action=print&thread=1471 ,Feb 29, 2008
-snip-
"Let's kick it to the ivies in the Crimson and Cream" can be basically "translated" as "Let's direct these words to those who are in the process of joining Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. "Ivy" refers to the ivy plant & also is the referent for those pledging a sorority AKA and, from the text of this example, also DST (Delta Sigma Theta).*

"Crimson & Cream" are the official colors for Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

"AhhKA" (pronounced "ahh-kah") is a referent for members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

"Zeta" = members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
"SGRho" = members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
"Ques" = members of Que Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
"Kappas" = members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
"APhiA" members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

*Full Disclosure - I pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (Gamma Zeta chapter, 1967) and I therefore know that "ivies" is a referent that is used for those pledging AKA. But I'm not sure if "ivies" is also used for those pledging DST (Delta Sigma Theta) and/or other historically Black Greek lettered sororites.

****
Example #2: WHAT IS A DELTA?
I love this one, although its pretty common (I'm sure my sorors know it already)

In 1908, you thought YOU were the best
But my 22 founders wouldn't settle for less
In 1913 they envisioned something greater
YOUR president walked out, and founded DELTA SIGMA THETA!!

What is a Delta?
What is a DELTA?

A Delta is, what a A-KA ain't
What a Zeta wanna be
What a Sigma can't
What the Alpha's like
What the Kappas love
What a QUE PSI PHI can't get enough of!

OO-OOP, OO-OOP, OO-OOP OO-OOP OO-OOP, OOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOP!!
-crimsonendvy E-Greek Chant Off. http://onolympus.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=life&action=print&thread=1471 , Feb 29, 2008
snip-
"sorors" means "sisters" in the Greek language.
"Sigma" here means a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.

****
Example #3: WHAT IS A SIGMA
I say my sorors?
Yes!
My sexy sorors?
Yes!
My fine sexy Sigma Sorors?
WE SAID YES!
A Sigma is...
What a Delta ain't,
What an Acky wanna be,
What a Zeta can't;
What Iota wants,
What Alpha loves
What K-A-Psi can't get enough of!
- from http://ms_quiet.tripod.com/chants.html This is a Sigma Gamma Rho chant.
-snip-
"Acky" is an insulting referent for AKA.
-snip-
"Sigma" here refers to Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

In most of the Black Greek lettered sorority & fraternity chants that I've collected, "Sigmas" refers to members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and "SGRho" refers to Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.

As an aside, the beginning portion of this chant which has a call & response pattern reminds me of the group voice that begins a sub-set of children's cheerleader cheers that I have named "foot stomping cheers". Click this page of my Cocojams cultural website for examples of foot stomping cheers:
http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0

****
Example #4: WHAT IS A ZETA
what is a Zeta
A Zeta is what a Delta ain't
what a Sigma Rho wanna be
but an AKA can't
What a Kappa love
what a Q adore
what a Phi Beta Sigma can't get a enough of
Ritz got the crackers
Campbells got the soup
Zeta got the Sigmas, Alpha's Q's and the Nupes
Ow-Ow-Ow Z -Phi-B
Ow-Ow-Ow Oh so sweet

My chapter made this up Goes with Set it off by strafe Tall Tale Zeta Phi Beta Incorporated Gamma Nu chapter Fall 1997
-Tall Tale Zeta Phi Beta Incorporated Gamma Nu chapter Fall 1997; http://cocojams.com/content/fraternity-and-sorority-chants ,8/14/2007
-snip-
"Ritz" and "Campbells" are well known product brand names.

FEATURED VIDEO: Greek Roll Call



Uploaded by M3trisjm92 on Apr 11, 2011

Claflin University
Spr. 11' Yard Show

The chant "What is a Delta" is found at .023 of this video.
-snip-
I'm interested in identifying other video & text examples of this chant. Please help document & preserve this history & creative legacy by sending in video links and text examples to me at cocojams17@yahoo.com or by sharing links and/or examples in the comment section below. Thanks!

RELATED LINK
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council for information about the Pan-Hellenic Council.

Here's an excerpt from that page:
"Not to be confused with National Panhellenic Conference.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities."

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
My thanks to members of all Black Greek lettered sororities, which can be so much more than social organizations.

Thanks to those persons who posted examples of these chants online, and thanks to the uploader of this featured video.

Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Five Love Songs by Nat King Cole (Sound Files & Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features four sound files and one video of Nat King Cole singing love songs. Information about Nat King Cole and links to the lyrics of these featured songs are also included in this post.

The content of this post is provided for historical and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT NAT KING COLE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_King_Cole
"Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was a musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. He owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. He was one of the first black Americans to host a television variety show, and has maintained worldwide popularity since his death."
-snip-
Information about some of the love songs that are featured in this post are given with this link referenced as "Wikipedia: Nat King Cole".

****
FEATURED SONGS
(These songs are presented in chronological order based on their recording by Nat King Cole.)

Example #1: "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons" Nat King Cole


catman916, Uploaded on Jul 22, 2009

"(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," written in 1945 by William Best, with lyrics by Deek Watson was recorded by Nat King Cole on Capitol Records in 1946 and reached #1 on the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart. It was first included on the 10 inch Capitol LP,Unforgetable, released in 1953 and is currently available on the Unforgetable CD.
-snip-
This song's lyrics are include in the uploader's summary of another sound file of this song that is found at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oWbzT_oAJ0

****
Example #2 : Nat King Cole - "Unforgettable"



SORM222, Uploaded on Jul 23, 2010
-snip-
According to his wikipedia page,"Unforgettable" (recorded in 1951) was Nat King Cole’s signature tune.

Click http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nat+king+cole/ for lyrics to this song.

**
Here's a link to technologically created 1991 duet of Nat King Cole & and his daughter Natalie Cole singing "Unforgettable"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53ith7bNN8w&feature=related

****
Example #3 - When I Fall In Love



Frank Cole, Uploaded on Sep 27, 2008

(an excerpt from "Istanbul" with Errol Flynn and Cornell Borchers, 1957). I could talk about the smooth and calm voice, about the piano and other instruments... about how I like to listen to Nat King

-snip-
From Wikipedia: Nat King Cole -“His 1957 recording of "When I Fall In Love" reached #4 in the UK charts in 1987.”
**
Click http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nat+king+cole/when+i+fall+in+love_20098122.html for the lyrics to this song.

****
Example #4: "The Very Thought of You" Nat King Cole



catman916, Uploaded on Jul 20, 2009

"The Very Thought of You" is from Nat "King" Cole's 1958 Capitol LP of the same name arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins. The album is available on CD on the Capitol and Collectors Choice labels.
-snip-
Click http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nat+king+cole/the+very+thought+of+you_20098108.html for lyrics to this song.

****
Example #5: Nat King Cole-L-O-V-E



GoldenMoonraker, Uploaded on Feb 17, 2012
-snip-
This song's lyrics are include in the uploader's summary at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc6jyf4B5bk
**
From Wikipedia: Nat King Cole: “His last album, L-O-V-E, was recorded in early December 1964—just a few days before he entered the hospital for cancer treatment—and was released just prior to his death. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Albums chart in the spring of 1965.”

**
"L-O-V-E" is the title of a children's foot stomping cheer. Yhe only similarity that this foot stomping cheer has to the ballad sung by Nat King Cole is that title. However, I wonder if that Nat King Cole song was the inspiration for that foot stomping cheer. Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for two versions of "L-O-V-E" that are included on the foot stomping cheer page of my Cocojams cultural website.

****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Nat King Cole for his legacy of music. Thanks also to the composers of these featured songs, and to the uploaders of these sound files and video.

Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More