Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check - Busta Rhymes

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenge of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post every day (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

Busta Rhymes – Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check (1996)

We’re continuing in the US, dear reader, but leaving Texas behind and returning once more to New York. Busta Rhymes began his career in the late 1980s as a member of Leaders of the New School, but the hip hop group had disbanded by 1994. When we join Busta Rhymes in 1996 it is with the release of his debut album, The Coming, and from there 1001 Songs have gone with the song, Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check.

Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check pays homage to Galt MacDermot’s 1968 instrumental track, Space, by sampling the music. The track also takes inspiration for its title from The Sugarhill Gang’s 1980 song, 8th Wonder, but we’ll come back to that! The song itself seems to be Busta Rhymes either giving us a plethora of facts or demonstrating a heavy dose of bravado. He sounds like he is a tough guy in the neighbourhood, at times comparing himself to Han Solo and even Tom Cruise in Top Gun. The song is notable for its heavy use of rhyme with each verse having a consistent rhyme running throughout each line. That takes some doing. Good thing Busta Rhymes wasn’t singing about an orange!

I have heard of Busta Rhymes but was not familiar with his work. In fact, I was thinking is that the guy who sang a track called Tha Crossroads, but turns out that was by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, so my musical incompetence shows no signs of abating. As for the song, this is a catchy hip hop piece, including the “Woo-hah!” in the chorus. That title and lyrics landed Rhymes in trouble with The Sugarhill Gang who sued him for using the line from their song and not giving any credit. This unwanted litigation has not stopped Busta Rhymes from continuing a very successful career to date.

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Ultravox – Vienna (1980)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)

U2 – One (1991)

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (1994)