"Ladies And Gentlemen, Children Too" Playground Rhyme

Uploaded by SafariCreations on May 22, 2009
-snip-
My transcription for the "Ladies And Gentlemen, Children Too" rhyme is given as Example #1 below. The "Wang Dang Doodle" song begins at 1:32.

From http://ThePointers.DazMan.com
"Willie Dixon's Blues stomper "Wang Dang Doodle" became the second hit for the Pointers Sister in 1974. On the original 1973 recording they are backed by the Hoodoo Rhythm Devils."

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - July 27, 2023

This pancocojams post presents examples of the playground rhyme "Ladies And Gentlemen, Children Too".

My speculation about sources for certain words in these rhymes are also included in this post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to The Pointer Sisters who are featured in this embedded video, and thanks to the publisher of that video on YouTube.

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FEATURED EXAMPLES OF "LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN, CHILDREN TOO"
[Presented in relative chronological order, except for Example #1]

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Example #1 (sung as intro to the song “Wang Dang Doodle” performed by the Pointer Sisters without any backup instrumental music, and accompanied by the audience handclapping]

Thank you!
Here we go:

Walkin down the alley, alley, alley
Shakin your jally, jally, jally.
Swingin your partner, partner, partner.
LADIES, and gentlemen, children too
These brown babies gonna boogie for YOU.

[Do motions as indicated; For “boogie” & “cha cha cha”, wiggle your hips from side to side]

They gonna turn around,
And touch the ground
They gonna step back, and step back
And boogie on down.
Hands up! Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Ah Cha cha cha cha.
To the front, to the back, to the side by side
To the front, to the back, to the side by side
To the front, to the back, to the side by side
I never went to college,
I never went to school
But when I came back
I was an educated fool.
HANDS UP!

[One of the performer's say "Come on! Join in. Ya’ll love it!"; Drum beat begins]

Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Ah Cha cha cha cha.

[increase tempo]

Hands up! Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Ah Cha cha cha cha.

[tempo remains the same]

Hands up! Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Cha cha cha cha.
Hands up! Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Cha cha cha cha.

Hands up! Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Cha cha cha cha.
[music begins for the song “Wang Dang Doodle]
Hands up! Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Cha cha cha cha.

Hands up! Ah Cha cha Cha cha
Sam BOOM!
Cha cha cha cha.
-The Pointer Sisters: Wang Dang Doodle [1974

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Example #2 (movement rhyme)

Ladies and gentlemen, children too
This brown girl
She gonna boogie for you
She gonna turn all around
She gonna wear her dresses up above her knees
She gonna shake her fanny just as much as she please.
I never went to college.
I never went to school.
But when it comes to boogie,
I can boogie like a fool.
You go in out, side to side.
You go in out, side to side.
-Barbara Ray (African American female), memory of childhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1950s; collected in November 1996 & in August 2009 (second interview) by Azizi Powell

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Example #3 (dramatized skit)

Fast forward to current time. The guys(yes boys) at campfires and Diocese-wide events here in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark (NJ) do a dance off to the following with one guy sitting down after each sing through. I'll check around, but I know it goes back to the mid 1990's

Seven little sisters
Like to boogie down
Like to turn around
Like to touch the ground
Like to wear their skirts above their knees
Now they've never been to college
And they've never been to school
But when it comes to dancin'
They can boogie like a fool.

Hands up, shake-shake, shake, shake
Hands down, shake-shake, shake, shake
To the front, to the back to the side, side, side
to the front, to the back, to the side, side, side

Six little sisters.....
-Tinker,
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101 "We Wear Our Hair In Curls" , August 23, 2009

-snip-
[continue counting down "five little sisters", "four little sisters" etc]

In another comment on that discussion thread, Tinker shared that wrote that this camp (called "The Eagles Nest") in the Newark, New Jersey area was a racially/ethnically integrated summer experience for high academic achieving girls and boys. It appears to have been part of the camp's tradition that only the boys performed "Seven Little Sisters" for fun as part as a performance for the entire camp.

Tinker posted a query about this song on that camp's alumni page. Other posters remembered this song, and one remembered it having been sung by boys "in the 1960s". But neither Tinker nor anyone else knew where it came from.

My sense is that the title and lyrics "Seven Little Sisters" has nothing at all to do with the term "Seven Sisters" as used for either the astronomical constellation, the Greek mythology, the Hoodoo referent or any other referent. Instead, it seems to me that in that children's rhyme "seven little sisters" is just a way of counting down the number of "girls" who are performing that rhyme.

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Example #4 (jump rope rhyme)

Ladies and gentlemen
Children too,
This young lady's
Going to boogie for you.

She's going to turn around. (Jumper turn around)
She's going to touch the ground. (Jumper touch ground)
She's going to shimmy, shimmy, shimmy (Jumper wiggles hips)
Till her drawers fall down.

She never went to college.
She never went to school.
But when she came back,
She was a nasty fool.
-Source: Knapp (1976), posted on http://www.mudcat.org/jumprope/jumprope_display_all.cfm

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Example #5 (performance activity not given)

down down baby down by the rollercoaster
sweet sweet baby, I'll never let you go
shimmy shimmy coco pop, shimmy shimmy rah!
shimmy shimmy coco pop, shimmy shimmy rah!
I like candy, I like tea, I like a little boy
and he likes me.
so step off jack, your hands are black
your looking like a monkey on a rail road track
To the front to the back to the side by side
To the front to the back to the side by side,
Ladies and gentlemen children too
this old lady's gonna boogie for you
she's gonna turn around
touch the ground
boogie boogie boogie till her pants fall down!!!

this version i remember from when i was little..i loved it!!
-GUEST,guest..jenna; October 1, 2010 http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101 "We Wear Our Hair In Curls".

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Example #6:
BOOGIE CHANT AND DANCE
Any number can be substituted for "three". Dancers do the actions suggested in the chant. They boogie* or clap on the "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha".

Ladies and gentlemen and children, too,
Here are three girls gonna boogie for you,
They're gonna turn all around,
They're gonna touch thee ground,
They're gonna shake their shoulders,
Till the sun goes down.
Hands up! Ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha.
Hands down! Ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha.
Got a penny, call Jack Benny. Ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha.
Got a nickel, buy a pickle. Ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha.
Got a dime, ain't it fine. Ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha.
-Margaret Taylor Burroughs, Did You Feed My Cow: Street Games, Chants, and Rhymes (Chicago, Follet Publishing Co., 1969, previously published in 1956; p. 67 [African American children, Chicago, Illinois]

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Example #7 (chanted while playing jump rope)

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Children, too.
There’s a little white girl
Going looking for you.
Hands up, torch-a-torch.
Two years old, going on three.
Wear my dresses upon my knee.
Sister has a boyfriend,
Comes every night,
-Walks in the parlor
And turns out the lights.
Peep through the keyhole,
What did I see?
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny,
Put your arms around me.
Girls, girls, ready for a fight.
Here comes the girl with the skirt all tight.
She can wiggle, she can friggle,
She can do that stuff.
But I bet she can’t do this.

(Jumping while the rope is turned faster.)
- https://blog.phillyhistory.org/index.php/2017/08/some-jump-rope-songs-from-camingerly-ca-1959/ Some Jump Rope Songs from Camingerly, ca. 1959 By Ken Finkel, August 22, 2017

Ken Finkel shared several rhymes and cited these sources for those rhyme:  [Sources: Roger D. Abrahams, “Some Jump-Rope Rimes from South Philadelphia,” Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Spring, 1963 and Roger D. Abrahams, Deep Down in the Jungle: Negro Narrative Folklore from the Streets of Philadelphia (Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company, 1970,) 2nd edition.]

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Example #8 (chanted while jumping rope)

Ladies and gentlemen
Children too
There’s a little white girl
Going looking for you
Hands up torch-a torch
Two years old going on three
Wears my dresses upon my knee
Sister had a boyfriend,
Comes in every night
__Walks to the parlor
And turns on the lights.
Peeps through the keyhole,
What do you see?
Johnny, Johnny,
Put your arms around me.

See also “My sister’s got a boyfriend” for this ending
- Source: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Jump_rope_Rhymes/

 [Roger D Abrahams, KFQ, 8 (1963), 14-15, Pennsylvania (1959)
[ Roger D Abrahams (1969) Jump Rope Rhymes A Dictionary
University of Texas Press: Austin, TX.(1969), page,16-17  

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITORIAL NOTES

I believe that the source for the lines:

Never went to college
never went to school
but when it comes to boogie
I'm an educated fool

[or similar lines] is this rhyme/song that is found in Dorothy Scarborough's On The Trail Of Negro Folk-Songs (Folklore Associates, Inc. edition, 1963, p. 71; originally published by Harvard University Press, 1925): 

"Old Jesse was a gemman.
Among de olden times.

N****r never went to free school.
Nor any odder college,
An' all de white folks wonder whar
That n****r got his knowledge."...

-end of quote-
Editorial Notes:
This is not the same song as the African American secular slave song & old time banjo song [Here Comes]"Uncle Jesse".

In this post, the word "n****r" is the way I choose to write the pejorative referent for Black people which is now commonly known as "the n word".

"Gemman"="gentleman".

"Free schools" were the schools that were established for African Americans immediately after the end of the United States civil war. "Whar" ="Where".

"Boogie" = "dance". There are many African American dance songs that include the word "boogie". Among those songs is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM3PuXDpKiA&feature=related Boogie Chillun - John Lee Hooker (1948).

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UPDATE August 4, 2013
A song entitled "Jennie Jones" (also given as "Jenia Jones") is a tantalizing possibility for the primary source of the African American children's rhyme "Ladies & Gentleman, Children Too". In a 1927 version of "Jennie Jones", Jennie (Jennia)'s suitor eventually learns that she is dead. That song even has a refrain of "Very well, ladies; Ladies and Gentlemen, too." The first point connects that song to the African American children's rhyme "Aunt Jenny Died" and the second point (also) connects that song to the Afriacn American children's rhyme "Ladies & Gentlemen, Children Too".

*I found the song "Jenny Jones" in this 1927 collection of American children's rhymes: Book of Games for Home, School, And Playground (William Byron Forbush, Harry A. Allen; Chicago, The John C. Winston Co}

"Jenny Jones" is NOT the same as the song "Jenny Jenkins", although both of those songs include lyrics about the woman wearing different colors.

Here's an excerpt from a post about the history of the "Jenny Jones song" from http://www.alabamafolklife.org/content/history-behind-songs
"This [Jenny Jones] This game has a well-developed dramatic structure and has as its prevailing theme the nature of death. It appears in Gomme, in Newell, and in the Opies (1985:254-60) as well as in other collections. Gomme (1:260-83) has seventeen variants, with slightly different instructions, and apparently received so many submissions that she didn't print them all. The game has been the subject of poetry, and was the source of a popular American song, "Jennie Jenkins." [Italics added to highlight this sentence.]

Also, a discussion thread about the history of the United Kingdom Morris Dance "Sweet Jenny Jones" adds more information about the origin of the Jenny Jones songs. In particular, read this comment by Margaret from that discussion thread: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=28483#353931 about the popularity of 19th century "Jenny Jones" figurines and a 19th century song about Jenny Jones and her lover. That same discussion thread includes this comment:

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sweet Jenny Jones
From: sian, west wales
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 02:01 PM

..."here (in translation) is the low-down on the tune known as Cadair (or Cader) Idris according to one of our experts, Huw Williams:
An original tune by John Parry (bardic name: Bardd Alaw), based on the style of old harp tunes, and written by him in Denbigh in 1804. It was first published in "The Welsh Harper, being an Extensive Collection of Welsh Airs" (1839). It is interesting how Charles J. Mathews, the famous entertainer, came to set the English words for the tune, and how it came to be known in English circles as Jenny Jones. According to "The Life of Charles James Mathews" (Charles Dickens; London 1879), Mathews visited Wales during 1824-1826, and he heard a harper playing the tune on his harp in a hotel in Llangollen. He had never heard the tune before and had no idea who had written it, but he liked it so much that he memorized it.

In the farmhouse where he was staying in Pontblyddyn there was a maid called Jenny Jones and a farm servant named David Morgan. Mathews wrote a ballad for the tune, giving it the name of the maid. One night, he said, he sang the ballad in the house of friends in London, and at the end of the evening of entertainment, an old man came up to him and said that he had written the tune and that it had been awarded a prize in the 1804 Eisteddfod under the title Cader Idris. That old man was Bardd Alaw. Later Mathews used the ballad under the title Jenny Jones in a revue (review?) called, "He would be an actor", and it is said that the tune was whistled everywhere in the London streets after that."...
-snip-
I reformatted this comment to enhance its readability.

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Viewer comments are welcome.

Giving Daps (Intricate Black Handshakes)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision: February 16, 2020

This is Part IV of a four part pancocojams series on American hand gestures. Part IV of this series focuses on dap (handshakes).

Each of the posts in this series focus on hand gestures that were either created by African Americans or have been most closely associated with African Americans.

For Part I of this series (Five On The Black Hand Side handshakes), click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/five-on-black-hand-side-handshake.html.

For Part II of this series (High Fives),
click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/high-five-handshake-videos.html

For Part III of this series click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/fist-bump-pound-handshakes.html.

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

The copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those quoted in this post, and to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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PART IV
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF DAP HANDSHAKES
From http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-dap-greeting.htm
"A dap greeting is a series of arranged gestures exchanged between two individuals. Although a dap greeting can be exchanged upon meeting someone, it can also be used to indicate agreement, celebration or fellowship at any time. A dap greeting can include slapping hands, bumping fists in any direction, snapping, wiggling fingers and other forms of contact, and it can last anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute. Dap greetings originated in the black community and have since spread to other racial groups, with many subcultures and groups of friends developing their own very specific dap greetings...

Origins

This type of greeting typically is non-verbal, and it is exchanged as a gesture of affection and solidarity. Dap greetings are believed to have originated in Africa, where people from different tribes might exchange such greetings upon meeting each other to indicate peaceful and friendly intentions. Blacks who emigrated to other parts of the world — including those forcefully transported as slaves — developed their own dap greetings...

Meaning of "Dap"
Some people believe that “dap” is an acronym for “dignity and pride,” reflecting the adoption of the dap greeting by the black power movement. Others suggest that “dignity and pride” is merely what is sometimes called a "backronym" — an acronym thought up after a word already existed. "Dap" also might be a shortening of another word or an onomatopoeia — a word that imitates the noise produced by this type of greeting; some dap greetings create a sound much like “dap,” which is produced by pulling the slightly cupped hands of the participants against each other."
**
From http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Shake-That--The-Right-Way/3669693
Shake That! The Right Way By: liss
"[In] Benin [West Africa], young men snap fingers while shaking hands. In Botswana [South Africa], people touch hands with a slight grazing of the palms and fingers. In Singapore [Asia], after you handshake its customary to place the other persons hand over your heart. Among Scandinavian [Europe] teens, exchanging spit by means of a handshake seals a deal...

Jamaicans complain that Americans are distant and Americans complain that Germans are cold and unfriendly. Sure, when you first meet them, Jamaicans dont shake hands with you. But once you get acquainted, they expect a casual lock and fly or a one harmed hug or a shug or a bro grab or a hetero-hug or whatever its known as in your country" ...
**
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dap_greeting:
"Though it can refer to many kinds of greetings involving hand contact, dap is best known as a complicated routine of shakes, slaps, snaps, and other contact that must be known completely by both parties involved. Dap greeting sometimes include a pound hug."

*ADDED SECTION [February 25, 2018] : The African American Experience in Vietnam: Brothers in Arms
By James E. Westheider
https://books.google.com/books?id=VHEL34ALzO4C&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=fist+pounding+heart+handshake&source=bl&ots=McVvUG2DxW&sig=AnQNKfKkpEk2V9WQZ0wUecSa-VA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin19vV7MHZAhXIUt8KHdCYB9w4ChDoAQgvMAE#v=onepage&q=fist%20pounding%20heart%20handshake&f=false
page 76
..."African Americans who remained in the armed services often reacted to racism by seeking comfort and safety in racial solidarity and by establishing their own sub-culture within the military. They called each other “brother”, “soul brother”, or “bloods”, and they were proud of being black. Two popular methods of greeting fellow black soldiers and demonstrating racial solidarity were the black power salute, a clenched fist in the air, and the “dab”, which developed in Vietnam, probably among inmates of the notorious Long Binh stockade. Dap is a corruption of the word “dep” Vietnamese slang for something beautiful. The dap, also known as “checking in”, was an intricate ritualized handshake, involving numerous gestures and movements. There was no standard dap, but there were many common gestures. There were countless variations of dap, and some of the more common greetings could go on for five or more minutes. Each move had a specific meaning: Pounding on the heart with a clenched fist, for example, symbolized brotherly love and solidarity; clenching fingers together and then touching the backside of the hand meant “My brother, I’m with you”. Most of the gestures signified solidarity, respect, and pride, but a few had darker meanings. A slicing movement across the throat symbolized cutting the throats of white MPs, never a favorite group among black recruits."...
-snip-
Click the "black handshakes" tab below for more pancocojams posts about this subject.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Ebony & Ivory Handshake - The Bert Show



Uploaded by q100atlanta on Jun 19, 2011

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Video #2: lebrons Pre-game handshakes



Uploaded by nlnodoubt on Dec 20, 2009

lebron james secret handshakes with his Cleveland cavaliers teammates, He is truly an incredible talent.
-snip-
Actually, I don't think these handshakes are secret. "Personalized" is probably a better word to describe them, as Lebron appears to have a different dap handshake for each person.

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Video #3: Monta Ellis' Amazing Handshake


Uploaded by SciFientology on Jan 14, 2010
-snip-
WARNING! A number of viewers of this video connected the handshake shown in this video with the Gangster Disciple Nation (GDN or GD).

Certain handshakes are associated with specific gangs. Those handshakes absolutely should NOT be done by people who aren’t members of those gangs.

[This prohibition against non-members doing this handshake doesn't apply to the high five that followed it.]
-snip-
In this clip, Monta Ellis said "I told ya I'd warm that thang up." (referring to the basketball shots that he made.]

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Video #4: Everybody Hates Chris and Albert Hand Shake



Sly Cooper, Aug 3, 2012

from season Season 3 Episode 9 of Everbody Hates Chris

-snip-
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everybody_Hates_Chris
"This television show is inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock (who is also the narrator). The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years 1978-1983."

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Video #5: Fresh Prince - Will Jazz Handshake Compilation



Jibb's Compilations, Published on May 7, 2014

Every scene of Will and Jazz high five from every season of Fresh Prince. Featuring other cast members and guest stars.

Episodes in order of appearance:
1x02 Bang the Drum, Ashley 0:01
3x07 Here Comes the Judge 0:02
2x19 Eyes on the Prize 0:04
2x17 Community Action 0:05
1x07 Def Poets Society 0:07
1x10 Kiss my Butler 0:09
4x13 'Twas the Night Before Christening 0:11
3x23 The Way We Were 0:13

4x20 The 'Ol Ball and Chain 0:14
6x23 I, Done Part 1 0:16
5x25 For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll 0:18
4x01 Where There's a Will, There's a Way 0:20
1x07 Def Poets Society 0:22
1x23 72 Hours 0:24
3x01 How I Spent My Summer Vacation 0:26
4x19 You'd Better Shop Around 0:28

4x16 I know Why the Caged Bird Screams 0:30
3x17 The Best Laid Plans 0:32
5x01 What's Will Got to do With It 0:34
5x16 A Decent Proposal 0:37
1x09 Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect 0:39
1x09 Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect 0:40
1x16 The Lucky Charm 0:42
3x18 The Alma Matter 0:45

5x21 Save the Last Trance for Me 0:46
2x24 Strip-Tease for Two 0:48
4x07 Hex and the Single Guy 0:52
2x19 Eyes on the Prize 0:54
4x09 Fresh Prince After Dark 0:56
3x13 Mommy Nearest 0:58
4x23 Mother's Day 1:01

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Video #6 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Carlton playing gangster in Compton.flv



Anmol Warsi, Jan 22, 2011
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note: This television clip from an episode of the early 1990s to mid 1990s American television show, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air contains several examples of dap handshakes.

1:27-1:28 - an agreement handshake

2:02-2:03 - a departure handshake

2:09 - 2:10 - a handshake as a sign of approval

2:34 - a handshake as a sign of approval

-snip-

This episode also includes an example of the vertical fist bump [1:41-1:42]
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fresh_Prince_of_Bel-Air for information about that television show.

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THE WAYS THAT AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE GREET OTHER FEMALES & MALES
As demonstrated by Michelle Obama, African American females may give "pounds" (fist bumps). And African American females also may give "high fives". However, what I have experienced and observed since the 1960s is that the way that Black American teenage girls and Black American women informally greet & say goodbye to Black females & Black males (or to some non-Black people who they are "cool" with) is usually different from the informal ways that males informally greet & say goodbye to other males.

In my experience, the way that many African American women informally greet & say goodbye other females and males by hugging each other, with our face turned to the side. This is the same way that many African American males informally greet females. And some African American females may informally greet & say goodbye to females & males by giving double hugs with air kisses, similar to the gesture that is shown in this video:

Etiquette of Social Kissing



Uploaded by engclass0 on Dec 20, 2007

-snip-
African American men may often informally greet and say goodbye to females in that same way instead of giving them dap handshakes.

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The Fist Bump (Pound) Black Handshakes

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is Part III of a four part series on American hand gestures. Part III of this series focuses on fist bumps and other examples of dap handshakes.

Each of the posts in this series focus on hand gestures that were either created by African Americans or have been most closely associated with African Americans.

For Part I of this series (Five On The Black Hand Side handshakes), click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/five-on-black-hand-side-handshake.html.

For Part II of this series (High Fives),
click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/high-five-handshake-videos.html

For Part IV of this series "Giving Daps (Intricate Handshakes)", click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/giving-daps-intricate-handshakes.html.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the authors of the quoted article, the producers of the featured videos, and those persons appearing in the videos. My thanks also to the uploaders of those videos.

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PART III
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF FIST BUMP AND DAP HANDSHAKES
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_bump
"The fist bump (also called Pound, Bro Fist, Fist Pound, Fo' Knucks, Bones, knuckle bump, knuckle touch or Spud and Cuff (British slang), is a gesture similar in meaning to a handshake or high five. A fist bump can also be a symbol of giving respect. It can be followed by various other hand and body gestures and may be part of a dap greeting. It is commonly used in baseball as a form of celebration with teammates, and with opposition players at the end of a game.

The gesture is performed when two participants each form a closed fist with one hand and then lightly tap the front of their fists together. The participant's fists may be either vertically-oriented (perpendicular to the ground) or horizontally-oriented. Unlike the standard handshake, which is typically performed only with each participants' right hand, a fist bump may be performed with participants using either hand."
-end of quote-
[Italics added to highlight that sentence.]

Note that there are multiple ways that a fist bump can be performed. This article doesn't mention the two handed "pound" - two people exchanging a pound (fist bump) with both of their hands at the same time.

The horizontal fist bump appears to be much more familiar to the general American public than the horizontal form of this hand gesture. I think this is largely due to that being the form that is most used by basketball & baseball players. Also, on June 3, 2008, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama exchanged a horizontal fist bump during a televised presidential campaign speech in St. Paul, Minnesota upon clenching the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. As a result of that -I believe- spontaneous gesture, the fist bump has received a great deal of exposure in the mainstream American media. The Obamas exchanging a fist bump appeared to be the first time that many non-Black Americans were aware of that hand gesture, to the point that a number of media commentators were unsure what to call it. And some used that action for their own political agendas [i.e. calling it a "terrorist fist jab"].

Notwithstanding the increased awareness of the horizontal fist bump, I believe that the vertical pound is an older form of that hand gesture. A common African American term for the fist bump ("pound") comes from the vertical form of that hand gesture in which one fist is hit on top of another. In this context "pound" means to "hit down on something- like pounding a nail with a hammer".

**
From http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/magazine/06wwln-safire-t.html "On Language: Fist Bump by William Safire
"Prof. Geneva Smitherman, director of African-American language study at Michigan State University, says:... "Pound is when knuckles touch in a horizontal position. That’s the gesture that Michelle and Barack used. Dap is when the knuckles touch in a vertical position. Both gestures can be used as a greeting, to signal respect, agreement, bonding.”

Dap started among black soldiers during the Vietnam War; to give “some dap” (not usually “a” dap) means “to offer kudos, congratulations”; Prof. James Peterson of Bucknell, a hip-hop historian, says he thinks it is rooted in dapper, “neat, fashionably smart.” Pound came out of hip-hop in the late 1980s. Fist bump came later: a 1996 note in the Sports Network wire service reported that Eddie Murray of the Baltimore Orioles was accepting congratulations from baseball teammates with “high-fives, handshakes or fist bumps.” Peterson says the new phrase robs the gesture of its cultural significance, which includes the Obamas’ “quiet but pronounced in-group affiliation with all of black America.” "
-snip-
There are many theories about the origin & popularization of the fist bump. Rather than delve into those theories in this post, I'll showcase a few video examples of that hand gesture. In Part IV of this series, I'll present more information about "dap" and showcase examples of athletes and others exchanging "dap" (intricate) handshakes that may include fist bumps.

FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: hanes charlie sheen and mj spot



Uploaded by postadvertising on May 30, 2008

This is hanes' new commercial with charlie sheen and mj. [Michael Jordan]

-snip-

This ad, published before the Obamas fist bump, includes a comedic attempt at a fist bump by a non-Black actor while the Black basketball player starts to greet him with a standard handshake.

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Video #2: Obama's finest fist bumps


CNN
Published on Nov 30, 2016
A look back at President Obama's countless fist bumps.
-snip-
This video replaces the one that was previously embedded in this post but is no longer available.

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Video #3: Usain Bolt fist bumps Glasgow volunteer | Unmissable Moments



Commonwealth Games, Published on Aug 3, 2014

Great scenes at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as Jamaica's Usain Bolt shares a low five and a fist bump with a young volunteer.
-snip-
This video replaces one that featured daps instead of fist bumps.

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RELATED LINK
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Carlton playing gangster in Compton.flv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPeDAFTgPTA&feature=related

embedding disabled by request

1:41-1:42 - an example of a vertical fist bump between Carton & Will. In this example, that fist bump appears to be made as both a sign of greeting and sign of approval. More examples from this video clip will be cited in Part IV of this pancocojams series.

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Videos of Gaitana's Song "Be My Guest" & Guetta/Rowland's Song "When I Take Over"

Edited by Azizi Powell

A number of commenters in this YouTube video thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLsTn_li5d8 wrote that Ukrainian vocalist's Gaitana's Eurovision entry sounded very much like David Guetta and Kelly Rowland's song "When I Take Over".

This post showcases back to back videos of those two songs so that it would be easier for people to hear them and decide for themselves whether these songs do indeed sound alike.

The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the composers, performers, and the producers of these featured videos. My thanks also to the uploaders of these videos.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are placed in no particular order.)

Gaitana - Be My Guest - Live - Grand Final - 2012 Eurovision Song Contest



Published on May 26, 2012 by eurovision
Powered by http://www.eurovision.tv/
Ukraine: Gaitana - Be My Guest live at the Grand Final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest

-snip-
Gaitana is a Ukrainian singer and songwriter. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaitana_(singer) for more information about Gaitana.

A commenter on the above video's viewer comment thread reported that Gaitana ended up taking 15 place in the Eurovision finals :o(

Congratulations to the winner of this contest from Sweden.

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David Guetta - When Love Takes Over (Featuring Kelly Rowland)



Uploaded by davidguetta on Jun 8, 2009

David Guetta - When Love Takes Over (FeatKelly Rowland)
Astralwerks - Caroline
(P) 2009 Gum Prod, licence exclusive EMI Music France

-snip-
David Guetta is a French house music producer and DJ. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Guetta for more information on David Guetta.

Kelly Rowland is an American recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress, and one of the founding members of the American R&B group "Destiny's Child". Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Rowland

RELATED LINK
Hat tip to Arturo for his article on Gaitana in http://www.racialicious.com/2012/05/25/the-friday-mixtape-eurovision-2012-edition "The Friday Mixtape – Eurovision 2012 Edition". I admit that prior to reading that article, I wasn't aware of Eurovision, Gaitana, David Guetta, or either one of the two song's featured in this pancocojams post.

**
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest for information about Eurovision.

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High Five (Black Handshake Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is Part II of a four part series on American hand gestures. Part II of this series focuses on "High Five" handshakes.

Each of the posts in this series focus on hand gestures that were either created by African Americans or have been most closely associated with African Americans.

For Part I of this series (Five On The Black Hand Side handshakes), click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/five-on-black-hand-side-handshake.html.

For Part III of this series click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/fist-bump-pound-handshakes.html.

For Part IV of this series "Giving Daps (Intricate Handshakes)", click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/giving-daps-intricate-handshakes.html.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the authors of the quoted article, the producers of the featured videos, and those persons appearing in the videos. My thanks also to the uploaders of those videos.

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PART II
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT "HIGH FIVES"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_five:
" “High five” is a gesture that originated in America in the late 1970s and 1980s independent of usage elsewhere. In addition to the standard high five several other types of "five" exist.

The "low five" had already been known since at least the 1920s, written evidence can be found in Cab Calloway's 1938 Hepster's Dictionary. In the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, actor Al Jolson is seen performing the low five in celebration of the news of a Broadway audition. In African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) this was known as "giving skin" or "slapping skin"."

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Improv Everywhere: High Five Escalator



Uploaded by ImprovEverywhere on Feb 8, 2009

Backstory: http://improveverywhere.com/2009/02/09/high-five-escalator/
Rob gives 2,000 high fives standing by the escalator during the morning subway commute in NYC.
Produced and Created by Charlie Todd
-snip-
At 1:27 Rob also gives a "low five".

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Video #2: High Five! - Black Tulip Insights



Published on Mar 27, 2012 by leroytulip

What the international gesture of "High Five" means in the township. [of Johannesburg Area, South Africa]

-snip-
From http://za.linkedin.com/pub/leroy-tulip/3a/344/a7:
"Black Tulip is a [Johannesburg, South Africa] consumer insight agency that is building a culture of invention and dedication to relevant and in touch communication."
-snip-
Here's a transcript of that video:

High Five! - Black Tulip Insights
"High five. Yeah.
It’s when you greet somebody. Like this [demonstrates high five]

It’s hello. [laughs]

It’s when you greet somebody.

It means a greeting of someone.

A high five means like how are you.

Ah appreciation of a greeting, you know, you..it’s not just like you’re normal greeting.
As friends, you know, yah, you can do it like that. We’ve seen it as a sign of ah appreciation each other.

It’s either a greeting or a sign of excitement. It depends. On each context are the same high five.

Watching soccer and our team score I go high five. [demonstrates that action]. We celebrate.
We celebrating for some special things happen in a moment. Or when you’re greeting the guys. If somebody greets you, you give a high five. [demonstrates] High five, brother!

Or if something fascinates you, you give a high five. It’s a sign of fascination. It’s a sign of appreciation. You say, yah, this is a [?] you do a high five.

Maybe a form of celebration or whatever.

Just give a someone a high five who’s done something extraordinary [demonstrates] . Like this.

Have more value, you know, than if you say “Hi”.
Or if you see somebody you haven’t seen for quite some time, you go “I haven’t seen you [demonstrates the high five]

I learned from Township. You gotta do it. That’s where I learned it from “High five.” “High five”.

Like it, it is used. Where we use it mostly like is I think most of our crew like we always give each other high fives [demonstrates] “High five, “High five” any language.

You don’t need to force it. You don’t need to force it. It must come naturally. The educated class [?] high five. High five.

[End of Video]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell. Corrections and additions are very welcome. The spaces indicate comments of different individuals. Some of the speakers were quoted more than one time. The brackets with a question mark indicates that I was unsure what was said.

Along with the meanings that these men gave to high fives, I would also add that doing a high five can also mean jubilation.

****
Example #3: 2012 Beetle High Five Volkswagen Commercial


Uploaded by openwheel6 on Sep 19, 2011

I did the driving for this commercial. I do not own the rights to this commercial.
-snip-
The high fives shown in these three videos were all single handed gestures (one person slapping with his or her extended right palm and the other person meeting that slap with his or her extended left palm. However, high fives can also be two handed.

Examples of high fives are found in other videeos of this five part hand gesture series.

An example of the Sesame Street character "Elmo" giving a high five can be found at 3:01-3:02 in Video #2 of this pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/videos-of-kevin-clash-being-elmo_27.html Another example of Elmo giving a high five can be found in the beginning of this video clip of Elmo singing with a beatboxer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pnVyPjSTkE.

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Viewer comments are welcome.

Five On The Black Hand Side (Black Handshakes)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision: February 28, 2018

This post is Part I of a four part series on American hand gestures. Part I of this series focuses on "five on the black hand side" handshake, and other "low high five" handshakes.

Each of the posts in this series focus on hand gestures that were either created by African Americans or have been most closely associated with African Americans.

For Part II of this series (High Fives),
click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/high-five-handshake-videos.html

For Part III of this series click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/fist-bump-pound-handshakes.html.

For Part IV of this series "Giving Daps (Intricate Handshakes)", click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/giving-daps-intricate-handshakes.html.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the authors of the quoted articles, the producers & cast of the featured film, and the uploader of the featured film clip.

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PART I
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT "LOW FIVE" HAND GESTURES
Since the 1970s, the "high five" referent has become quite familiar to Americans. In contrast, the referent for older forms of hand gestures, the "low five", is much less familiar.
From
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/53146#ixzz1w0455qAi
"The roots of the high five go back to the Jazz Era of the early 20th Century. Black musicians of the time created numerous ways to say hello, such as “giving some skin,” “giving five,” and later a series of complicated, interconnected handshake gestures called a “dap.” Then, in the late-1970s, college and professional basketball players began raising their arms above their heads and slapping the palms of their hands together, in what would later be dubbed the “high five.” "
-snip-
In African American idiom, "give me five" and "give me some skin" is given as "gimme five", "gimme some skin", and "slap me five". "Five", of course, refers to "five fingers". In this context, "skin" refers to the palm of the hand or to the back of the hand.

"Five on the black hand side" is a now outdated, 1970s form of the "low five" hand gestures. "The black hand side" refers to the back of a Black person's hand.
Here's an urban definition entry for "black hand side":
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=black%20hand%20side by tRUnETIVOct 28, 2008
[given without corrections]

black hand side
A diminished style of extension hi-fiving practically extinct coming from black people.

Involves the regular style of dapping, hi-five that black youth do except after 'fiving', someone says 'on the black hand side' and said particapants turn their palms to the outer side and five.
Denotes exclusivity, hence the name. Originated out of the black power and love movements of the '70s.
Might be considered corny by todays youth.

*Black adult* "What's up young blood!!" (proceeds to dap typical black youth of today)

*Black adult* "Now on the black hand side!!"

*Typical black youth of today* 'Blank stare' "O.K..." (slowly follows old schoolers lead)

-snip-
My only disagreement with this quote is that I believe "five on the black hand side" gestures were low five and not high five gestures.

The title of the 1973 blaxploitation comedy film Five On The Black Hand Side refers to a variant form of the low five hand gestures. To quote
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaxploitation, "Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States in the 1970s. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience appeal soon broadened to cross racial and ethnic lines."
-snip-
The narrator in the Five On The Black Hand Side movie trailer begins that clip by listing as verbs the titles of three previous hit blaxploitation films - "You've been coffy-tized, blacula-rized and super-flied - but now you're gonna be glorified, unified and filled-with-pride... when you see 'Five on the Black Hand Side'". That trailer also provides two examples of "five on the black hand side" and one example of the two hand low five gesture.

Five On The Black Hand Side Trailer Blaxploitation



Uploaded by thegroovetube on May 30, 2009

Here are the examples of low five gestures that are shown in that film clip:

0:22 - a clip of a hand that is held palm down [which means his “black hand side" is showing], and angled downward. The second person’s hand is palm up [which means his (or her) “black hand side" is touching the other person’s black hand side]. While it isn't shown in that clip, from my memory of this gesture, the top hand is slide outward over the first person’s hand.

2:01 - a clip of two men giving low fives with two hands (for agreement)

2:33- a clip of "five on the black hand side" in which a man's or woman's hand is held palm down and level [horizontal] and a woman's hand is held palm up on the top.

As an aside, at 1:43 in that video, the phrase “uptight is used to mean "something or someone that is very good". That same meaning for "uptight" is found in R&B artist Stevie Wonder’s 1966 hit song "Uptight (Everything's alright)" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDbyOLzEyfk. That vernacular meaning for "uptight" has been largely forgotten, and has been replaced by the standard American English meaning "anxious, tense, and overly controlled". However, the African American vernacular phrase "That's tight" has the same meaning as the vernacular term "uptight".

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070063/for information about Five On The Black Hand Side.

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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/07/delta-rhythm-boys-and-andrews-sisters.html for film clips of & lyrics to the 1940 and 1941 jazz songs "Gimme Some Skin My Friend".

**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Sw7lZ1ZHs
Terminator 2 - Gimme Five
[embedding disabled by request]

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Lord Invader, Macbeth, & Duke Of Iron - "Calypso War" (with lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update - Nov. 3, 2022 - title change back to "Calypso War" *

This pancocojams post showcases a 1946 sound file of Calypsonians Lord Invader, Macbeth, and Duke of Iron engaging in a extemporaneous Calypso battle.

This post also includes my transcription of that sound file. I consider this transcription to be just an initial attempt. Corrections are very much welcome.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the legacy of early Calypsonians and specifically to Lord Invader, Macbeth the Great, and Duke of Iron.

My thanks also to the uploader of this featured sound file. 
-snip-
*I had changed the title of this post to "My Intention Is War" because the first verse of this song is Lord Invader singing the first verse of his song with that title. However, the lyrics for "My Intention Is War" are different from the lyrics for the song in this sound file. I therefore changed the title back to the one that is given in this YouTube sound file.

The title "Calypso War" is also the title of a 1959 Lord Terror calypso. Click https://leedsmasmedia.wordpress.com/tag/mighty-terror/ for information about that song and information about Calypso in London in 1956-1957. 

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Selected comments added Oct. 1, 2020

BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
From http://www.ncctt.org/home/carnival/history-of-carnival-and-its-elements/history-of-calypso.html:

The Calypso in Trinidad and Tobago, is mainly of African origin, and can be traced to the traditions of West Africans in terms of music , structure and function. Calypso , which has been called a poor man’s newspaper in times when literacy was not wide spread , traces its roots to African traditions of improvised songs of self-praise and scorn for others, brought here by enslaved peoples. It developed to become both a dance and cultural record of events at first in single tone style with implicit meanings and a spicy flavour.

The roots of “Calypso” are diverse. Some argue it came from “kaiso” a Hausa word for “ bravo” ; some say the word came from the French “carrousseaux” a drinking party; or the Spanish “ calliso” a tropical song ; or the Carib “ carieto” ,meaning the same thing.

**
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calypso_music:
"Sex, scandal, gossip, innuendo, politics, local news, bravado and insulting other calypsonians were the order of the day in classic calypso, just as it is today with classic hip hop."

FEATURED SOUND FILE
Calypso War- Lord Invader, Macbeth the Great, Duke of Iron.wmv



Uploaded by cvbagva on Jul 18, 2010

Calypso War, lord Invader, Macbeth the Great, Duke of Iron, Caribe, Caribbean, Music

-snip-
The photograph in this sound file is of Lord Invader.

The title "Calypso War" might be incorrect. This song is best known with the title "My Intention Is War". 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THIS SOUND FILE  (MY INTENTION IS WAR)
(Lord Invader, Macbeth, and Duke of Iron)

Note: Transcriptions that I'm unsure of are placed in with a question mark in brackets.

Lord Invader
Yes, my mother dead and my father disown me,
What am I to do?
My mother dead and my father disown me,
What am I to do?
Now I'm livin' in this world and I've got nobody,
No brother, no sister, no cousin family,
But it's war and rebellion when I meet calypsonian,
My intention is war.

Calypso singing is such a technical thing
It was not made for one and every to sing.
How by the heavens can these songsters win
Except by me comin back and seein it’s a sin
My head is like a book that is welcome fat
My tongue like a gun that never is snapped
And I’m sorry for the molester who molest Lord Invader*
My intention is war.

[Audience member? -"Sing it!"]

Macbeth the Great:
Ladies and gents most respectfully,
Please accept my compliments most gorgeously
I most appreciate your loyalty
A patronage that been given to me
I start to sing 1928
Today I’m known as Macbeth the Great
And I want you to know, my friends,
That I master Calypso wherever I go.

Duke of Iron:
Now I believe their condition
They have no ammunition
To fight in this sudden competition.
When it comes to Calypso singing
Both of them, they appear as weaklings.
Don’t they know I’m the Duke of Iron
And I command Calypsonians
wherever I go.

Lord Invader:
This insolent would be
Delirious mule
Audacious lamonger you’re out of rule
You’re abnormal expression
Would no more hearing in this tent at once
Pretender, and stop your sneerin
You gabaless swabbler
Illiterate ape
Now you are in a terrible scrap
And you resemble a man a go go a forty from Tobago***

[audience laughs]

Macbeth the Great
Men like you who are corrupted and defiled
With such dangerous disease you should be exiled
You see the council should have you fumigated
From the company of man you should be isolated.
Ladies and gents, please look at this face
And tell me does that belong to the human race?
[audience laughs]
Those poor fools [foundations?] can’t fool the population.
Tell them roll away.

[audience laughs and claps]

Duke of Iron
Now Lord Invader now listen to me
While I am shaping up your destiny.
How dare you to approach your superior
With your rotten composition that is inferior.
Don’t you know that I am a warrior of royal birth
And I will put you six under the earth.
Don’t you see that I am the Duke of Iron
And I destroy Calypsonians
Everywhere I go.

Lord Invader:
Once my enemies found me in attack
I fought them bravely, I fought them back.
Some people call me the great Julius Caesar
While others call me William The Conqueror.
It is not for me they have got to fear
It’s long simple why I got them there.
I’m just like a mystic when I should face these lunatics.
My intention is war.

[Audience laugh or uploader laugh]

Macbeth the Great
When on the battle field I begin to crawl
Calypsonians become excited get up and bawl.
Ferocious beast before my bravery
[nay that me mostly?] to be killed and slain.
Listen to me, they are just like a lamb
For the worse ammunition can’t do me no harm.
For my [beckoning?] is as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar.
Tell them run away.

Duke of Iron
Invader, has not fall into submission.
But we goin to finish with this composition.
But I want you to know
That you cannot beat Trinidad for Calypso.
Now ladies and gents accept my compliments.
I know that you have accepted our implements.
So we going to end up with this little Calypso
Because its getting late.

Macbeth the Great [?] says “No, no not yet. Finish up now.”

Lord Invader
Now I’m gonna rhyme most extemporaneously
And show you my singing ability.
I’m proud and delighted to have you here.
And to tell you without no care,
Ladies and gentlemen we welcome you whole heartedly
And to tell you plain and candidly
Lord Invader a massive Calypsonian
Has gained satisfaction
My intention is war.

-end of transcription (Azizi Powell, 5/27/2012)

Notes:
* if I enter the competition and see what they’re doing is a sin [because it’s so poorly composed]

**I'm sorry for the molester who [attempts to molest (mess with) Lord Invader [because when it comes to challenging me in a Calpyso competition they will be beaten]

***"a go go a forty" =(going on forty)

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SOUND FILE'S DISCUSSION THREAD

[added October 1, 2020; numbers are added for referencing purposes only]

1. kingcutt, 2014
"recorded as part of Alan Lomax's Calypso at Midnight/Calypso after Midnight series at New York Town Hall in December 1946. Great stuff!"

**
2. Tony Porridge, 2016
"I cannot believe I stumbled across this. I am actually working on a Hip Hop Curriculum at the Schomburg Center in Harlem. I'm looking for more of early music soca, calyspo, reggae, dub, whatever that could have been an early influence to rap music. This is by all means a battle , and the fact it took place in 1946 is amazing."

**
REPLY
3. spidrawebster, 2017
"It goes back even further than 1946. They happened live at Carnival, but I'm not sure how many made it to being recorded."

**
4. Burton Sankeralli, 2019
"Calypso recording began in 1912. In the first half of the 20th century prowess in calypso or extempo war was the mark of a calypsonian. The tradition goes back to the 19th century "chantuelles" who led stickfighting bands on the streets of Trinidad in the 19th century and engaged in verbal battles as a prelude to the bloodier ones involving "bois" (sticks)."

**
REPLY
5. Burton Sankeralli, 2019
"By the way stickfighting is still practiced in Trinidad."

****

RELATED LINK
For a more commercial version of "My Intention Is War" click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD_l2OVVQsc Lord Invader "My Intention is War"
From Lord Invaders Calypso in New York

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Videos of Kevin Clash & The "Being Elmo" Documentary

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information and showcases three selected videos about African American puppeteer Kevin Clash & the Sundance Film Festival award winning documentary "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey", a film by Constance Marks.

The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to Kevin Clash for following his dream, for becoming a role model for so many people, and for creating the loveable character Elmo and other Sesame Street puppets. My thanks also to Constance Marks, the producer of that film, and her production company. In addition, I thank the uploaders of these featured videos, and the authors of the excerpted online articles.

INFORMATION ABOUT "BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_Elmo:_A_Puppeteer's_Journey:

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a 2011 American documentary film directed by Constance Marks about Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind Elmo, the widely beloved Sesame Street character.

The film follows Clash on his early years in Baltimore, Maryland, how he came to meet Kermit Love and Jim Henson, and the phenomenon of Elmo.

**
From http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/the_bloodshot_eye/2012/02/being-elmo-a-puppeteers-journey---hes-your-puppet-or-marvelous-muppet-movie-makes-memphis-debut-at-b.html:

The story of how a shy and sweet-natured but imposingly big black dude (and yes, race, though only briefly acknowledged, is a part of the narrative) became one of the world's most successful kid's-show artists is told in the terrific documentary "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey,"...

A believer that puppets should be "true, good and meaningful," Clash gave Elmo a high-pitched and unthreateningly infantile voice and a personality to match. The idea was to make the puppet especially appealing to very young children: "I knew that Elmo should represent love -- just kissing and hugging," Clash explains. It was this appeal that made the "Tickle Me Elmo" doll the hottest toy of 1996. As a result of the Elmomania that ensued, the puppet -- with Clash just off-camera, or making himself as inconspicuous as possible -- has made personal and television guest appearances with Oprah, Michelle Obama and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, among many, many others.

THE INFLUENCE OF KEVIN CLASH'S RACE AND HIS PUPPET CHARACTERS
I'm interested in exploring whether and how puppeteer Kevin Clash's race influences his depiction of the loveable three and one half year old red monster named "Elmo". For that reason (and because I'm currently working on posts about African American hand gestures)*, I was delighted to find two examples of Elmo giving someone a High Five. One of those examples is found at 3:01-3:02 in Video #2 below. Another example is found in the beginning of a video clip of Elmo singing with a beatboxer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pnVyPjSTkE.

*Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/high-five-handshake-videos.html for Part II of a five Part series on hand gestures.

I believe that "Elmo" is outside of (or beyond) race or ethnicity. However, other characters that Kevin Clash has created exhibit more Black cultural characteristics than Elmo. For instance, it seems to me that the characters of Hoots the Owl and Clifford the musician clearly express their "Blackness" through their use of African American Vernacular English and, in the case of Clifford, in his physical appearance. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiQsaEdJ1aI "Put Down The Duckie" for a video clip that includes Hoots The Owl. And click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-PwZltH8E for a video clip that includes an appearance of Clifford the musician. That Arsenio Hall show clip is memorable because the first part of that interview featured puppeteer Jim Henson- the founder of Sesame Street- with one of his star character's "Kermit The Frog" and this was to be Jim Henson's last interview before his death.

It's my position that it's significant that Elmo's puppeteer is an African American male regardless of whether Elmo exhibits any cultural Blackness or not. Kevin Clash is a role model because he dared to follow his dream of being a puppeteer, and because he's very good at what he does. A perhaps unexpected bonus of the "Being Elmo" documentary is that some non-Black people may have their perspectives of Black people broadened. And it's possible that some of Elmo's likeability extends to his puppeteer Kevin Clash. In a world where Black people are routinely protrayed negatively, and where so many Black children and youth think their options are limited, the more positive stories and positive role models of Black people we have, the better it is and the better it will be.

Click a href="http://beingelmo.com/index.html for more information about "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey", including where you can purchase the DVD, and/or where you can see the film in your area.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Clash for more information about Kevin Clash.

Hat tip to Andrea Plaid for her article http://www.racialicious.com/2012/05/25/racialicious-crush-of-the-week-kevin-clash/ which inspired me to showcase Kevin Clash and the "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" documentary on this pancocojams blog.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Independent Lens | Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey | Trailer | PBS



Independent Lens, Uploaded on Jan 24, 2012

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Video #2: 10 Questions for Elmo (and Puppeteer Kevin Clash)



TIME Uploaded on Dec 6, 2011

Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo, talks about Elmo's unforseen fame and 'Being Elmo,' the new documentary based on his life

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Video #3: Elmo interviews Kevin Clash: My Life as a Furry Red Monster


Random House Books Uploaded on Jul 28, 2008

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Rappers In Europe - The Diversidad Experience

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases three videos of the multi-racial and multi-cultural European hip-hop group "The Diversidad Experience (The Diversity Experience).

The content of this post is presented for sociological, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the composers and performers of this music. My thanks also to the videographers and uploaders of these featured videos.

EDITORIAL COMMENT
This blog's policy is not to feature any video that includes profanity and/or sexually explicit language. Because I don't speak or read any language except English, I don't know if these videos contain any of that language. If so, my apologies to any readers who may be offended by that language.

FEATURED VIDEOS

Video #1: DIVERSIDAD @ CULTURA URBANA 15/05/2010



Uploaded by DiversidadExperience on May 12, 2010

CULTURA URBANA : 15/05/2010
ESCENARIO MOVISTAR 13:30 - 14:50 DIVERSIDAD ARTISTS: LA MELODIA & FRENKIE & COOKIN SOUL

Check out Nach and CookinSoul's video introducing Diversidad's artists: La Melodia ( Netherland ) and Frenkie (Bosnia ) for their gig at Cultura Urbana Festival on May 15, a preview to the 2011 big show with all the artists.

Descubra el video de Nach y CookinSoul presentando los artistas de Diversidad: La Melodia ( Holanda ) y Frenkie (Bosnia) y sus conciertos a Cultura Urbana el 15 de mayo 2010 antes de la gran gira de 2011 con todos los artistas.

Découvrez la vidéo de Nach et Cookinsoul présentant les artistes Diversidad : La melodia (Hollande) et Frenkie ( Bosnie ) pour leur passage a cultura urbana le 15 mai 2010 en avant première de la grande tournée qui aura lieu avec tous les artistes en 2011

www.diversidad-experience.com

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Video #2
Diversidad Single Experience (Subtitles)



Uploaded by DiversidadExperience on Sep 2, 2008

Even if the artists come from all over Europe and don't use the same words, they speak the same language:
The urban culture language...
For the 1st time, European rappers are together in a recording studio
No need to make endless presentations: Just Listen !!

Here’s the refrain that is given in the subtitles [written as is]

"When the music starts 2 play
major differents doesn’t matter.
Melodies are here 2 stay
for you and I – There’s beat’s and rhymes
deep inside, there’s no lie music,
is what you will find."

-snip-
Here's a list of the rappers & the single's producer (given in the summary statement of a YouTube video of the same song without subtitles):
AKHENATON / SHURIK'N (IAM - FRANCE)
ABD AL MALIK (FRANCE)
NIKKFURIE (LA CAUTION - FRANCE)
PROMOE (LOOPTROOP ROCKERS - SWEDEN)
CURSE (GERMANY)
BALOJI (BELGIUM)
NOORA NOOR (NORWAY)
SAM THE KID (PORTUGAL)
DJ CRUZFADER
MUCHO MUCHACHO (7NOTAS7COLORES - SPAIN)

PRODUCED BY SPIKE MILLER (FRANCE)

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Video #3: Diversidad - The Experience (Valete)



Uploaded by Minhocazz on Apr 15, 2011

Mais um grande sonoro dos MC's europeus..

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Non-White People With Naturally Blond Hair & Blue Eyes

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features a video and comments about non-White people with naturally blond hair & blue eyes. This post also includes a long excerpt from an article about this subject.

The content of this post is presented for educational and sociological purposes. My thanks to the photographer/s, videographer, as well as the commenters and the article's author who I quoted. All copyrights remain with their owner.

EDITORIAL COMMENT
As a university student advisor years ago, I remember talking with a young dark brown skinned African American woman who had [chemically or hot iron] straightened black hair and naturally blue eyes. The woman shared with me that she was very tired of people constantly staring at her, and taunting her because of the color of her eyes. I remember that woman saying that she was saving up money to buy brown contact lenses. I was both angry & sad about that woman's experience, and I am still sad & angry that that experience is probably still happening today to people who have a different physical appearance than others around them. We need to love our neighbor as ourselves.

FEATURE VIDEO: other ethnicities with blue eyes 2/3



uploaded by Vision2300 on Aug 20, 2011

-snip-
Selected comments from that video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=NtZxjwT8PT8:
WARNING! This comment thread contains profanity, racist exchanges, and other argumentative comments.

"blue,green,grey...its all a mutation. before that everybody had brown eyes. somewhere along history there was a mutation causing people to have different color eyes. its a beautiful mutation though...its basic genetics."
-adayinothersshoes, May 2012

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"Blue and green eyes are not unique to light skinned people, it's just most common in Europe due to adaptation to less direct sunlight. (Blue and green eyes are the most receptive to light.) Lighter Eye Pigmentation is recessive while Dark is dominant, but it can still happen to other races, and it can also happen due to a natural mutation."
-indigothecat, May 2012

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"my wish is that all human beings will love each other regardless of ''stuff'' that we can all just see past ''stuff'',that we are all just living,breathing beings with the same feelings.That is my prayer."
-hyper10shun; May 2012

-snip-
Regarding the music:

"What's the song title/artist please? Luv it."
-MrPouponneau, April 2012
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"1)John Williams - Remembering Munich

2)the music theme of the movie "Exodus" 1960"
-magdageor in reply to MrPouponneau; April 2012

EXCERPT OF FEATURED ARTICLE
(Hat tip to niguaeli who posted the title of this article on that above video comment thread)

The Origin of Mysterious, Dark-Skinned Blonds Discovered
http://www.livescience.com/20078-gene-mutation-blond-hair.html

"Residents of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa. They also have the highest occurrence of blond hair seen in any population outside of Europe. Now, researchers have found the single gene that explains these fair tresses.

A single mutation is responsible for almost half of the variation in Solomon Islanders' hair color, the scientists reported Thursday (May 3) in the journal Science.

Most strikingly, this gene mutation seems to have arisen in the Pacific, not been brought in by fair-haired Europeans intermarrying with islanders.

"[T]he human characteristic of blond hair arose independently in equatorial Oceania," study researcher Eimear Kenny, a postodoctoral scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a statement. "That's quite unexpected and fascinating…

"As a geneticist on the beach watching the kids playing, you count up the frequency of kids with blond hair, and say, 'Wow, it's 5 to 10 percent.'" [Photos of Beautiful Beaches]

That's not very far off from the proportion of blond-haired people in Europe, Kenny said. The researchers gathered saliva from 43 blond and 42 dark-haired Solomon Islanders to analyze for clues to the genes behind their hair color.

A genome-wide analysis turned up a shockingly clear result, rare in the world of genetics where a single trait can be influenced by dozens or more genes. A gene called TYRP1, which resides on the ninth chromosome of human's 23 pairs of chromosomes, explained 46.4 percent of the variation in the islanders' hair color. (Chromosomes are coiled packets of DNA.) A mutation in this gene affects an enzyme known to be involved in human pigmentation, the researchers found.

This mutation doesn't appear in European genomes, an analysis of genomes from 52 human populations around the world revealed. Rather, it seems to have arisen independently and persisted in the Melanesian population.

That makes the gene different from the one responsible for blue eyes, which arose from a single common ancestor between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before then, there were no blue eyes, they said…

The find solves a nifty genetic mystery, but it also highlights the dangers of assuming that genome findings from one population will translate to another, said study author Carlos Bustamante, a professor of genetics at Stanford…."

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/seven-black-female-singers-with-blond.html Seven Black Female Singers With Blond Hair

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The Slang Meaning Of "Bad" In Songs & Playground Cheers

Edited by Azizi Powell

Michael Jackson BAD (Kids Version)



Uploaded by kcataylo on Feb 6, 2008

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This post showcases three videos of songs that contain the African American slang word "bad". This post also showcases one video & three foot stomping cheers that contain the African American slang word "bad".

The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the known and unknown composers of these songs & cheers. My thanks also to the performers of these songs & cheers, as well as to the producers & uploaders of these videos, and the contributors of these cheer examples.

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SLANG DEFINITION OF "BAD"
"Bad" = very good (according to the value system of those conferring that descriptor)

FEATURED SONG VIDEOS:
Video #1: Michael Jackson – Bad



Uploaded by michaeljacksonVEVO on Oct 3, 2009

Music video by Michael Jackson performing Bad. © 1987 MJJ Productions Inc.

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Video #2: Michael Jackson BAD (Kids Version)
This video is posted at the top of this page.

This performance is a parody of Michael Jackson's hit song "Bad". The rendition of that song is entitled "Badder" and is from Michael Jackson's 1988 movie Moonwalker.

Here are two comments that I wrote on that video's viewer comment thread in response to a question about why the boy portraying Michael Jackson covered his mouth after saying something toward the end of that scene:

The call & response chanting (from 2:53 on) is a take off of the African American insult game The Dozens where yo mama is a core phrase. If you are serious, talkin about someone's mama has real consequences. The boy probably covered his mouth because kids are taught they aren't supposed to talk about someone's mama unless they're really looking for a fight. That's why the rest of the kids changed "your mama" to "your sister" since the consequences of that in real life isn't nearly as "bad".
-azizip171 in reply to quadprincess1 http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=l78ho3Y8P_I , May 23, 2012

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I meant to write that the call & response chanting in this scene is a take-off of the African American insult AND BRAGGING game The Dozens. In the original song & in this parody, the emphasis is on the bragging part.
-azizip171, May 24, 2012

-snip-
The other songs & playground rhymes (cheers) in this post include self-bragging and dissing (insulting another person) lyrics or words in the style of the dozens.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dozens for information about The Dozens.

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Video #3: LL Cool J - I'm Bad



Uploaded by LLCoolJVEVO on Jun 16, 2009

Music video by LL Cool J performing I'm Bad. (C) 1987 LL Cool J under exclusive license to The Island Def Jam Music Group

WARNING. This video's YouTube viewer comment thread contains profanity.

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FEATURED CHEER VIDEOS AND TEXT EXAMPLES:

Video #1
The words to that cheer are given here as "Example #1" below.

Example #1: HULA HULA
Voice #1 (Nyya): Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Voice #2 (Ritza): I do.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Voice (Ritza) #2: I do.
Well, I think I’m bad cause
Ritza's my name
and pink is my color
Don't you worry 'bout my brother.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Ooh, she thinks she’s fine.
Voice #2 (Ritza):Soloist #1:Correction, baby I know I’m bad.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Ooh, she thinks she’s hip.
Voice #2 (Ritza):Hip enough to steal your chips.
-Naturalandthecity; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0pnufDOxgU&feature=endscreen&NR=1 ; Dec 17, 2011

-snip-
I believe that the word "hula" in the cheer "Hula Hula" means "Hey!" (as in "Hello"). "Hula" may have come from the Spanish word "Hola". But I think that "Hula" might actually be a form of the old time English greeting "How do" meaning "How do you do?". The word "howdy" is a more common English language form of "How do you do". The television clown "Howdie Doody" got his name from the phrase "How do you do".). The colloquial American greeting phrase "Hoodie Hoo" is another form of the phrase "Howdy do." and may also have been a source for the word "Hula" in this cheer. "Hoodie Hoo" is pronounced "who day who".

For a related piece of information, click http://voices.yahoo.com/february-20-hoodie-hoo-day-5435649.html to find information about a newly invented American holiday to chase away winter by going outside on February 20th and yelling "Hoodie Hoo!".

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Example #2: HULA HULA
Group: Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Group: Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Well, I think I’m bad cause
[insert soloist's name or nickname]'s my name
and love is my game.
I got this boy on my mind
and Lord knows he’s fine.
I got his name on my shirt
and don’t call it dirt.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s bad.
Soloist #1: Correction, baby I KNOW I’m bad.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s fine.
Soloist #1: Fine enough to blow YOUR mind.
-Tazi M. Powell (African American female, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mid. 1980s)

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Example #3: HOLLYWOOD
Here's a handclap called hollywood!

(person 1) My name is (your name) im number one my reputation's just begun so turn around and touch the ground get back up and break it down
(person 2) you think you're bad
(1) b-a-d i know im bad
(2) you tink you're cool
(1) cool enough to rule the school
(2) you think your fine
(1) fine fine blow your mind mind take em up take em back give the man a heart attack
(2) you think you're hott
(1) hott anough to blow your pot!
That's it....there's clapping and all but its too hard to explain on this...good luck!
-DC; 12/9/2005 ; http://blog.oftheoctopuses.com/000518.php [website no longer accessible]

-snip-
The song source of this foot stomping cheer is Kool & The Gang's 1973 song "Hollywood Swingin". Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD-VvbGa8H4 to find a video of that song.

Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for more analysis of these examples, for more examples of foot stomping cheers, and more comments about the structure and performance of these playground cheers.

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Videos Of African Musical Productions, Part II

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part post which showcases African musical productions.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/videos-of-african-musical-productions.html for Part I of this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the composers and performers of this music. My thanks also to the producers of these musicals, the videographers, and the uploaders of these featured videos.

By no means are these featured videos the only video clips of African musicals that are available on YouTube. As an aside - judging from the videos available on YouTube, it appears that for some reason most of African musical productions showcase the culture of the nation of South Africa and/or the region of South Africa.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are posted in no particular order.)

Video #1: Zambezi Express - The Amazing New African Dance Musical...



Uploaded by gypsiiboy on Oct 6, 2009

Highlights from this amazing new show. The story follows a boy named Zilli, born in the slums of a township in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who dreams of becoming a top-flight footballer. His adventures on the Zambezi Express - the train that leaves Bulawayo for South Africa once a week - and his struggles in the big city have created this extraordinary, pulsating new show straight from the heart of Africa. Pounding, multi-layered African beats and powerful acapella vocals alongside jumping, jiving, and acrobatic dance numbers by a 30 strong company. A soccer-based musical for the approaching World Cup in South Africa 2010 - This is the beautiful game as its never been seen before! Appearing at: BRISTOL, THE DOWNS - In The Big Top Theatre - Wednesday 30th September Sunday 18th October. HACKNEY EMPIRE, HACKNEY, London, E8 1EJ - Tuesday 20th Wednesday 28th October. www.zambeziexpress.co.uk

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Video #2: AFRICAN CIRCUS PRODUCTION TWO part one



Uploaded by circusafrica on Dec 1, 2009

for bookings of any individual acts and dancers you see contact winston ruddle www.african-circus.tz.com

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Video #3: Mama Africa www.circoedintorni.it



Uploaded by circoedintorni on Apr 15, 2009

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MOTHER AFRICA GUMBOOT DANCERS 2010.m2ts



Uploaded by circusafrica on Apr 9, 2010

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Video #5: IZABOBO! - AN AFRICAN MUSICAL DRAMA (Celebrating Rhythms in the Circle of Life)



Uploaded by naytrader on Aug 25, 2009

A play by Comfort Ero.
Performance: 2006, Intrepid Theatre, Victoria BC

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