Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Be Owt Videos

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the African American orginated expression "be owt".

Part II showcases YouTube videos of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. footwork (steppin). Members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (also known as Omegas, Ques) coined the expression "be owt" in the early 1990s if not before then.

Part I of this post provides definitions of the expression "be owt". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-real-meanings-of-phrase-be-owt.html for that post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in chronological order based on the date of their YouTube posting, with the oldest dated videos posted first.)

Example #1:
Be owt with the bruhs in the cafe



addoque1911, Uploaded on Nov 16, 2009
-snip-
"Bruhs" is a contemporary spelled clip of the word "brothers". However, when used by members of historically Black Greek lettered organizations, that referent means a member of one or all of those fraternities.

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Example #2: Ques Hopping at The Be Owt (Centennial Conclave Cookowt)



bec131, Uploaded on Jul 31, 2011

Ques Centennial Cookowt!

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Example #3: 100 ways to be owt



DeShaun Jackson, Uploaded on Feb 19, 2012

Phi Psi chapter
-snip-
At the conclusion of the video, the man who is identifiably a Que (because of his t-shirt & shoulder brands) says "See, I told you I was owt.“ "Owt" here means "outstanding", "bad" (with "bad" here meaning very good.)

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Example #4: Omega Psi Phi - 78th Grand Conclave - The "Be Owt" Edition



MNQues, Published on May 14, 2012

Graduate, undergraduate, young, or seasoned the 78th Grand Conclave of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. is for all those looking to have a good time. Ask anyone, there is no party, like a "Que Party." And this "conclave" is a national gathering of the Brothers of Que Psi Phi.

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Example #5: Foot Action Que settin it owt at the 2012 Conclave in Minneapolis

Leon Spencer, Published on Jul 11, 2012

Funky bruhz bien owt

Here's a comment from that video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87-ZxSKh4fM
msphd2014, 2012
"Be OWT then frat."
-snip-
"Foot work" is a referent for the unique way that members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity step [do steppin routines]. That form of steppin is noted for its hopping. I'm not sure when "foot work" or "footwork" was first used as a referent for how Ques step. However, I don't recall it being used in the mid to late 1960s when I was an undergraduate who pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and "hung with" Ques.

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Funky bruhz bien owt - "translated" to standard American English (except for the slang word "funky") = Funky brother being out.
This entire statement, including the word "funky" is highly complimentary. This is the second meaning for "being owt". In standard American English, that phrase means "doing something-in this case doing footwork- very well." The first meaning of "being owt" is being at a fraternity [Omega Psi Phi Fratrnity] event or otherwise "hanging with" that fraternity.

"Be Owt, frat" - a "frat" is the same thing as "Brutha", in this case that means a fellow Que.

An old school way of saying the complimentary meaning of "Be Owt!" is "Go'n (Go on) with ya bad self."

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.blackgreek.com/divinenine/for a listing of the "Divine Nine". "The term "Divine Nine" comes from the fact that there are nine historically Black fraternities and sororities that are members of the National Panhellenic Council.

I prefer to use the phrase "Black Greek lettered" fraternities and sororities. However, "Black Greek letter" is the more commonly found usage.

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Click this post on my zumalayah blog for a form of South African dance that reminds me of how the Ques step (do footwork):
http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/04/indlamu-dance-that-ladysmith-black.html Indlamu - The Dance That Ladysmith Black Mambazo Does

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Click this page of my cultural website for examples of fraternity and sorority chants: http://cocojams.com/content/fraternity-and-sorority-chants

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Click this page of my cultural website for examples of steppin and stoll videos http://cocojams.com/content/fraternity-sorority-step-stroll-related-videos

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those who are featured in this post. My thanks also to the producers of these videos and the video's publishers on YouTube.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.