Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part IV of a five part pancocojams series that explores the values that are expressed in particular foot stomping cheers.
This post provides my editorial comments about and showcases ten examples of foot stomping cheers that refer to girls' toughness and confrontational language.
Click the "values foot stomping cheers" tag for more posts in this pancocojams series.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.
All content remains with their owners.
Thanks to all those who contributed examples that are included in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-foot-stomping-cheers.html for Part I of a three part pancocojams series on foot stomping cheers.
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/foot-stomping-cheers-alphabetical-list.html for Part I of a five part alphabetical listing of foot stomping cheers.
[added August 29, 2017] Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/values-expressed-in-foot-stomping_24.html of this series for a few videos that show performance movements that are similar to foot stomping cheers.
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GENERAL OVERVIEW ABOUT FOOT STOMPING CHEERS [slightly revised 8/25/2917]
Foot stomping cheers are recreational compositions that originated with African Americans girls pretending to be cheerleaders in front of pretend audiences. These foot stomping cheers were (are?) usually performed by girls, particularly by working class African American girls ages around 5-12 years. The earliest demographic information about these types of cheers that I've found so far is the late 1970s (Washington D.C. and Atlantic City, New Jersey).
"Foot stomping cheers" are also called "cheers" or "steps".
Foot stomping cheer compositions have a distinctive call & response textual structure that I've termed "group/consecutive soloists". That term emphasizes the fact that these cheers traditionally begin with the group voice, and then the soloist's voice, and these cheers always immediately begin again from the beginning, repeating multiple times until every member of the group has had an equal length turn as the soloist. These chanted words are accompanied by a metronome type synchronized choreographed routine that is made up of bass sounding foot stomps alternating with (individual) hand claps (or sometimes body pats). The word "metronome" is purposely used because the cheer's movement routine is performed without stopping throughout each iteration of the cheer. If someone "messes up the beat" by forgetting a word of the cheer or missing the beat in the movement routine, the cheer must begin again from the beginning.
The values that I've identified in foot stomping cheers and showcased in separate posts in this series are "self-confidence", "physical attractiveness", "sexiness/romantic relationship", "toughness/confrontational language", and dancing/stepping skills. Most of these values are interrelated, but are discussed separately to allow space to showcase selected cheer examples of each value.
As of the date of this publication, I've only found on example of foot stomping cheers that includes profanity other than the mildly profane word "ass". The only two examples of foot stomping cheers that I've found that could be said to refer to race or ethnicity are one example that includes what is commonly known as "the n word" (That example represented that word by the letter "n" followed by randomly selected keyboard symbols) and one example that refers to skin color by the soloist referring to herself as "this light skin chick" (in an example of "Hollywood Swinging").
As of this date, I haven't found any examples of foot stomping cheers that refer politics (including mention of any President's name), religion, race/ethnicity, skin color, national names or other geographical places except for city or neighborhood references, or historical events. Furthermore, few (pre-2000) examples of foot stomping cheers refer to sports (such as basketball or football, including any sports related activity such as making a basket or scoring a touchdown).
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Part IV- CHEERS WHOSE WORDS REFER TO TOUGHNESS AND CONFRONTATION
Similar to certain examples of Blues, Hip Hop, stomp & shake cheers, and certain other forms of Black music, foot stomping cheers reflect the twin values of bragging about yourself and/or your group and insulting your opponent/competitor. From my collection and study of foot stomping cheers, it appears that the sub-category of foot stomping cheer that include references to "toughness and confrontation" is the largest sub-category of foot stomping cheers.
Traditionally, all foot stomping cheers, including those that contained tough and confrontational language, were forms of "play acting". Girls were "acting" tough and confrontational towards an unidentified (at least potential) opponent or competitor and weren't necessarily or weren't always this tough and confrontational "in real life". However, having a tough and confrontational persona was (is) part of survival and coping mechanisms in "the hood".
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TEN FOOT STOMPING CHEERS THAT REFER TO GIRLS' TOUGHNESS AND CONFRONTATIONAL LANGUAGE
(These cheers are given in alphabetical order).
These examples aren't meant to be all of the examples of in this categories that I've collected or found as of this date.
EXAMPLE #1
CAN YOU DIG IT?
All: So can you dig it?
Yeah.
So can you dig it?
Soloist #1: My name is Maria.
And I’m a flick flick.
And I’mma punch you in your lip.
So can you dig it?
Group: What?
Soloist #1: So can you dig it?
Group: What?
Soloist #1: I was sittin by the fire
Watchin it get higher
With my man,
You understand.
Cause I’m a special kind of lady
With a special kind of man.
I get to see my baby
WHENEVER I can.
So can you dig it?
So can you dig it?
(Repeat entire cheer with the next soloist, who says her name or nickname, and the same words. Continue with this pattern until every member of the group as had one turn as soloist).
- African American girls ages 6-12 (Lillian Taylor Summer Camp (Kingsley Association; Pittsburgh, PA between 1989-1992)
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EXAMPLE #2
___ HAS THE POWER
All:(including soloist named or nickname):
Ree Ree* has the power
to scream and shout.
But Deandre** has the power
to knock
you
out.
Say what?
To knock
you
out.
Okay.
[Repeat the entire cheer with another girl’s name or nickname or with another boy’s name or nickname]
-Riantai (Ree Ree); African American female, age 8; Faison Primary School (Homewood area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 30, 2009; collected by Azizi Powell, October 30, 2009
The girl who shared this cheer with me explained that
* Girl in your competitor' cheerleading squad’s name or nickname
**Girl in your cheerleading squad
-snip-
Notice that certain cheers that have the signature "foot stomping cheer" group/consecutive soloist textual structure are being used by actual cheerleader squads and not only by informal group of girls pretending to be cheerleaders.
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EXAMPLE #3
HOLLYWOOD NOT SWINGIN (Version #6)
When we were kids, what were some of your favorite hood cheers? Post 'em here. Mine was "Hollywood Not Swingin'"
Hollywood not swingin', Hollywood not...swingin'
Hollywood not swingin', Hollywood not...swingin'
Well my name is Yella, my number's 1,
My reputation is havin' fun,
So if you see me just step aside,
Because this light chick don't take no jiiiiiiiiivvveeee... .
-Cocaine, no location given, http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/43158-Hood-Cheers, 8/18/2006
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EXAMPLE #4
I'M A STAR
hi my name is Aundrea and im a star mess with me and ill take you far!
Squad: Woo, she thinks she's bad. Woo, she thinks she's bad.
You: Correction baby, i know im bad.
Squad: Woo, she thinks she's bad. Woo, she
thinks she's bad.
You: Child please!
-Aundrea; 2/28/2007; cocojams.com
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EXAMPLE #5
LET ME TELL YOU
GROUP: 5,6,7,8!!!!
Well, Let me tell you!!!! About This Girl!!!!
Her name Is {your name here} Taquina!!!!
TAQUINA: Well, My name is Taquina and I'm da bomb!!!!
GROUP: Ooh!!!! She think she bad!!!!
TAQUINA: I know I'm rad!!!!
GROUP: Ooh!!!! She think she cook!!!!
TAQUINA: Watch me while I pop my collar!!!!
-courtney; 5/21/2007; cocojams
-snip-
"cook" is almost certainly a typo for "cool"
"Pop my collar" is a vernacular term that comes from men loosening or taking off the collar of their buttoned down shirt in preparation for a fist fight.
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EXAMPLE #6
LIKE THAT
One person from the group: Attention Attention 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3
Like that. Ready. Okay.
Soloist #1: My name is Tatayane
And I’m LIKE THAT.
Mess with me and you will get a __* KICK BACK.
All you haters talkin this and that.
I’ll pass it to my home girl Sydney
__ Like that.
Soloist #2 : My name is Sydney
And I’m LIKE THAT.
Mess with me and you will get a __ PUNCH BACK.
All you haters talkin this and that.
I’ll pass it to my home girl Jacquala
___Like that.
Soloist #3 : My name is Jacquala
And I’m LIKE THAT.
Mess with me and you will get a __ SLAP BACK.
All you haters talkin this and that.
I’ll pass it to my home girl Kristina
___ Like that.
-Muffin (African American female, age 10; Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
10/2007; Collected by Azizi Powell
-snip-
The space indicates that you pause one beat before saying the next word.
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EXAMPLE #7
ROCK THE BOAT
Rock the boat,
Rock, rock the boat
[repeat]
My name is Yasmin (rock the boat)
I know I'm fine (rock the boat)
Just like my sign (rock the boat)
My sign is Leo
I go bang-bang choo choo train
Wind me up and I do my thing
Reeses pieces butter cup
Don't mess with me, cause I'll mess you up,
Rock the boat, rock rock the boat...
-Yasmin H. (Latina female; memories of East Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1980s), 2/25/04
-snip-
The words in parenthesis were chanted by the other members of the cheerleading squad.
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EXAMPLE #8
TETHER BALL
...Then there was this other call & response cipher (which I don't hear too many people mention outside my generation and region)...
Tether ball, tether ball/
Oosha, asha!/
Tether ball, tether ball/
Oosha, asha!/
My name's (enter your name)
(tether ball),
super cool,
(tether ball)
You mess with me
(tether ball)
You's a fool (tether ball)
I got this man
(tether ball)
On my mind (tether ball)
You mess with him
(tether ball)
Your butt is straight up mine.
Oooh.
Tether ball,
tether ball/
Oosha, Asha! etc.
-- You make up your own rhyme of bravado...
-Nikkole Salter (Los Angeles, California), comment in discussion thread for vlog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfzHL_1PdbY
Let's Discuss: Black Girl Childhood Hand Games and Sing Songs")
-snip-
I reformatted this example from sentence form to line form.
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EXAMPLE #9
TWO WAY PASS AWAY
All: Two way pass away. Two way pass away.
Soloist #1: Well, my name is Shana.
Group: Two way pass away.
Soloist #1: And if you don’t like it,
Group: Two way pass away.
Soloist #1: You can kiss what I twist.
And I don’t mean my wrist.
-African American girls {around 8-12 years old}, Rankin, Pennsylvania, 1985; Collected by Azizi Powell,
1985
(Repeat the entire cheer from the beginning with the next soloist and continue repeating until every member of the group has had one turn as the soloist.)
-snip-
I think that the phrase "two way pass away" is derived from the Mardi Gras Indian chant "Tuwaypackaway".
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EXAMPLE #10
WHAT YOUR HEART BEATING FOR
What your heart beatin for?
What your heart beatin for?
You scared?
What your heart beatin for?
You scared?
I’m not
But they is.
I’m not
But they is.
They betta fall back
Before they get slapped [or cracked].
My name is Raya
And I’m not with that.
[the next soloist immediately starts the cheer again and says the same thing except she gives her name or nickname at the end.
-Canraya E, African American female, 11; and Sha’ona K, age 11, collected by Azizi Powell, June 2008
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This concludes Part 4 of this multi-part pancocojams series on Values Expressed In Foot Stomping Cheers".
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