The Right Rhyming Pattern For Shabooya Roll Call (2nd copy)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision- July 4, 2022

I published this second copy of this post because I mistakenly thought that this original post couldn't be found online. This copy doesn't include any of the multiple comments that are found in that post's discussion thread. This second copy also may not include all of the updates that I've made to that [first copy] post

Here's the link to that original copy of this post [with multiple comments, including comments about the episode of the television showThe Office that featured examples of "shabooyas"] : http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/the-right-rhyming-pattern-for-shabooya.html 

Note: Judging from its viewer hits and favorites, "The Right Rhyming Pattern For Shabooya Roll Call" is one of the most popular pancocojams posts.*

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THE RIGHT RHYMING PATTERN FOR SHABOOYA ROLL CALL

"Shabooya Roll Call" is an African American originated call and respond bragging and/or taunting chant with a distinctive structure and rhythm. The chant is supposed to begin with the words "shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call" and end with the words "Shabooya roll call".

The earliest published example of a song or chant with a "shabooya" pattern that I'm aware of is the 1992 song by Prince entitled "My Name Is Prince". [Thanks Anonymous May 9, 2016 whose comment is in this post's discussion section.]

Here's some of the lyrics to that song from https://genius.com/Prince-and-the-new-power-generation-my-name-is-prince-lyrics

[Verse 1: Prince]

My name is Prince and I am funky

My name is Prince the one and only

I did not come to funk around

'Tll I get your daughter I won't leave this town

-snip-

[end of January 11, 2022 Update]

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Update: July 4, 2022; Hat tip to commenter Anonymous July 2, 2022. Here's is part of that comment: 

..." the Spartan cheerleaders on Saturday Night Live, which used the lyric “cha cha butchee” instead of “Shabooya” but is otherwise clearly the same chant. Although a few comments elsewhere on the internet claim that SNL was referencing “Get on the Bus”, the first SNL episode featuring the roll call chant (1/20/96) predates the Spike Lee movie’s release (10/16/96) by almost nine months."...

Read that entire comment and my replies below.

-end of July 4, 2022 Update-

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The earliest documented use of the word "shabooya" that I have found is Spike Lee's 1996 movie Get On The Bus.

Shabooya !!!!!!!!!!!! Scene from the film Get On The Bus (1996)

Uploaded by New7Michael7 on Apr 19, 2010

"Scene from the movie " Get on the bus" ( 1996 ), directed by Spike Lee ( whose soundtrack featured Michael Jackson ), in which the people of the bus starts to rap with a catchy chorus."

-snip-
Here's my transcription of that scene. I've used bold font for the rhyming, near rhyming, or "supposed to be rhyming" words font to more clearly show them (Note: The bold font does not mean that those words are emphasized.)

GET ON THE BUS SHABOOYA ROLL CALL
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
-repeat multiple times-
My name is Mike
Yeah
Representing New York
Yeah
I’m not a Muslim
Yeah
Still don’t eat pork
Roll Call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Don’t call me Evan
yeah
Cause I’m on the move
Yeah
Don’t call me junior
Yeah
But you can call me Smooth
Roll Call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Hey My name is Evan
Yeah
Evan senior
They got my son
yeah
On a misdemeanor
Roll Call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
My name is Gary
Yeah
I’m down with Shelly
Yeah
She’s got the butta
Yeah
I got the jelly.
Roll Call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
My name is X
And I’m a Bruin
And I blah blah blah
[laughter because he messed up]
My name Jamal
Yeah
My mind is free
yeah
We need more love
Yeah
And unity
Roll Call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
My name is Pop
Yeah
We at the top
Yeah
Now all this Shabooya
Yeah
Has got to stop.

Although Get On The Bus may be the earliest documented record of the word "shabooya", since 2006 that word has been most closely associated with Bring It On - All Or Nothing, the third movie in the teenage cheerleader movie series. There are two scenes in the Bring It On - All Or Nothing movie in which the "Shabooya Roll Call" cheer is featured - the cafeteria table scene and the school dance scene.

Both the Get On The Bus version and the Bring It On-All Or Nothing cafeteria table scene version of "Shabooya Roll Call" have the same call & response lyrical structure. Both have the same "shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call" refrain, and both have the same "Yeah" group response. Furthermore, the Get On The Bus version, the Bring It On-All Or Nothing cafeteria table version, and the school dance version of "Shabooya Roll Call" each have similar numbers of beats in their four line soloists verses. As determined by counting the number of syllables in each line of the soloist's verse, the usual number of syllables per soloist line is 5. However, some soloist verses have lines with 6 syllables in a line, and a fewer number of soloist verses have lines with 4 syllables in a line.)

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

Shabooya !! {Dance on duh Table}

Iluzyoo, Apr 2, 2011

-snip-
Here's my description of that scene:
Two African American teenage girls and one Latina teenage girl perform an exaggerated version of a foot stomping routine for the cheer "Shabooya Roll Call" during a high school lunch period.

Here's the words to the cafeteria table scene with the soloist's lines written in syllables, the rhyming words given in bold, and the number of syllables pers in that soloist verse given in brackets after each line of that verse:

SHABOOYA ROLL CALL
Camille: Here we go now!
Camille, Kirresha, Leti: [starts dance routine] Sha boo ya sha sha sha boo ya. Roll call.
Sha boo ya sha sha sha boo ya. Roll call.
Leti: My name is Le ti. [5]
Group: Yeah
I like to par ty [5]
Group: Yeah.
And when I shake it,
Group: Yeah
the boys say "ay ma mi!".* [6]
Camille, Kirresha, Leti: Sha boo ya sha sha sha boo ya. Roll call.
Camille: My name Cam ille. [4]
Group: Yeah
Give you three wishes.
Group: Yeah
You see me shake it, [5]
Group: Yeah
'cause I'm de li cious. [5]
Camille, Kirresha, Leti: Sha boo ya sha sha sha boo ya. Roll call.
Kirresha: My name Kir re sha.[5]
Group: Yeah
Get out my face. [4]
Group: Yeah
'Cause when I shake it, [5]
Group: Yeah
it's like an earth quake.** [5]
- lyrics from the movie Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)

* Notice that the Leti verse doesn't follow Shabooya Roll Call's "right rhyming pattern" as the end word [Leti] of the first line of the soloist's verse rhymes with the end word [party] of the soloist's second line instead of the end word or element [mi] of the soloist's fourth line.

** I'm aware that there's considerable debate about whether Kirresha says "earthquake" or "hurricane". Since the word "hurricane" doesn't rhyme with "face" and also has three syllables, that would put that line over the usual syllable number of "5". For those reasons, I agree with those who believe that Kirresha said "earthquake" since that word fits the "right rhyming pattern" for Shabooya Roll Call cheers.

The "Shabooya Roll Call" verse in the school dance scene is one verse of a longer cheer. Here's that verse (with its rhyming words given in bold font, the words written in syllables, and the number of syllables in each line given in brackets.)

My name is Brit ney. [5]
I cheer so strong. [4]
And when I shake it, [5]
you bet ter bring it on. [6]
Sha boo ya, sha sha sha boo ya, break it down now.

Click http://cocojams.com/content/command-compliance-foot-stomping-cheers for the complete cheer featured in that movie. That page also has a video of that movie scene.

Using the right rhyming pattern and having the right numbers of syllables is important when "Shabooya Roll Call" verses are chanted as part of a foot stomping movement routine. If the rhyme is "off" and the words are too long (the line contains too many or too few syllables, that messes up the syncopated beat. Here's a video of three African American teenagers or pre-teens doing a movement routine while they chant verses of "Shabooya Roll Call" that they made up:

ShaBooyah



Uploaded by kaitmagkay on Jan 3, 2009

Reika Kayla and Kaity having fun with the family and theres a little interruption by Kristina and Chris laughin

Here's the words to that Reika Kayla and Kaity version of "Shabooya Roll Call" with the soloist's lines written in syllables, the rhyming words given in bold, and the number of syllables pers in that soloist verse given in brackets after each line of that verse:

All: Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Reika - My name is Rei ka [5]
Rest of the group - Yeah
Reika- I cheer so strong [4]
Group - Yeah
Reika - When boys see me [4]
Group - Yeah
Reika -I turn them on [4]
Group - Oh!
All: Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Kayla- My name is Kay la [5]
Group - Yeah
Kayla - and I’m so hot [4]
Group - Yeah
Kayla - Some girls don’t like me* [5]
Group - Yeah
Kayla - be cause they’re not [4]
Group - Oh!
All: Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Kaity - My name is Kai ty [5]
Group - Yeah
Kaity -I like to prance [4]
Group - Yeah
Kaity -And let me show you [5]
Group - Yeah
Kaity -my lit tle dance [4]
Group - Oh!
All: Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
Shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call
- kaitmagkay on Jan 3, 2009

I made this transcription from listening to the video. I'm uncertain if this is an accurate transcription because of the laughter in the background.

Remember, there are supposed to be four lines in the soloist verses to "Shabooya Roll Call". Also, remember that the 2-4 rhyming pattern: the end word of line 4 is a word that's supposed to rhyme (or near rhyme) with the end word in line 2.

Furthermore, keep in mind that "5" is the usual number of syllables in each line of the soloist verse, although there might be lines with "6" or "4" verses. Keeping all that in mind, and preparing ahead of time by having a stock number of end rhymes, and memorizing your "Shabooya verse" will help you gain props as a skillful Shabooya chanter.

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ADDENDUM:CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND SHABOOYA ROLL CALL VERSES
-Azizi Powell, 1/30/2012

I believe that it's important to be aware that- as is the case with other foot stomping cheers - traditionally, people chanting "Shabooya Roll Call" type cheers are supposed to either be bragging about themselves, or taunting/insulting ("dissin", "putting down") some unidentified person.

The fact that "Shabooya Roll Call" verses a used to taunt/insult others shouldn't be surprising since "Shabooya Roll Call" type verses originated as an African American rhyming exercise which is "pre-dozens"* in its skill level.

However, in a number of "Shabooya verses" that I have read online the person making up the verse includes a demeaning descriptor of herself or himself (for instance: "My name is ___/ I may be short". In other examples of these verses that I've read online, females wrote "My name is ___/ I am a whore". In the dozens, a person would NEVER insult himself (or herself) or his or her family members. The same prohibition is supposed to hold true for "Shabooya Roll Call verses".

And while I'm on the subject of "Shabooya Roll Call" verses - it's my hope that people composing these verses don't use them as opportunities to role play what they think African American people are like. I believe that it's important to recognize that as influential as the Bring It On cheerleader movie series has been, that movie series's depiction of real African Americans leaves a lot to be desired. Judging from the YouTube viewer comment threads and Facebook pages (I won't supply any links), there's a lot of White people (in the USA and elsewhere) who think it's alright and even cool to put on a fake, exaggerated, stereotypical Black "accent" or a fake Latina accent while reenact that "Shabooya Roll Call" cafeteria scene. And also judging from a number of examples of self-created "Shabooya verses" posted to a number of online sites, a number of people think that it's alright and cool to use so-called African American names for the roll call verses that they compose. I've read a lot of "Shabooya verses" on Facebook with the name "Shaniqua" when this is not the person's name who is posting that verse. I've also noticed a number of "Shabooya verses" that are homophobic. I strongly believe that each of those types of verses are wrong. There's lots of ways of pretending to taunt or put down individuals for fun in those types of cheers without being culturally incompetent. People can be still creative, and still have fun while following the golden rule of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

Think about it.

*Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dozens for information about the dozens. By "pre-dozens" I mean rhyming cheers or song that help young people gain the word/rhyming skills and confidence to compete in real dozens insult exchanges. "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers" is another example of an African American "pre-dozens" song. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/yo-mama-dont-wear-no-drawers.html for a pancocojams blog post about that song.

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116404 for information about the Get On The Bus movie.

http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/04/classic-sesame-street-television-clips.html "Sesame Street Hand Clap Rhymes & Children's Stepping Routines" on my zumalayah blog.

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ADDENDUM June 5, 2016 [a copy of a comment that was posted to the original post, with spelling corrections]

Ms. Azizi Powell November 2, 2012 at 1:20 AM
Hello, again.

Let me also say this:

My reason for writing this post was to remind or inform people that the Shabooya Roll Call chant is related to the Black insult traditions of The Dozens.

"Shabooya Roll Call" and other such chants are supposed to be fun AND they are supposed to either be self-bragging, or insulting [dissin] someone unrelated to you, or they are supposed to be both self-bragging & dissin. AND my purpose is in reminding or informing those who may not be aware of it that those chants are supposed to conform to a specific rhyming pattern.

It's been interesting to read & view so many examples of Shabooya Roll Call online on various blogs and YouTube video viewer comment threads. But I've noticed that almost all of the performances of these chants that I've watched are separated from the foot stomping step routine that in its "original" form would have been performed by their chanters. I regret this because I love the aesthetics of REAL step shows and their related movement art, foot stomping cheers. Instead I see videos of mostly females reciting a chant while standing stiffly in place, or just swaying from side to side, and/or pantomining certain words.

The Shabooya Roll Call cafeteria scene in the Bring It On-All Or Nothing movie portrayed the three high school cheerleaders chanted performing step/dance movements which chanting "Shabooya Roll Call". But their movements were certainly not how such a chant would have been done in the real world prior to the influence of that movie.

Actually, I don't have anything good to say about that movie's Shabooya chants. And I very much disliked the cultural incompetency of that movie, but that is a somewhat unrelated subject. I won't go there but I will say that in my opinion, that cafeteria scene Shabooya Roll Call was a Black and Latina sexualized, ghettoized performance which wasn't at all what steppin/foot stomping is really like.

Unfortunately, I've only found a few video examples online of foot stomping cheers...

Luckily, the movement art of steppin as performed by Black Greek lettered fraternities/sororities and other Black and non-Black fraternities/sororities and other organizations is very similar to the movement art that is associated with [mostly] Black girls' performances of foot stomping cheers...

But then again, the bus scene in Spike Lee's movie is an example of a Shabooya chant that was performed by Black males without any accompanying physical movement. Plus traditions that are alive are subject to change. So I guess there's also that. And I guess I'll just have to get used to some people performing Shabooya Roll Call cheers the way they want to perform them-but hopefully they'll compose those chants using the "right" rhythm pattern and with the recognition that the chant is supposed to be fun, and people are suppose to brag on themselves, and/or insult a person who isn't related to them. And I REALLY hope that those insults in those chants aren't racist, sexist, homophobic, or aren't offensive in other ways. Because if they are then those chants shouldn't be fun because they are hurtful and that's not what "Shabooyas" are supposed to be.

Best wishes!

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