Video Examples Of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity Stepping & Strolling

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about Kappa Kappa Psi. This post also showcases five videos of the stepping and strolling performance styles of a few of that organization's Black chapters or predominately Black chapters.

Another featured video showcases an example of members of Kappa Kappa Psi singing their national hymn and the last featured videos shows members of Kappa Kappa Psi serenading a member's bride and then stepping at the wedding reception.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all others who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube videos.

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INFORMATION ABOUT KAPPA KAPPA PSI
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kappa_Kappa_Psi_chapters
"Kappa Kappa Psi (ΚΚΨ), National Honorary Band Fraternity. Over 300 chapters have been established in the United States since 1919, which are organized into six separate districts."

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Kappa_Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity (ΚΚΨ, colloquially referred to as KKPsi), is a fraternity for college and university band members in the United States. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, now known as Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Kappa Kappa Psi primarily operates as a recognition society[1] providing service, leadership opportunities, and social programming for band members. Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority, has been recognized as a sister organization since 1947, and the two organizations share National Headquarters in Stillwater Station, a converted historical Santa Fe rail depot that was purchased by the fraternity and sorority in 1991.

Since 1919, more than 66,000 men and women have been initiated into Kappa Kappa Psi, with nearly 6,000 collegiate members active today. Members of Kappa Kappa Psi include President Bill Clinton; astronaut Neil Armstrong;[4] chancellor and eleventh president of Indiana University, Herman B Wells;[5] composers John Williams and John Philip Sousa;[6] conductor William Revelli; and jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie.[7]

…May 1957 saw the first chapters at historically black universities: On May 19, the Delta Alpha chapter at Langston University was installed; three days later, the Gamma Omega chapter was established at Texas Southern University.[19]

... The first women to join the fraternity were sisters of the Sigma chapter of Tau Beta Sigma at Arizona State University, who merged with the Beta Omicron chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi after a unanimous vote of both organizations.[23] These women were Patricia A. Childress, Lydia L. Lennon, Leslie A. Anderson, Mary L. Duffala, Mary M. Ketterer, Kristina M. Zipsnis, Clara M. Bertilson, and Toni Ryon, who were initiated into Beta Omicron on August 26, 1977.[23] On August 27, Lea F. Fuller was initiated.[23] The first woman to participate in the formal probationary membership process and become a member of Kappa Kappa Psi was Darragh Hill Young, who was initiated into the Beta Tau chapter at Wichita State University on September 1, 1977.[23]....

The Fraternity Hymn was written by brother Scott Jeffrey Heckstall Jr. when he was a prospective member of the Eta Gamma chapter in 1977.[68] Heckstall had wanted to be a charter member, but was not chosen. Heckstall was encouraged to rush, and he recalled that as part of his rush process, a couple of brothers took him to a piano and told him, "We know that you play [piano] in church. We need a fraternity hymn. We'll give you three hours, and you sit over there and come up with a hymn. We'll come back in three hours, and we expect a hymn."[68] Heckstall recalled the hymn Someday (Beams of Heaven As I Go) by Charles Albert Tindley and changed a few words—for example, "Beams of Heaven as I go through this wilderness below" became "K K Psi, as we go through this wilderness here below."[68] The brothers of Eta Gamma were satisfied with Heckstall's hymn.
Years later, the hymn was presented to the brotherhood assembled at the 1995 National Convention and accepted as the national fraternity hymn.[69] Blue and white are the fraternity's official colors.[67] The fraternity flower is a red carnation, so chosen because it was founder William Scroggs's favorite flower.[67]"...
-snip-
A performance of Kappa Kappa Psi's fraternity hymn is found in the video given below as Example #3.

While Kappa Kappa Psi isn't a historically Black Greek letter fraternity, I've included the "Black fraternity and sorority stepping" tag below because Kappa Kappa Psi's stepping (hopping), strolling, probate shows, and other organization features are similar to those historically Black organizations, although they also add their own signature moves such as "loose neckin'" and "skate" to stepping & strolling traditions.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS

Example #1: Kappa Kappa Psi - Zeta Psi hopping at Homecoming



James Drake Uploaded on Nov 9, 2010

The brothers of the Zeta Psi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc. party hopping during the Homecoming drumline tunnel at Virginia State University

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Example #2: Kappa Kappa Psi



ktg778 Uploaded on Apr 8, 2011

Kappa Kappa Psi strolling at Valdosta State University. Lambda Omicron chapter April 8, 2011

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Example #3: KKPsi Hymn



Ahandful ofIdiots Published on Apr 25, 2012
-snip-
The hand holding style that is used for this song is the same as way singers join hands while singing the civil rights song "We Shall Overcome". I've also found other YouTube videos of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a Black Greek letter sorority using the same hand holding style while singing their Sweetheart song.

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Example #4: 2012 UMD Block Show: Kappa Kappa Psi



Shegaw Mekonen Published on May 7, 2012

The brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi band fraternity's Gamma Xi chapter perform at the 2012 University of Maryland Block Show

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Example #5: Rowden Wedding Bruhs Sangin Delta Psi Chapter Hymn



Marcus Rowden Published on Mar 27, 2013

Bruhs Sangin, Looseneckin and Steppin at my wedding.
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQVQKe-2Lfc for another video of that fraternity serenading and stepping. That video identified the fraternity as Kappa Kappa Psi (Prairie View A&M University). Here's the summary of that video: "Marcus and the Brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi (PV) serenade Mrs. Rowden! Then they get a loose neck and hump back!"

"Sangin[g]" is a African American Vernacular English present tense form of the word "sing". That definition of "sang" means "to sing very well, especially to sing soulfully very well".
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Example #6: NC A&T KAPPA KAPPA PSI at the 2015 Honda Battle of the bands Social



DMCash Published on Jan 31, 2015

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Example #7:. Kappa Kappa Psi, Zeta Phi Chapter 2016 Bowl N Stroll



Stefan Smith Published on Jan 31, 2016

All 3 rounds of the Tuskegee University chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi winning performance at the 2016 Bowl N Stroll in Atlanta, Ga

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RELATED VIDEO
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK0Ptuyxymo
for a video example of a Kappa Kappa Psi probate (a show introducing new members of that organization to the public.) Notice how much that probate is like those performed by historically Black Greek letter organizations.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc's Expanded Definitions Of Beauty, Part II

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that presents video documentation and viewer comments about some facets of physical diversity in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) is a historically Black Greek letter organization that was founded in 2008 on the campus of Howard University.

Part I and Part II of this post explore other facets of diversity besides race- namely skin color, hair styles, and body shape.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/08/alpha-kappa-alpha-sorority-incs.html for Part I of this post. Part I features my Editorial comment as well as four additional Alpha Kappa Alpha videos and selected comments from some of those videos' discussion threads. That post also includes an excerpt of a 1928 letter that was published in Howard University's magazine. That letter discusses colorism as indicated by the "brown paper bag test" in historically Black fraternities and sororities.

These videos feature Alpha Kappa Alpha probate shows or preparations for a propate. "Probate" is a term used by historically Black Greek letter organizations to refer to the show or ceremony in which new members of a fraternity or sorority are introduced to the public for the first time.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, historical, and sociological reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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

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FEATURED VIDEOS & SELECTED COMMENTS
I selected these examples by randomly surfing YouTube for AKA probate videos. These videos are presented in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates given first. The videos in this post are numbered 5-8 beginning where the videos in Part I left off

Example #5:
Alpha Kappa Alpha, Spelman College (Sweet Mu Pi Chapter) Spring 2014 Neophyte Presentation



TIBJFilms Published on Apr 23, 2014

Sweet Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Unofficial Footage from the Spring 2014 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sweet Mu Pi Chapter probate. [Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia]
-snip-
Here are some selected comments from this video's discussion thread. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
1. winrx, November 2014
Ok so I take it this is a weaveless sorority.....lol
-snip-
"Weaves" = hair attached to your hair to enhance its length and fullness.

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Reply
2. Dave Johnson November 2014
lol!!! You need long hair to join. If not, then you can't shake your head like a demon.
-snip-
These two comments were probably written facetiously.

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Nicole A, March, 2015
3. "Why can't they have natural hair?"

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Reply
4. tdianddp4life, April, 2015
"+Nicole A Exactly, I don't get that either. I wanted to join that sorority but I see that they all straighten their hair. Nevermind lol"

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Reply
5. Sincerely, Elle, April 2015
"+Nicole A +tdianddp4life This is actually my line and I have natural hair. A lot of my line sisters also have natural hair. For the probate we stand as one and act as a solitary line, so EVERYTHING we do is the same, from hair to what
earrings we wore, to the type of eye liner we put on. So in this we all straightened our hair. But it is absolutely not a requirement to have straight hair to be in the organization at all! Just wanted to say that lol."

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6. tdianddp4life, June 2015
"+Tierini mitchell I was just curious to know if that was a requirement or not because I wanted to join AKA if I attended Spelman. I thought they had perms. That worried me because if I joined I wouldn't want to perm my hair but seeing that the poster above said their hair is just straightened with a flat iron I wouldn't mind doing that. That's all. Sorry if I sounded rude."

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Reply
7. tdianddp4life, June 2015
"+Tierini mitchell I was just curious to know if that was a requirement or not because I wanted to join AKA if I attended Spelman. I thought they had perms. That worried me because if I joined I wouldn't want to perm my hair but seeing that the poster above said their hair is just straightened with a flat iron I wouldn't mind doing that. That's all. Sorry if I sounded rude."

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8. Natasha Coleman, July 2015
"beautiful! I do wonder if the sisters all use the same hair dresser. every AKA line up I see theres the same wonderful flow lol"

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Example #6: The Alpha Pi Chapter " of Alpha Kappa Alpha 'Spring 14'



ChachoomCO Published on May 6, 2014 [Clark Atlanta University, Georgia]
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
Tayaso Matador, 2014
"these ladies are so classy and beautiful wouldn't expect nothing less from the aka's"

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Example #7: Behind The Scenes | Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. FA'14 New Member Presentation`



Ashley Whitney Published on Nov 29, 2014

Music
"Imma AKA" by Miss Mykie [College of The Bahamas]

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Example #8: ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA - EPSILON EPSILON CHAPTER



Sedrick Askew Published on Dec 12, 2014

EPSILON EPSILON FALL 12 PROBATE...... LONG TIME COMING #EEuCANneverBE #mirrorsUP #PRETTYinPINK
-snip-
I'm not sure where this AKA chapter is located.
At 1:39 in this video, an AKA talks about people calling her conceited as a preface to the AKA signature chant "A Serious Matter”.
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread:
Donimica Binkley, 2015
"I see you prettEE girls!"

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Dwight Allen, 2015
"Sexy ladies."

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This concludes Part II of this post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc's Expanded Definitions Of Beauty, Part I

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision- March 6, 2023

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that presents video documentation and viewer comments about some facets of physical diversity in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) is a historically Black Greek letter organization that was founded in 2008 on the campus of Howard University.

Part I and Part II of this post explore other facets of diversity besides race- namely skin color, hair styles, and body shape.

This post includes my remembrances about pledging AKA in 1967 with a focus on whether the African American women in that line were diverse with regard to skin color and the way we wore our hair.

 

A 1928 letter to a 1928 letter to The Hilltop (Howard University magazine) provides that writer's opinion about the "brown paper page" test. (If you were as dark as or darker than the color of a brown paper bag, you weren't considered for membership in those organizations). Also, comment #12 in Video #3 below refers to the brown paper page test".

This post also includes several YouTube videos of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as well as selected comments from those videos' discussion thread about that historically Black Greek letter sorority, with a focus on the women's physical appearance, particularly whether women who are pledging that sorority and women who are members of that sorority all all light skinned and/or have straight hair or wear their hair straightened (by chemicals, hot comb, or otherwise.) 

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/08/alpha-kappa-alpha-sorority-incs_18.html for Part II of this post. Part II features four additional Alpha Kappa Alpha videos with selected comments.

These videos feature Alpha Kappa Alpha probate shows or preparations for a probate. "Probate" is a term used by historically Black Greek letter organizations to refer to the show or beremony in which new members of a fraternity or sorority are introduced to the public for the first time.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, historical, and sociological reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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

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EDITOR'S COMMENT
I decided to focus on Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) in this post in part because I'm a long inactive member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Gamma Zeta Chapter, 1966) and also because AKA had the reputation of being a sorority only for "pretty girls" who met certain physical criteria such as being light skinned*, having a slender but shapely build, and having long straight or straightened hair. Women with those traits (who were also considered to have a nice looking face) were considered to be pretty, classy, and sexy. Traditional AKA pantomines that are still used today-such as pretending to look into a hand held mirror, then fixing your hair, and then flipping your hair from one side to another -originate from this "pretty girl" persona. Traditional AKA chants such as "Conceited" also have their basis in that personal. I was curious to see if those "pretty girl" criteria were still operative for members of that sorority nowadays, although in actuality the light skin and slender build criterias weren't operative when I crossed over (became an AKA) more than four decades ago.

Not all members of my line* were slender build. My recollection si that all of the members of my thirteen member line** were brown skinned. And my recollection is that we all wore basically the same shoulder length or almost shoulder length straightened hair style. But toward the end of our pledging** I started wearing an afro, much to the disgust of most of those women who pledged us. For the record, my recollection is that all of these women except one were members of the state's (New Jersey) graduate chapter. The one exception was my friend who attended the same college as me. Also, not all members of my line were slender build.

*"line" = those persons who are experiencing the process of joining a particular organization at the same time.

Pledging - since 1990, "pledging" (including hazing) has been illegal within historically Black Greek letter organizations who are members of the National Panhellenic Council. However, it appears that a considerable amount of hazing still occurs underground, and members who "cross over" into a sorority or fraternity without pledging are often looked down upon. Large numbers of new members are one indication that the members have joined the organization without the old school-and illegal- pledging process.

Click http://blackgreeklife.blogspot.com/2010/05/pledginghazing-vs-mipis-there.html Pledging/Hazing vs. MIP...Is there a difference??? for a 2010 article about this subject.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/01/black-fraternities-sororities-chants.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Black Fraternities & Sororities Chants That Mention Paper, Skating, & Sliding Into Their Organizations".

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LETTER FROM 1928 HOWARD UNIVERSITY HILLTOP MAGAZINE
Here's an except from http://www.watchtheyard.com/history/brown-paper-bag/ "Paper Bag Test: Letter From 1928 Addresses Black Fraternity And Sorority Colorism At Howard University"

By watchtheyard on July 16, 2015
"While shadows of colorism still exist within the culture of African-American fraternities and sororities in the United States, there was a point in which it was blatantly clear that certain organizations took the hue of one’s skin into account before giving them a chance to pledge.

We have all heard stories of the practice of fraternities and sororities only allowing members with skin color lighter than a brown paper bag to gain admission into their bonds and proof that color lines and boundaries were strong and present can be seen by simply comparing the intake photos of the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta from the first half of the 20th century.

You may think that these destructive practices may have simply been overlooked as a simple fact of life during the early years of our greek letter organizations, but it apparently they weren’t. In 1928, a sophomore at Howard University named Edward H. Taylor published an article in “The Hilltop” student newspaper that accused fraternities of “splitting the various classes into groups of different shades — yellow , brown and black.” According to Taylor, “The light-skinned students are sought after by the fraternities and sororities, particularly the latter, as members and the dark ones passed by. The darker brown students then form their own cliques while the blacks are left in the cold.”...

Many of the truths in the article regarding greek life also still hold true today. While Black sororities in the United States all now have a mix of the beautiful shades of African-American skin tones, many of the shadows of this colorism-based past still exist. Think about it. You have probably come across a situation in which someone tells a light-skinned Delta that she looks like she could be an AKA and vice versa. While they may not have explicitly stated that this is because she has light-skin, you know exactly what they mean."


FEATURED VIDEOS & SELECTED COMMENTS
I selected these examples by randomly surfing YouTube for AKA probate videos. These videos are presented in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates given first.

Example #1: 2009 AKA, Alpha Chapter Probate



Avery J. Green Uploaded on May 3, 2009

63 P.R.O.D.I.G.Y. at Howard University, Alpha Chapter April 16th 2009...Starring: #31 Jasmia Fowler......
-snip-
Here's one comment from that video's discussion thread:
jukeboxkidd, 2009
"klassy, klean, and krisp ladies..."
-snip-
Most of these women have long hair. Note at 4:26 -4:38 in this video there's a soror [member of the sorority] with a short straightened hair style.

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Example #2: VSU Alpha Kappa Alpha Probate 2011 / Mr. Facey



Trevon Facey, Uploaded on Dec 22, 2011 [Virgina State University, Virginia]

congratulations to the ladies of the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority incorporated @ Virginia state university
-snip-
Here are a few comments from that video's discussion thead (with numbes assigned by me for referencing purposes only)
1. LuckiiCharmz85, 2011
"Well to the director and editor I give you props! And to all the young ladies who crossed that night, congrats. Looks like you all worked hard to get there. And no the hair wasn't always slicked back and perfect but that's the point. S/O to all ladies rockin' the natural look and especially the "beautifully bald" one. Although it wasn't always that way...thank you AKA for repping women of all skin complexions, hair types, disabilities, personalities and then some."

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2. princeque7, 2011o
"Ok, lol can't front I have a thing for hair and the whip appeal. I fell in love at the following moments: 1:12 (hair), 1:29 (The Bruhz s/o) , & 3:00 (lol she's bad, confident, and yes, again I am shallow..smh)..

Omega Psi Phi
Beta Psi- Clark Atlanta Univ
Spr 02 Taildog # 7 Q.K.A "OxTail" "

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3. BiteMeBtc , 2011
"This is the best probate I have seen also the most diverse group of girls I seen.......Now I know who to pledge to this winter too =)"

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Example #3: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated



J.O. Malone Studios, Published on May 18, 2012

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Probate at Prairie View A&M University,[Texas] Spring 2012.
-snip-
Here are some selected comments from this video's discussion thread. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only. However, these comments (and other multiple comments) may not be in consecutive order.
1. lishol7, 2013
"what's up with the hair? Is there a requirement now? Are natural girls (short and long) just not interested or not invited? Are there no lasting effects from the 60s and 70s?"

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2. Nikki Jay, 2013
in reply to lishol7
"Some of them ladies could be natural. They could have just flat ironed their hair so they can swing it."

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3. lishol7, 2013
in reply to Nikki Jay
"I'm going to repeat my comment. Making a conscious decision to "temporarily" or "permanently" pretend not to have the natural "S" or "Z" curl formation flow through their hair in not where the sisters from the 60s and 70s would imagine sorors would be. Sorors are in a leadership position. Trailblazing... not assimilating... Perhaps we haven't moved at all and a lot of the progress was in vain."

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4. Nikki Jay, 2013
in reply to lishol7
"It's just hair. Get over it."

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5. ItachixNara, 2013
"doesn't matter about looks its about sisterhood and soro for life skeeeeee weee!! :)"
-snip-
-snip-
"Skeeeeee weee" is Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc's signature call.

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6. lucy rosevelt
"No weight restrictions?? Ladies walking in all "duck footed". What has happened to AKA???"

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7. E Dixon, 2013
"Why would there need to be weight restrictions? Being in a sorority is about sisterhood and service!"

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8. Cheri Lindsay, 2013
in reply to lucy rosevelt
"That comment is completely ridiculous. It about sisterhood and service not turning people away becasue of how they look. Chill out. #SMH"

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10. caramel qt, 2013
"I'm natural and I'm an AKA. Don't b ridiculous we wear our hair any way we choose."
-snip-
"I'm natural" = I wear my hair in a natural hair style (without chemical relaxers or heat straigntening).

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11. webco2cute, 2013
"People take hair to seriously. let people do what they want to thei hair"

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12. SuntanSupermann850, 2013
"Brown Paper Bag Test At Its Finest.... Lol Good Job Tho Ladies"

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Example #4: The 2014 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Special Presentation at Texas State University



Jordan Moments L.L.C., Published on Jun 22, 2014
-snip-
Notice that the beginning to this video includes a brief clip of White member of a Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc., a historically Black Greek letter fraternity, twirling his kane with other members of that organization.

Also notice the AKA member with very short hair. A commenter indicated that she was the Dean (the leader of those training the new members),of the probate).
-snip-
Here are some selected comments from this video's discussion thread. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order.
1. Desmond Deshaun, 2014
"omg! they're all so beautiful! and I say that faithfully ..every single last one of those women on that line are drop dead gorgeous"

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2. amina sall, 2014
"OF COURSE WITH ALL THAT MAKE UP"

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3. Princess Ngwu, 2015
"Make Up or not they're beautiful. You on the other hand need a lot of concealer to cover all that hate."

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4. kunjidee, 2014
"I think these girls need to give a shout-out to all the Indian and Brazilian women whose HAIR they're wearing..."

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5. Ivy Reeves,2014
"Beautiful! Would love to see natural hair as well."

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6. Clemsonshawty, 2014
"or just a little less weave!"
-snip-
"Weave" is hair that is attached to a person's hair to increase its length and fullness.

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7. Harper Madden, 2014
"+Clemsonshawty// that's the omg girlz & willow smith "whip your hair anthem""

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8. Ivie Gordon, 2015
"For women who supposed to be representing self love, they sure wear a lot of weaves. Unbeweaveable!!!

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9. Princess Ngwu, 2015
"Didn't know wearing weaves represented self hate."

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10. Grace O, 2015
"Just because they are wearing weaves don't mean they don't love themselves. Some of you all make no sense like shut up

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Reply
11. Thankyou3403, 2015
"+Grace O that's exactly what it means. Self love means you're whole as you are."

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12. backhand67, 2015
"WOW...this was one of the best AKA probate shows i've seen in a while. Thanks ladies for keeping it classy and "pretty." A diverse group of beautiful women! The unveiling portion of the show i thought was the most creative. Nothing is worse than a large line and each candidate introduces themselves. It seems like some older K's had some influence here. History, big sister greetings, with "a serious matter", and a little slight of the other sororities...standard for any AKA probate show. Again...enjoyed the show and best wishes ladies. Welcome to the Alpha family -- "06/08, from us all others originate".
--Chris, Spring 1986 initiate of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Theta Sigma Chapter, Univ of FL"

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13. mrstexas777, 2015
"They had naturals up there, and some of the girls weren't wearing extensions. It was a combination.

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14. Jocelynn Liz, 2015
"I think you guys forgot weave is a protective style...not the best but is one. I myself have been natural for almost 2years and wore them starting off but then switched to better ones."

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15. Killing1withKindness, 2015
"Why is everyone dissing them on their hair?

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16. Thankyou3403, 2015
"+Killing1withKindness Probably cause they look crackerish slinging it back and forth. Those it looks real on is okay, but if that's not your natural pattern and you're a college educated woman you should have come to grips by now with your natural self."
-snip-
"Crackerish" is a pejorative referent for White people (i.e. "crackers") which I've never read or heard before this comment. While I consider it offensive, I'm including it for the cultural record.

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17. Raven Parker, 2015
"I see nothing but a chapter full of beautiful women. This is so cute!"

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This concludes Part I of this post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Black Sorority Members' Memories Of Children's Risque Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is Part I of a series on risqué playground rhymes and bawdy nursery rhymes.

Part I contains selected examples of "old school" playground rhymes & cheers from a 2003 Greekchat.com discussion thread.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/childrens-risque-rhymes-nasty-nursery.html for Part II of this post.

Part II contains selected examples from a Mudcat Folk music discussion thread on "Nasty Nursery Rhymes". The selected examples were posted in that thread from 2001 to 2007.

WARNING - No profanity and/or sexually explicit language are included in the selected examples presented in this post. For that reason, I consider the examples in this post to be only "mildly risqué". However, a number of examples that are included in the websites that are the source for Part I and Part II of this post include profanity and/or are sexually explicit.

It's important to note that most of the examples from that six page Greekchat.com discussion thread contain no risqué content. I've included all but one of the risqué examples that are found in that thread. The example that I didn't include includes profanity, although those rhyming words are represented by asterisks.

Also, please be aware that there's at least one other Greekchat.com discussion titled "old school chants" that provides examples of historically Black Greek lettered fraternity & sorority chants. That discussion also includes profanity and sexually explicit content.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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PREFACE: DEFINITIONS
Definitions for "risqué" are "referring to sex in a rude and slightly shocking way" and "verging on impropriety or indecency" http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/risqu%C3%A9.

Definitions for "bawdy" are "obscene, lewd. 2. : boisterously or humorously indecent." http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bawdy

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COLLECTING RISQUE CHILDREN’S RHYMES
From Unprintable Ozark Folksongs and Folklore: Roll me in your arms, Volume 1
by Vance Randolph (University of Arkansas Press, 1992, p. 1)
“The collector’s ostensible control over the folk material they collect and publish - or refuse to collect and do not publish- naturally operates in both the negative and positive sense…When no one would admit, for example, to the existence of children's erotic folklore (or erotic life), none was to be seen. ... and most important for English and American children's bawdy jokes and rhymes. Now that a few bold collectors, mostly women, have been courageously willing to admit children’s folk-erotica into their formerly lily-pure collections, riddles, catches and pranks, and other such lore has been relatively easy to create, by means of artfully untended tape recorders.
-snip-
I believe that because blogging is relatively anonymous, the internet allows people to publicly share folk material -such as bawdy (dirty) rhymes - that they would be unlikely to publicly recite during face to face interviews. As such, blogging removes the need for hidden microphones or cameras to capture this illusive folkloric material. However, two downsides of collecting from the internet are the difficulty of confirming the authenticity of the material and the difficulty of collecting and confirming demographical information from the contributors.

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DEMOGRAPHICS
Number of participants and Geographical location:
A total of 29 unduplicated bloggers participated in this discussion thread which had a total of 84 posts of examples and/or comments).

Only a few of the participants in this online discussion indicated their geographical location. Also, the geographical location that was cited may not have been where the bloggers lived when they chanted these rhymes as children. For that reason, it's not possible to determine how widespread certain rhymes were that were mentioned by more than one blogger. In spite of that, these examples clearly show that certain types of rhymes - such as hand clap rhymes, and the group/soloist form of what I call "foot stomping cheers" were found in multiple regions of the United States.

Here are the states that were given by these bloggers: Atlanta, Georgia; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; California; Chicago, Illinois; Florida; Memphis, Tennessee; Miami, Florida; New Jersey; New Orleans, Louisiana; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Prince George County, Maryland; and Texas

Defining "Old School Chants" By Decades
I believe that most of these "old school" examples are from the early 1980s to the mid 1980s. For instance, although one blogger gave a sub-heading for her post of "the 70s", three bloggers shared examples of a Coca Cola ad jingle ("Have A Coke And A Smile" that aired in 1981. Also, one blogger mentioned her age in 2003 as 23 years old, another blogger indicated that she remembered the rhyme she shared "from the 1985-ish Houston [Texas], and another rhyme included the slang word "fly" which gained popularity because of the 1995 Boogie Boy's record "Fly Girl".

That said, certain rhymes that I've collected online from 1984 on that are noticeable absent from this collection. I'm specifically referring to what I call "long form" examples of "Down By The Bank Of The Hanky Panky" (or similar rhymes) that mention Michael Jackson and allude to his hair on fire accident in 1984 while singing his hit song "Billy Jean" during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. A number of those "long form" Hanky Panky rhymes include the verse "Coca Cola Came To Town". While that rhyme is included in that discussion thread, it's not linked to the "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhyme. Also, noticeable absent is the "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verse that I've only found to date with long form "Michael Jackson" examples of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".* The absence of those rhymes suggests to me that most of these examples were chanted by those bloggers prior to 1984. An alternative theory is that these bloggers knew about those examples, but refrained from sharing them because they were loyal to the African American pop artist who was highly regarded by many African Americans and non- African Americans.

Racial demographics
Because of a number of factors-including certain screen names, the use of certain vernacular English in some examples & some comments, and the inclusion of certain types of rhymes & cheers- I'm very certain that all of the participants in this Greekchat.com discussion were Black (and, more specifically, were African American).

Read my comment below about how I deduced the race of the Greekchat.com bloggers, and why I believe that citing the race/ethnicity of folkloric contributors is important.

*Click http://www.cocojams.com/content/references-michael-jackson-playground-rhymes-part-I for Part I of a two part post on my cocojams.com cultural website about "References To Michael Jackson In Playground Rhymes".

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PART I: OLD SCHOOL CHANTS & COMMENTS ABOUT THOSE CHANTS
These examples are numbered for referencing purposes. The blogger's name, any geographical information, and the date the example/comment was written online are given before the example or comment.

In some cases, I've added a brief comment in brackets before the quoted example or comment. In some cases, after the word "snip" (end of quote), I've also added a brief editorial comment to explain something about the featured rhyme or comment.

From http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=31403&page=2

1. ADivine08, 3-25-2003
"this one is for Chi-town!!
12 x 12 is 144 if the bed breaks down you can do it on the ....
We may not have known all the twelves but we knew this one !"
-snip-
"Chi-town" = Chicago, Illinois

"knew all the twelves" = means knew the twelve time tables (how to multiple by 12).

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2. RedefinedDiva (Atlanta, Georgia / New Orleans, Louisiana), 3-25-2003

[excerpt]
When I was a teenager, teenager, teenager
When I was a teenager, teenager, teenager
I went (no words--just pretend to primp in the mirror)
All night long
All night long

When I was a woman, woman, woman
When I was a woman, woman, woman
I went (no words--just make kissing sounds)
All night long
All night long

When I got married, married, married
When I got married, married, married
I went (no words--just pretend to "push it")
All night long
All night long

When I had a baby, baby, baby
When I had a baby, baby, baby
I went (no words--just waddle like a pregnant woman)
All night long
-snip-
This life progression rhyme begins with “When I was a baby” and ends with “When I died”

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Bamboozled, 3-25-2003 [Comment]
"I think we should include some "new school" ones as well, because while some of ours may be a little risqué, some of the ones today are just plain ol' nasty. I've had to give my niece "the look" on several occasions for some of that mess. I'm going to ask her to tell me the words and I'll post them."
-snip-
After she quoted the “push it” verse given above (in Example #2), Bamboozled wrote on that same date:
"Okay, I retract my former statement. Some of ours were just as scandalous, LOL."

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3. CrimsonTide4, 3-25-2003

[This was written in reference to Twileelee rhyme* which was quoted on that page]:

YEAH!!!! Thanks GINA!!

But we also had another R rated verse

Mama's on bottom
Papa's on top
Baby singing "Get down Pop"
Rockin Robin Tweet . . .

or maybe it was grandma and grandpa . . . that I have forgotten."
-snip-
"R rated" - "a movie designation meaning that the movie is restricted for anyone under 17 unless you have an adult or parent with you. The content is considered to be too 'mature' for younger viewers." http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061118101547AASb9e4
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html for a pancocojams post on "Tweeleelee" (or similar spellings).

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1savvydiva (Prince George County, Maryland), 3-25-2003 [Comment]
"You was an 'omanish lil' thang!!!
-snip-
The word "‘omanish” (“womanish”) may have been coined by that blogger. That word is an adaptation of the African American vernacular term “mannish”. "mannish" = a young person who acts as though they are sexually aware. Children, pre-teens, and teenagers who are mannish are trying to act like a man, that is, they are talking and acting more “grown” than they actually are. Although it would seem that the word "mannish" refers only to males, there are no gender qualities implicit in this term. Females can also be described as acting "mannish", and a mannish girl doesn't necessarily act masculine. Another African American vernacular word for a mannish boy or girl is acting (behaving/ talking as though they are "fast" (although it seems to me that this term is used more for girls.) "Fast" may be used because the girl or boy is growing up [too] quickly (too fast). The words "fast", "grown", and "mannish" aren't considered compliments when adults use them to refer to a boy or a girl. However, in the context of this sorority discussion thread, "‘omanish” and "mannish" probably are somewhat of a compliment, although note that many of the bloggers who shared those risqué rhymes hastened to add that they really didn't know what they were talking about when they chanted those rhymes.

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4. Symphony08 (Illinois), 3-26-2003
"One of my line sisters remembered this "mannish" version of Tell It:

My name is ___________ (Tell it, tell it)
I'm on the line (Tell it, tell it)
smoking reefer and drinking wine
And you know what (What?)
And you know what (What?)
I have a man (Tell it, tell it)
He looks alright (Tell it, tell it)
But he can do it do it do it do it allllll night (Say what!)

She swears they used to say this in elementary school (We're both 23/24). I wonder what those little girls are chanting now.
-snip-
“line sister” - a female who pledged the same chapter of the sorority along with you

"I'm on the line" = probably on the telephone line (talking on the telephone)

"do it" = have sex with me

This discussion thread included three versions of "Tell It". One version of that cheer wasn't risque. Another risqué version is given below.

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http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=31403&page=5

5. Miss Mocha, 3-28-2003
"Tell it

My name is Mocha (Tell it, tell it)
I'm on the line (Tell it, tell it)
I wanna do it (tell it, tell it)
with Nas' sign (Tell it, tell it)
And you know what? (what?)
My man will rough you up.
Hey!!!

The alternate version said, "and you know what? My man don't do enough".
-snip-
"with Nas' sign" - with a man who is Nas’ astrological sun sign
Nas is an African American rapper, songwriter, and actor. Since his debut album wasn't released until 1994, this cheer with his name is either a later version of the cheer that Miss Mocha remembered from her childhood, pre-teen, or teen years*, or she updated this cheer by substituted Nas' name instead of chanting the name of a no longer current celebrity.
Added July 24, 2017
"Nas" may have been mentioned on purpose in this rhyme. A commenter in a 2005 discussion entitled "THEM NASTY SONGS WE SUNG AS LIL GIRLS" mentioned Nas's "The Boyfriend Song" included a version of a sexualized children's rhyme.
From http://hbcuconnect.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?thread_id=6937&page=2 THEM NASTY SONGS WE SUNG AS LIL GIRLS..... Posted on 04-27-2005
AfroPoeticSista
"..ladies yall remember playin Handme games and singing them circle songs at recess and just playin on the block? Wellllllll, i just heard my nieces singing them and it was like AHHHHH not my innocent babies, do they know what they are saying? and it occured to me that, when we were little singing them, we knew they were bad, but didn't know why. THESE fast lil mofos prolly DO know EXACTLY what they are saying….. case in point, the Boyfriend song(nas used part of it in Oochie Wally) "My boyfriend is a cutie he really, really, really, really busts my booty He really, really, really turns me around(and out) He really, really, really criss-crossed me down He really, really, really swam through the ocean He really, really, really put his thang in motion… He really had me saying ooo,(sss) ah ah,(sss) ooo-ooo,(sss) ah ah(say what?) ooo,(sss) ah ah,(sss) ooo-ooo,(sss) ah ah". [/i] or Telephone "Tel, a phone, tel-tel a phone Tel, a phone, tel-tel a phone Hey Tori? (what?) Hey Tori? (what?) Somebody's on the Telephone (who is it?) Your boyfriend (I know what he want He want my lips, my tips, my booty and my hips)" THATS why kids are fast these days"
-snip-
I'm not sure which Nas song this is as there's no Nas song with the title "The Boyfriend Song".
-end of 7/24/2017 addition
-snip-
The line "My man will rough you up" means "My boyfriend will beat you up [if you bother me]

The line "My man don't do enough" = The female speaker is bragging that she wants even more sex than her man is giving her.

It's important to emphasize that these girls were probably all talk and no action. However, these examples document the high value that "street wise" African American girls were supposed to place on being tough and being sexually attractive.

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6. 12dn94dst, 3-31-2003
"group: get in the car
press the gas
move out the way and let Kelli pass

(Kelli gets in the middle/out front & does her dance)

group: she said whoop wop (doing dance)
Kelli: look @ that booty
group: whoomp wop
Kelli: ain't it purty
group: whoop wop
kelli: u want some? u ain't gettin none!
-snip-
"booty" = butt

"u want some? u ain't gettin none!" = do you want some sex? You aren't getting any from me.

"Get In The Car" is a Dance style foot stomping cheer. During her turn as the soloist, each girl is supposed to come up with a different dance move (usually from currently popular R*B/Hip-Hop dances, but also from "old school" dances (ones that used to be popular, but have been replaced by newer dances.)

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Eclipse (Atlanta, Georgia), 3-31-2003 [Comment]
"Y'all shole was some fast lil' heifahs!! LOL Talkin' bout bootys and getting some! LOL (shaking my head while knowing I said some of the same stuff!)
-snip-
"shole" = sure

“heifahs” (heifers) young cows = young females ; “getting some” = getting some sex

Remember, all of these bloggers were members of university based Greek lettered sororities, and therefore they knew how to speak and write standard American English. This is an example of purposely code switching to a Southern (down home) dialectic form of African American vernacular English.

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7. Kisha, 4-01-2003
"I remeber getting in trouble at an after school program for this one
James Brown glad to meet ya
Drop you're drawls and follow me
In the bushes we may go
lay down real slow
Won't yo mama be surprised
To see yo belly rise
Won't you father be disgusted
To see your cherry busted

...

The thing is I didn't know what I was talking about.
There was another one that went something like

George Washington was a great old man
He jumped out the window with a stick in his hand.

The managed kids didn't say stick but something that I want even write.
I remember that!"
-snip-
drawls [also given as "draws"] = ["drawers"] underpants
-snip-
The last four lines of that first rhyme remind me of the sexualized versions of the rhyme that I refer to as "We wear our hair in curls". Click http://chat.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101&page=2&desc=yes for a Mudcat discussion thread that I started in 2009 about that rhyme.

“Managed” kids may be another word for “mannish”.

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http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=31403&page=6

8. bitsy196, 6-25-2003
"Hello

H-e-l-l-o,
we are here
to say hello to Mocha

Mocha is my name
and cheering is my game
Pink and purple are my colors
don't you worry 'bout my lovers.
(Uhm she think she bad)
Correction baby, I know I'm bad.
(Uhm, she think she cool)
Cool enough to steal your dude.
(Uhm, she think she fine)
Fine enough to blow his mind."
-snip-
“Hello” is probably a folk etymology title for the Introduction/Confrontational foot stomping cheer whose title is usually given as “Hula Hulu”. That same Greekchat.com discussion thread includes another example of that cheer with the beginning line “who now who now”.

Notice that the girl says "don't you worry 'bout my loverS" and is bragging about stealing another person's "dude". Although the girls who recite these cheers are probably play acting (in the theatrical sense of that term), this attitude reflects real life, and permeates R&B/Hip Hop music and other African American music forms including fraternity & sorority cheers such as
"1 and 1 and 1 make three
You better watch your man cause your man is watching me"
[That cheer goes on to say how members of that particular sorority can get any man they want
Click http://www.cocojams.com/content/fraternity-and-sorority-chants for examples of that rhyme. I've also found those same beginning lines in certain foot stomping cheers.

"Bad", "cool", "fine", and "blowing someone's mind" are all African American vernacular English terms. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/slang-meaning-of-bad-in-songs.html for
"The Slang Meaning Of "Bad" In Songs & Playground Cheers"

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This completes Part I of this series on Risqué Children's Rhymes.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.