"The Humpty Dance" is a song by the American rap group Digital Underground from their debut album Sex Packets. Released as the second single from the album in January 1990, it reached No. 11 on the pop chart, No. 7 on the R&B chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart. The song is sung by Shock G's alter ego, "Humpty Hump", marking the character's second musical appearance; the first was Digital Underground's "Doowutchyalike," a pre-album video-single released in the spring of 1989. The song has been sampled by many different artists and producers. In the song's video, a young Tupac Shakur is visible in the background.
In 2008, "The Humpty Dance" was ranked No. 30 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop and No. 65 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s in 2007. The song was selected as one of many songs to hear and download in the musical reference book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download. The song was nominated for Best Rap Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer (ironically, Hammer is name-checked in "The Humpty Dance"). Canadian television channel MuchMoreMusic's series Back In... rated the song's video as one of the worst of 1990.
In 2021, it was listed at No. 241 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".[3]
Of the five raw elements that make up the "Humpty Dance" drum track, one is a sample from "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly and the Family Stone, in the form of a one-measure-long drum loop. Digital Underground incorporated the Family Stone drum loop with four other raw elements; a deep tonal kick drum that alternated between two bass notes, a handclap snare (also a sample, taken from "Theme From the Black Hole" by the band Parliament), drum-machine hi-hats running continuously throughout which were programmed to 8th-notes, and a guitar hit happening once every bar, all assembled into the now-familiar pattern that forms the Humpty Dance drum track. The vocal sample that happens in the song's chorus sections is from Parliament's "Let's Play House" from their 1980 album, Trombipulation.[4]
Subject matter
"The Humpty Dance" is a tribute to Humpty's sexual prowess despite his ridiculous appearance.[5] Humpty introduces the appearance theme with the opening line, "I'm about to ruin the image and the style that you're used to," a protest against the uniformity among successful rappers of the time.[6]
In the final verse, Humpty describes the Humpty Dance itself as a loose, easy dance, "like MC Hammer on crack ... Anyone can play this game." The contrast is with the precision dancing in MC Hammer's videos. The song ends with an invitation for people of all races to join in the dance.[7]
Humpty Hump
"The Humpty Dance" is Shock G's second song to feature his alter-ego "Humpty Hump," who debuted on "Doowutchyalike" which was Digital Underground's first video release in 1989. The character, which sports a buffoon persona, colorful clothes, and Groucho glasses, is sung by Shock G. A fictional biography was constructed for Humpty, the story being that Edward Ellington Humphrey III, former lead singer of "Smooth Eddie and the Humpers," had become a rapper after burning his nose in a kitchen accident with a deep-fryer. Because of the "accident", the character is seen wearing a large nose disguise.[8]
In 1990, the song was used in the Season Three episode of the TV series Midnight Caller entitled "Sale Away: Part 2".
Sampling "The Humpty Dance"
"The Humpty Dance" is one of the most sampled songs recorded by a hip hop/rap artist, boasting over 100 usages in other songs.[10] By 1993, less than three years after its release, it had already been sampled in over 20 popular songs, most of them utilizing its drum track. In fact, it was sampled so much that Digital Underground humorously devoted the song "The Humpty Dance Awards" from their album The Body-Hat Syndrome to the many recording artists who sampled the track.[11] Since then, dozens more artists have sampled the Humpty Dance song, from Ice Cube to Public Enemy.
"A Crazy Break" – WC & the Maad Circle (full drum loop)
"Ain't That a Bitch" – Kam (full drum loop)
"Assata's Song (Remix)" – Paris (full drum loop on bridge)
"Attention: The Shawanda Story" – Lo-Key? (full drum loop)
"Back to the Underground" – WC & the Maad Circle (vocal, snare & kicks used in drum track)
"Behind Closed Doors" – WC & the Maad Circle (raw instrumental used as their drum track)
"Blow Your Mind" – Redman (drum loop)
"Boom! Shake the Room" – Will Smith (drum track looped underneath as kick drum support)
^. Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
^"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
^"I made love (4 da very first time) Musical composition. Written by Tyrone La Shon & Howie Tee. Samples: {Do that stuff}, by George Clinton, Jr., Garry M. Shider & Bernard G. Worrell – Copyright Info". Faqs.org. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
^Strong, Martin Charles (2002), "Digital Underground", The great rock discography (6th ed.), The National Academies
^Hess, Mickey (2007), Is Hop Hop Dead? The past, present, and future of America's most wanted music, Greenwood, p. 80, ISBN978-0-275-99461-7
^Rubey, Dan (1992), "Voguing at the Carnival: Desire and Pleasure on MTV", in DeCurtis, Anthony (ed.), Present Tense: Rock & roll and culture, Duke University Press, pp. 253–254
^Mlynar, Phillip (2010-05-25). "Shock G 'Fesses Up About Humpty Hump – San Francisco Music – All Shook Down". Blogs.sfweekly.com. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
^Kung, Michelle (2010-09-30). "Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon's 'History of Rap' Duet: The Full Set List". The Wall Street Journal.
^"Samples of the Humpty Dance by Digital Underground". Whosampled.com. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
^ ab. YouTube. 2010-02-24. Archived from the original on 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
^"I made love (4 da very first time) Musical composition. Written by Tyrone La Shon & Howie Tee. Samples: {Do that stuff}, by George Clinton, Jr., Garry M. Shider & Bernard G. Worrell". Copyrightencyclopedia.com. Refer to "variant title" after each matching title from sample list. Retrieved 2014-02-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
humpty, dance, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, february, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources The Humpty Dance news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Humpty Dance is a song by the American rap group Digital Underground from their debut album Sex Packets Released as the second single from the album in January 1990 it reached No 11 on the pop chart No 7 on the R amp B chart and No 1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart The song is sung by Shock G s alter ego Humpty Hump marking the character s second musical appearance the first was Digital Underground s Doowutchyalike a pre album video single released in the spring of 1989 The song has been sampled by many different artists and producers In the song s video a young Tupac Shakur is visible in the background The Humpty Dance Single by Digital Undergroundfrom the album Sex PacketsReleasedJanuary 20 1990 1990 01 20 1 Recorded1989StudioStarlight Sound Richmond California GenreGolden age hip hop new jack swing 2 funkLength6 30 original version 4 42 short edit LabelTommy BoySongwriter s Earl Humphrey Shock G George ClintonProducer s Shock GDigital Underground singles chronology Doowutchyalike 1989 The Humpty Dance 1990 Same Song 1991 In 2008 The Humpty Dance was ranked No 30 on VH1 s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop and No 65 on VH1 s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s in 2007 The song was selected as one of many songs to hear and download in the musical reference book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die And 10 001 You Must Download The song was nominated for Best Rap Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards but lost to U Can t Touch This by MC Hammer ironically Hammer is name checked in The Humpty Dance Canadian television channel MuchMoreMusic s series Back In rated the song s video as one of the worst of 1990 In 2021 it was listed at No 241 on Rolling Stone s Top 500 Best Songs of All Time 3 Contents 1 Composition 2 Subject matter 3 Humpty Hump 4 In popular culture 4 1 Sampling The Humpty Dance 5 Charts 5 1 Weekly charts 5 2 Year end charts 6 Certifications 7 ReferencesComposition EditOf the five raw elements that make up the Humpty Dance drum track one is a sample from Sing a Simple Song by Sly and the Family Stone in the form of a one measure long drum loop Digital Underground incorporated the Family Stone drum loop with four other raw elements a deep tonal kick drum that alternated between two bass notes a handclap snare also a sample taken from Theme From the Black Hole by the band Parliament drum machine hi hats running continuously throughout which were programmed to 8th notes and a guitar hit happening once every bar all assembled into the now familiar pattern that forms the Humpty Dance drum track The vocal sample that happens in the song s chorus sections is from Parliament s Let s Play House from their 1980 album Trombipulation 4 Subject matter Edit The Humpty Dance is a tribute to Humpty s sexual prowess despite his ridiculous appearance 5 Humpty introduces the appearance theme with the opening line I m about to ruin the image and the style that you re used to a protest against the uniformity among successful rappers of the time 6 In the final verse Humpty describes the Humpty Dance itself as a loose easy dance like MC Hammer on crack Anyone can play this game The contrast is with the precision dancing in MC Hammer s videos The song ends with an invitation for people of all races to join in the dance 7 Humpty Hump Edit The Humpty Dance is Shock G s second song to feature his alter ego Humpty Hump who debuted on Doowutchyalike which was Digital Underground s first video release in 1989 The character which sports a buffoon persona colorful clothes and Groucho glasses is sung by Shock G A fictional biography was constructed for Humpty the story being that Edward Ellington Humphrey III former lead singer of Smooth Eddie and the Humpers had become a rapper after burning his nose in a kitchen accident with a deep fryer Because of the accident the character is seen wearing a large nose disguise 8 In popular culture EditThis article contains a list of miscellaneous information Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles June 2018 The song was featured in the VH1 series I Love the 90s and also on America s Best Dance Crew where it was included in a dance routine performed by Super Cr3w The song was also featured in Charlie s Angels Weird Al Yankovic covered the song for the polka medley Polka Your Eyes Out from his 1992 album Off the Deep End The song is also available for play in the 2004 karaoke video game Get On Da Mic for PlayStation 2 It was sampled by Justin Timberlake Jimmy Fallon on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and by the Spice Girls on their debut album Spice as the track If U Can t Dance 9 The song was also featured in the 2021 film Free Guy In 1990 the song was used in the Season Three episode of the TV series Midnight Caller entitled Sale Away Part 2 Sampling The Humpty Dance Edit The Humpty Dance is one of the most sampled songs recorded by a hip hop rap artist boasting over 100 usages in other songs 10 By 1993 less than three years after its release it had already been sampled in over 20 popular songs most of them utilizing its drum track In fact it was sampled so much that Digital Underground humorously devoted the song The Humpty Dance Awards from their album The Body Hat Syndrome to the many recording artists who sampled the track 11 Since then dozens more artists have sampled the Humpty Dance song from Ice Cube to Public Enemy A Crazy Break WC amp the Maad Circle full drum loop Ain t That a Bitch Kam full drum loop Assata s Song Remix Paris full drum loop on bridge Attention The Shawanda Story Lo Key full drum loop Back to the Underground WC amp the Maad Circle vocal snare amp kicks used in drum track Behind Closed Doors WC amp the Maad Circle raw instrumental used as their drum track Blow Your Mind Redman drum loop Boom Shake the Room Will Smith drum track looped underneath as kick drum support Buck tha Devil Da Lench Mob full drum loop Bumbell Yukmouth feat Tech N9ne bassline Can t Truss It Public Enemy full drum loop Cherish the Day Best of Sade version Sade raw instrumental used as drum track in last 30 secs of song Christmas Spliff Luke full drum loop City to City Straw tha Vegas Don feat Shock G raw instrumental scratched in first verse Cotex BWP full drum loop looped in reverse Curse Recoil D O G Me Out Guy piece of loop muted as kick drum support Dirty Water Made in London full drum loop Don t Be Afraid Jazz You Up Version Aaron Hall full drum loop Dr Trevis Signs Off Redman bit of drum loop underneath Drive By Rollin Slow Boss full drum loop Flip Squad s in da House Big Kap Flip Squad Funkmaster Flex full drum loop amp bassline Funk Mobb Niggaz Little Bruce full drum loop Get a Little Freaky with Me Aaron Hall full drum loop Here We Go Again Portrait raw instrumental as their drum track His Story TLC full drum loop Hold Onto My Bumper Dice full drum loop Holiday Madness Kam full drum loop How I m Comin LL Cool full drum loop How Ya Gonna Reason With a Psycho Insane Poetry full drum loop I Made Love 4 Da Very First Time Little Shawn drum track doubled up If U Can t Dance Spice Girls drum loop amp bassline I m Outstanding Shaquille O Neal drum track looped underneath as support Imma Gitz Mine Erick Sermon chopped amp muted drum bit underneath kick drum support Is It Good to You Heavy D amp the Boys full drum loop Jackin For Beats Ice Cube raw instrumental Live and Learn Joe Public full drum loop Lost in the Storm Chubb Rock raw instrumental used as their drum track Love Don t Make Sense Alexander O Neal full drum loop Love Sick Gang Starr vocal sample scratched in choruses Mama Said Knock You Out LL Cool J full drum loop Night of a Thousand Furry Toys Richard Wright full drum loop Not Your Money Oaktowns 357 full drum loop Nothin Gold Money full drum loop PlayGround ABC full loop muted used for kick drum support Public Service Announcement Jay Z lyrics amp rhyme cadence interpolation Really Doe Ice Cube bit of drum track underneath SMPTE The Boys full drum loop Stop What Ya Doin Apathy one full bar length vocal amp music sample Teddy s Jam 2 Guy full loop The Break Up WC amp the Maad Circle full drum loop The Humpty Dance Awards Digital Underground full drum loop amp bassline The Money is Made Detroit s Most Wanted full drum loop Time 4 Sum Aksion Redman drum track chopped underneath kick drum support Two 4 the Time Nubian Crackers raw instrumental as their drum track Walk Thru Hell K Stone raw full instrumental What About Your Friends TLC drum track looped underneath for support Who s the Mack Ice Cube vocal sample Witchhunt Godflesh drum loop amp bassline You Gotta Believe Marky Mark amp the Funky Bunch full drum loop Young N ggaz 2Pac drum track underneath Printed References 12 Posted References 13 Audio References 11 Charts EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1990 PositionU S Billboard Hot 100 14 11US Rap Chart 15 1 Year end charts Edit Chart 1990 PositionU S Billboard Hot 100 16 62Certifications EditRegion Certification Certified units salesUnited States RIAA 17 Platinum 1 000 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone References Edit Events 2Pac13 com Retrieved 2019 09 19 Top five new jack swing songs of all time AXS Archived from the original on 2018 09 17 Retrieved 2018 09 17 The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Rolling Stone 2021 09 15 Retrieved 2022 07 18 I made love 4 da very first time Musical composition Written by Tyrone La Shon amp Howie Tee Samples Do that stuff by George Clinton Jr Garry M Shider amp Bernard G Worrell Copyright Info Faqs org Retrieved 2012 02 22 Strong Martin Charles 2002 Digital Underground The great rock discography 6th ed The National Academies Hess Mickey 2007 Is Hop Hop Dead The past present and future of America s most wanted music Greenwood p 80 ISBN 978 0 275 99461 7 Rubey Dan 1992 Voguing at the Carnival Desire and Pleasure on MTV in DeCurtis Anthony ed Present Tense Rock amp roll and culture Duke University Press pp 253 254 Mlynar Phillip 2010 05 25 Shock G Fesses Up About Humpty Hump San Francisco Music All Shook Down Blogs sfweekly com Retrieved 2012 02 22 Kung Michelle 2010 09 30 Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon s History of Rap Duet The Full Set List The Wall Street Journal Samples of the Humpty Dance by Digital Underground Whosampled com 2017 04 25 Retrieved 2017 04 25 a b Digital Underground The Humpty Dance Awards Feat 2Pac YouTube 2010 02 24 Archived from the original on 2014 02 19 Retrieved 2014 02 06 I made love 4 da very first time Musical composition Written by Tyrone La Shon amp Howie Tee Samples Do that stuff by George Clinton Jr Garry M Shider amp Bernard G Worrell Copyrightencyclopedia com Refer to variant title after each matching title from sample list Retrieved 2014 02 06 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint others link FLASHLIGHT 2013 FLASHLIGHT 2013 Retrieved 2014 02 06 Music Top 100 Songs Billboard Hot 100 Chart Billboard Retrieved 2017 10 07 Hot Rap Songs Billboard March 17 1990 Retrieved 19 November 2020 Billboard Top 100 1990 Longboredsurtfer com Retrieved December 3 2017 American single certifications Digital Underground The Humpty Dance Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Humpty Dance amp oldid 1109847207, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
