Da Dip

Album: Controversee...That's Life...And That's the Way It Is (1997)
Charted: 15
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Da Dip" is a dance, and the song explains exactly how to do it:

    I put my hand upon your hip
    When I dip you dip we dip


    In clubs, "Da Dip" could involve a lot of grinding, but the music video demonstrates a very clean version that draws on perhaps the biggest dance craze of the '90s: The Macarena.
  • This song is an excellent example of the "booty bass" (also called "Miami bass") genre. Booty bass is a hip-hop style that builds on electro-funk and adds a kick drum. 2 Live Crew developed it in the '80s, adding lyrics so nasty they were declared legally obscene. In the '90s, booty bass cleaned up a bit, with songs about dancing. Before "Da Dip," there was "Tootsee Roll" and "The Train)."
  • Not much is known about Freak Nasty. Billboard has him listed as Carlito Timmons, born in Puerto Rico, but his publishing is under the name Eric Timmons and most sources have him born in New Orleans and moving to Atlanta, which is what he proclaims in this song ("New Orleans born ATL-livin."

    "Da Dip" was by far his biggest hit, and big earner: he's the only writer on the track, and it went Platinum, selling a million copies in America. He returned the charts in 1998 with a 2 Live Crew collaboration called "2 Live Party," which went to #102; in 2007, he went to #45 with "Do It Just Like A Rockstar," a collaboration with Crazy Mike. In 2018, Megan Thee Stallion borrowed his stage name for her track "Freak Nasty."
  • This song goes out of its way to be both clean and inclusive. Anyone can do the dance:

    You know it don't even matter your age
    Don't even matter your color


    The video bears this out, showing folks of all stripes doing "Da Dip."
  • "Da Dip" was used in one of Microsoft's surreal TV advertisements for their Google competitor, Bing. Even the dog sings along!

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.