German Whip

Album: Single Release Only (2014)
Charted: 13
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In the early 2000's Meridian Dan and some of his Grime colleagues decided to get together to form a rap group called Meridian Crew, which consisted of other UK artists including JME, his brother Skepta and Big H. They started performing regularly on Heat FM and Déjà Vu FM.

    When Skepta and JME created the Boy Better Know label and left the Meridian Crew in late 2005, Meridan Dan and the other members of The Meridian Crew created their own crew and label called the Bloodline Family Collective, referring to the family ties within the group. This enabled Meridian Dan to emerge further in the underground rap scene and in 2014 he released his breakthrough single "German Whip."
  • The song also features Meridian Dan's grime colleagues JME and Big H.
  • Lyrically, the song is celebrating German-made cars (or whips). Wonder why automobiles are called whips? The reason dates back to the days of horse-driven carriages when whips were used to control the direction and speed of the horses. Then when the steering wheel was first used in a car, it was called the "whip", because the steering wheel controls the vehicle. Many years later, various rappers noticed that the Mercedes-Benz logo resembled a steering wheel, so they proceeded to use the old term "whip" to describe any Mercedes-Benz automobile. The term has since been generalized to classify any car.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.