Episode 206: DC Glenn of Tag Team ("Whoomp! There It Is")

Vinyl Emergency

On a random night in August 1992, while DJ'ing at an Atlanta strip club, Cecil Glenn pops in a tape he and his musical counterpart Steve Gibson have been working on. Influenced by the pulsing Miami Bass scene, it's also layered with fast-paced Georgia swagger and an infectious call-and-response chorus. Immediately, patrons rush Cecil's audio booth to find out who made this track, and how they can get a copy. Record labels, MTV hosts and more also came calling, leading to "Whoomp! (There It Is)" quickly going platinum, a mere six weeks after he'd quit that same DJ gig, to focus on original music full-time. Fast-forward 30+ years and “Whoomp!" remains not just the best-selling rap single of all-time, but a ubiquitous pop culture reference, with Cecil (aka DC The Brain Supreme) and Steve (Roll'n) touring the globe and continuing to pump up crowds of all-ages. This week, DC discusses how "Whoomp!" continues to find new audiences, how he leans in to thinking backwards, and why a blizzard ended up being a perfect storm for the duo's early success. Follow @dcglennatl and @tagteamwhoomp on Instagram.