Do The Wassa Name? Artists Behind The Song Explain
Published: Tuesday - June 3, 2008
Words by Jay Casteel
Nitro and Gelly (Photo: Platinum Power Moves)
With the countless supply of dances being provided from hip-hop singles over the past couple years, it seems as though any track with a new dance can spark a buzz.
Playing off that scenario is Oklahoma City artists, Nitro and Gelly, who have garnered much attention with their latest single "Do The Wassa Name."
However, when asked about how the song came about, the singer (Gelly) and the rapper (Nitro) admit that it was a fluke that started off as a joke.
"The song was a joke. We was in the studio clowning," Nitro tells BallerStatus.com, as he recalls how the track first came to fruition. "You know like I know, you go to YouTube right now, you get the 'Crank That Everything' -- The Lion King, Peekechoo, Pokemon. Everything is 'Crank That'. ... We were like 'You can make a song called the 'Woopie Wam, The Thing-a-ma-jig, The Whatchamacallit, The What The Hell.' While we in there clowning, I was saying 'The Wassaname,' and the such and such..."
The foundation of the track was created during the session, but would sit in the vault because both Gelly and Nitro never felt it was anything serious, dismissing it as time spent in the studio just playin' around. However, by accident, their publicist heard it and that's where the story begins.
"We never thought to make it a song, it was a joke," explains Nitro. "I don't wanna say we were clowning the dance songs, we were just saying 'Hey, everybody's having fun ... what the hell.' We had the melody, came up with the verse, and next thing you know, we just laid the song like 'What the hell.' We still, at that point, never thought it'd make print...
"Our publicist, Echo Hattix, came out from L.A. and I told our engineer 'Make sure you have that song off the board by the time we get to the studio.' He didn't get it off when we walked in. When started playing some songs and she was like 'What the hell is that?' (when the 'Wassa Name' track came on). I said 'Nothing, go to the next song,' but she was like 'Hold up, that's a smash hit.' I'mma give it to Echo Hattix 'cause she turned out to be right," he continued.
Now, thanks to Echo, the track is taking off, starting to gain attention on YouTube, radio and the internet. Although they are comfortable with the attention "Do The Wassa Name" has gotten them, they are quick let people know it's not really what their music is all about.
"Do The Wassa Name" Montage
According to the pair, they are musical talents -- Gelly being a seasoned R&B singer who's looking to bring that "old school R&B sound back," and Nitro who says point blank, he's "the greatest" MC around.
"Out of all this gangsta sh** I got and this lyrical sh** I got, we come with some fluffy sh**," Nitro said with a laugh. "Coming from where we come from, Gelly is a bonafide R&B singer, and I'm a MC. I bust they ass -- I'm talking about Jay-Z, Em[inem], Wayne, Andre 3000 ... pick one. I'm the rap Cassius Clay. I'm the greatest MC in this game."
"Look for some real soul R&B. I'm bringing back stuff like The Temptations, the Smokey’s ... that kind of feel," Gelly explains of his musical style. "I don't think anybody [in R&B] can touch me when my album drops. We the truth."
Despite the confidence in their talent, they are gonna ride the wave coming from their "Wassa Name" single, and aren't afraid to admit it because, as they explain, you have to get people's attention before you can give them what they need.
"First thing we gonna bring to the table is a spiritual soulful substance," said Nitro. "'The Wassa Name' is definitely gonna get their attention ... the child don't like to take medicine, so you gotta mix the cherry syrup with the medicine. We giving them the cherry syrup first ... we gotta give them what they want before they give them what they need."
However, with all the song's success thus far, there's no actual dance to it. If you listen to it, it's obviously a parody of the countless dance songs out, so without saying, a dance is non-existent.
What they plan to do to solve that is run a contest to let the public create it. They are set to begin a campaign to help create "The Wassa Name." If interested, Nitro and Gelly are asking that fans upload their version of the dance to YouTube and alert them through their MySpace pages. The best 7 - 10 dances chosen will be featured in the video when it's shot.
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