"Bow Wow Wow" is the debut single by American hip hop group

Funkdoobiest Funkdoobiest was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, United States, composed of rappers Jason "Son Doobie" Vasquez, Tyrone "Tomahawk Funk" Pacheco and DJ Ralph "Tha Phunky Mexican" Medrano. They are members of the Soul Assassi ...

, released in 1992. It is the lead single from their debut studio album ''

Which Doobie U B? ''Which Doobie U B?'' is the debut studio album by Los Angeles-based Latin hip hop group Funkdoobiest. It was released on May 4, 1993 via Epic Records. The album peaked at number 56 on the US ''Billboard 200'' chart. The album title comes from a ...

'' (1993) and the group's most successful song. The song was produced by

DJ Muggs Lawrence Muggerud (born January 28, 1968), professionally known by his stage name DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He is a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope To Die and the l ...

and

DJ Lethal Leor Dimant ( lv, Leors Dimants, russian: Леор Григорьевич Димант, ; born December 18, 1972), better known as DJ Lethal, is a Latvian-American turntablist and producer and is best known as a member of the groups House of Pai ...

Background

The cover art of the single was designed by Glenn L. Barr, who also illustrated the cover of ''Which Doobie U B?''. The song is solely performed by Son Doobie; Tomahawk Funk is absent in it but appears in the music video.

Composition

The song contains a sample of "

Atomic Dog "Atomic Dog" is a song by George Clinton from his 1982 album ''Computer Games''. The track was released as a single in December 1982 and became the P-Funk collective's last to reach #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart. The single failed to chart on the ...

" by George Clinton. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' described the song as an "unabashed hybrid" of " What's My Name?" by Snoop Dogg and "

Jump Around "Jump Around" is a song by American hip hop group House of Pain, produced by DJ Muggs of the hip hop group Cypress Hill, who has also covered the song. It became a hit in 1992, reaching number 3 in the United States. A 1993 re-release of the ...

" by

House of Pain House of Pain was an American hip-hop trio that released three albums in the 1990s. The group consisted of DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Everlast. The group's name is a reference to the H. G. Wells novel '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'', a refer ...

. In the lyrics, Son Doobie calls himself a "good speller" that "gets retarded like Helen Keller", and also compares himself to

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

Barney Rubble Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next d ...

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...

, Colt Seavers, Fire Marshall Bill,

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

and

Tonto Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native American (either Comanche or Potawatomi) companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Tonto has appeared in radio and tele ...

Critical reception

'' and '' The Ringer'' included the song in their respective lists of the 100 and 101 best

L.A. Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

rap songs. "Bow Wow Wow" was also featured on ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''' list of DJ Muggs' best beats.

Charts

References

{{reflist 1992 debut singles 1992 songs American hip hop songs Song recordings produced by DJ Muggs Songs written by DJ Muggs Epic Records singles Immortal Records singles