"1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" is a song by American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo ...

. It was the third single released from his second studio album, '' Gangsta's Paradise'' (1995), in February 1996. Initially entitled "Sumpin' New", the song uses a sample from " Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)", recorded in 1981 by American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trumpeter Tom Browne, and also includes a vocal sample from "Wikka Wrap" by the Evasions, from 1981. The song achieved success in several countries, including the United States, France, Iceland, and New Zealand, where it was a top-10 hit.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' described the song as "a jumpy,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

-lined jeep anthem that allows Coolio plenty of room to work up a fun, lyrical sweat." He added, "The sample-happy groove provides a wigglin' good time, riding primarily on a prominent snippet of the early '80s

12-inch The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

er "Wikka Wrap" by the Evasions. Lighter in content than Coolio's recent releases, this is a hit-bound jam that will leave you gleefully twitching and grinning from ear to ear." Gil L. Robertson IV from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' picked "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" as a "standout track" of the '' Gangsta's Paradise'' album. Ralph Tee from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

s ''RM'' Dance Update rated the song four out of five. He remarked, "Unlike so many hip hop singles which lean towards often depressing issues, this is a spirited happy record about having a great party. It kicks off with a sample from The Evasions' 1981 novelty hit 'Wikka Wrap', the

Alan Whicker Alan Donald Whicker (2 August 1921 – 12 July 2013) was a British journalist and television presenter and broadcaster. His career spanned almost 60 years, during which time he presented the documentary television programme ''Whicke ...

impersonation leading towards an upbeat

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

rap which utilises the much-used Chic bassline from '

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Afric ...

' and some sampled Tom Browne horns. A strong third single from the hottest rapper in the biz right now." Another editor, James Hamilton described it as an "ultra infectious jiggly rap smacker".

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

(directed by David Dobkin) for the Timber mix was released, featuring Coolio attempting to get to a party.

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

and A. J. Johnson are also in the music video. A music video featuring the Muppets was released and premiered on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

. This music video was also used as the closing number on the ''

Muppets Tonight ''Muppets Tonight'' is an American live-action/puppet family-oriented television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of ''The Jim Henson Hour'' (1989), the show was a contin ...

'' episode which guest-starred Coolio. The video won the

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...

for

Best Dance Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video was first awarded in 1989, and it was one of the original four genre categories that were added to the MTV Video Music Awards that year. With a revamp of the awards in 2007, the category was cut out ...

Video credits

* A. J. Johnson *

and guest stars * Directed by David Dobkin * Director of photography — unknown * Editor — unknown

Track listings

* US 7-inch and cassette single, UK cassette single # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix clean version) – 3:20 # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (clean album version) – 3:20 * US, UK, and European CD single # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix) – 3:20 # "Smilin'" – 4:09 * US 12-inch single :A1. "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix extended version) :A2. "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix instrumental) :A3. "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix a cappella) :B1. "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (album version) :B2. "Kinda High, Kinda Drunk" (album version) * UK 12-inch single :A1. "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix extended version) :A2. "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix instrumental) :B1. "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (album version) :B2. "Kinda High, Kinda Drunk" (album version) * German CD single # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix clean version) – 3:20 # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix extended version) – 4:33 # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix straight pass) – 3:31 # "Kinda High, Kinda Drunk" – 3:44 * Australian CD and cassette single # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix) # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (clean album version) # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix extended version) # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix instrumental) # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (a cappella) # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (album version) # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix straight pass) # "Smilin'" * Japanese CD single # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix) # "Smilin'" # "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (Timber mix instrumental)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1995 songs 1996 singles Coolio songs Music videos directed by David Dobkin Songs written by Coolio Tommy Boy Records singles