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

Funkdoobiest Funkdoobiest was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, composed of rappers Jason "Son Doobie" Vasquez, Tyrone "Tomahawk Funk" Pacheco and DJ Ralph "Tha Phunky Mexican" Medrano. They were of Soul Assassins. The group has relea ...

, released in 1992. It is the lead single from their debut studio album '' Which Doobie U B?'' (1993) and the group's most successful song. The song was produced by

DJ Muggs Lawrence Muggerud (born January 28, 1968) professionally known as DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He has been a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope to Die and the leader of h ...

and

DJ Lethal Leor Dimant (, , ; 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 Pain and Limp Bizkit. Early life Leor Dimant was born to a Latvian- ...

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, released by Capitol Records in December 1982, as the second and final single from his studio album, ''Computer Games'' (1982). It became the P-Funk collective's last to reach #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart. ...

" 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 Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

and "

Jump Around "Jump Around" is a song by American hip hop group House of Pain, produced by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, who has also covered the song, and was released in May 1992 by Tommy Boy and XL as the first single from their debut album, '' House of ...

" 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. They are best known for their 1992 hit single " Jump Around", which reached number 3 in their nati ...

. In the lyrics, Son Doobie calls himself a "good speller" that "gets retarded like

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...

", and also compares himself to

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

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 ...

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra ( ; born October 8, 1949), better known by her stage name Sigourney Weaver, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the late 1970s, she is known for her pioneering portrayals of action heroines in Blockbuster (entertainme ...

, Colt Seavers, Fire Marshall Bill,

Harry Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

and

Tonto Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native Americans in the United States, Native American (either Tonto Apache, Comanche, or Potawatomi) Friendship, companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western (genre), Western character crea ...

Critical reception

'' and '' The Ringer'' included the song in their respective lists of the 100 and 101 best L.A. rap songs. "Bow Wow Wow" was also featured on ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''' 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