O.P.P. (song)
| "O.P.P." | ||||
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| Single by Naughty by Nature | ||||
| from the album Naughty by Nature | ||||
| B-side | "The Wickedest Man Alive" | |||
| Released | August 24, 1991 (CD) | |||
| Format | CD, cassette, 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1991 at Unique Recording Studios NYC | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | Tommy Boy Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Vincent Brown, Anthony Criss, Keir Gist, Alphonzo Mizell, Deke Richards, Freddie Perren, Liam Kantwill, Berry Gordy, Jr. | |||
| Producer | Naughty by Nature | |||
| Naughty by Nature singles chronology | ||||
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"O.P.P." is a number-one hit 1991 song recorded by rap group Naughty by Nature. The song made it to the U.S. Top Ten (peaking at #6), propelling their self-titled album Naughty by Nature to platinum status. The song's declaration "Down Wit' OPP" was a popular catchphrase in the U.S. in the early-'90s. The song samples Melvin Bliss's "Synthetic Substitution", with instrumentation samples from the Jackson 5's 1970 hit song "ABC" in which Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Liam Kantwill, and Berry Gordy, Jr. got a writing credit for the song. It was a hugely successful single, as Allmusic described "There was not a bigger, more contagious crossover radio smash in the autumn of 1991 than Naughty by Nature's ‘O.P.P.'"[1]
The song was one of the first rap songs to become a pop hit when it reached number 6 in the U.S. and number 35 in the UK in 1991. MTV picked up on its video, and it got heavy airplay on Yo! MTV Raps that year, inspiring a remake of the song as "Down Wit' MTV."
The title is an initialism for "Other Peoples' Pussy", as in sleeping with someone you know is in a relationship with the logic that it's not cheating; just a one-night-stand. This is evident in the lyrics:
- "O is for Other, P is for People scratchin' temple
- The last P...well...that's not that simple
- It's sorta like another way to call a cat a kitten
- It's five little letters that are missin' here"
Treach was inspired to write the lyrics by a neighborhood drug dealer who used to move in on other dealers' territories and say he was "Down With O.P.M. – Other People's Money."[2]
In 1998 the song was named one of the 100 best rap singles by The Source.[3]
The song was featured in the 2003 film Malibu's Most Wanted, where it played at an O.P.P.-themed Bar Mitzvah.
The song was also used in the 2005 war film Jarhead. It is played in the background while the Marines party in a tent on Christmas Eve.
In 2008, it was ranked 22 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. It also appeared as #53 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.
Television series Parenthood included this song on the tenth episode of its second season, "Happy Thanksgiving", in its closing scene sequence, and U.S. series The Office included it in the second season episode, "The Dundies",[4] when Michael rapped over the original words of the song with his own lyrics in a parodical manner.[5]
The song was featured in the 2009 film Up in the Air during the hotel club scene. It was also featured on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air when Will Smith's character bought a new car and played it extremely loud on the radio.
The song is also referenced in the lyrics of the song 'Believe' by the reggae fusion band The Dirty Heads. The line 'naughty by nature, back when O.P.P. was hot' refers to the track.
Contents |
Track listing [edit]
- O.P.P. (Vocal)
- Wickedest Man Alive (Vocal)
- O.P.P. (Sunny Days Remix)
- Wickedest Man Alive (Instrumental)
- O.P.P. (Instrumental)
Official versions [edit]
- O.P.P. (Album Version)
- O.P.P. (Vocal)
- O.P.P. (Instrumental)
- O.P.P. (Sunny Days Remix)
Chart performance [edit]
Peak positions [edit]
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End of year charts [edit]
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References [edit]
- ^ allmusic ((( Naughty by Nature > Overview )))
- ^ O.P.P. by Naughty by Nature Songfacts
- ^ rocklist.net
- ^ "The Office: US Version" The Dundies (2005) - Soundtracks
- ^ The Office: The Dundies Episode Summary - TV.com
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1991". Retrieved 2009-09-15.
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