Cha Cha Cha (song)

Cha Cha Cha is a single from MC Lyte's album Eyes on This. It was released on July 3, 1989.

"Cha Cha Cha"
Single by MC Lyte
from the album Eyes on This
B-sideHousepower (12" Mix)
ReleasedJuly 3, 1989
Recorded1989
GenreGolden age hip hop
Length3:02
LabelFirst Priority, Atlantic Records
Songwriter(s)

Freddie Byrd[1]

Producer(s)King Of Chill[2]
MC Lyte singles chronology
"Lyte as a Rock"
(1988)		 "Cha Cha Cha"
(1989)		 "Stop, Look, Listen"
(1989)
Music video
"Cha Cha Cha on YouTube

The song stayed 18 weeks on the recently created Billboard Hot Rap Singles and became one of the first songs to peak at #1 on that chart, staying there for two weeks in December 1989. Also peaking at #35 on the Billboard's Hot Black Singles.[3]

"Cha Cha Cha" was No. 54 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop list.[4]

Conception and composition

During an interview with Vibe in 2011 Lyte stated on the composition of "Cha Cha Cha"

There were occasions like a song like ‘Cha Cha Cha’ King of Chill wrote that with me. I didn’t have a problem with opening the door to someone writing with me at times. But I had to have my stamp in it, on it and all round it because I’m not just saying whatever someone writes."[5]

Also comment about the lyrics:

There were some things that were humorous in there that I didn’t write or didn’t like or thought was the hottest line I ever said. It was comical to me…like that line, ‘Well, well, well, I’ll be damned.’ But turned out that that’s one of the most memorable parts of ‘Cha Cha Cha.’ Whenever I perform it that’s the part that the whole crowd wants to say. So sometimes you have to get out of yourself and let a new way of approaching a rhyme happen.[5]

Samples

The song contains samples of Four Tops's "I Can't Live Without You" guitar riff,[6] Funkadelic's "Good Old Music"'s drum,[7] Cerrone's "Rocket in the Pocket"'s drum,[8] and The Fearless Four's "Rockin' It" hook.[9] The song also has a vocal interpolation of herself on "Kickin' 4 Brooklyn" from her debut album.[10]

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by Tamra Davis,[11] was filmed in August 1989 on Randall's Island, New York City.[12] In the video appear Lyte with her DJ K-Rock and her dancers Leg One and Leg Two.

Appearances

"Cha Cha Cha" was included in his compilation albums The Very Best of MC Lyte (2001), The Shit I Never Dropped (2003),[13] Rhyme Masters (2005),[14] Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte (2007),[15] Cold Rock a Party - Best Of MC Lyte (2019)[16] and on the EastWest Maxi-Single "Lyte Of A Decade" (1996).[17]

The song was performed by Da Brat and Remy Ma at the MC Lyte tribute at the 2006 Hip Hop Honors.[18]

The song was also featured on the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the fictional in-game station "The Classics 104.1".

In October 2008 she performed "Cha Cha Cha" at the BET Hip Hop Awards.

In October 14, 2014, MC Lyte performed this song to President Barack Obama in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the legislation that created the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.[19][20]

Legacy and influence

In 1999, Ego Trip's editors ranked Cha Cha Cha No. 27 in their list Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1989 in Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists.[21]

In 2008, it was No. 54 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.[4]

Jack White revealed the song as the primary inspiration behind his 2014 Grammy–nominated song "Lazaretto".[22][23]

Samples
  • That same year Lil' Kim rewrites "Cha Cha Cha" for her song "Ms. G.O.A.T." from her homonym mixtape album. Among the modifications that his version had, in the first verse Lil 'Kim sings "Do my thing with an '89 swing/The dopeness I write, I guarantee delight/To the hip-hop maniac, the Uptown brainiac/In full effect, MC Lyte is back" changing it to "Shake my thing all the boys start to sing/Shawty is a ten, think about me in his dreams/Nymphomanic, head like a brainiac/For those who slept Lil' Kim is back".[26]

Single track listing

A-Side
  1. "Cha Cha Cha" (3:00)

B-Side
  1. "Housepower" (3:50)

A-Side
  1. "Cha Cha Cha" (3:00)
  2. "Cha Cha Cha" (Instrumental) (3:00)

B-Side
  1. "Housepower (12" Mix)" (11:42)

A-Side
  1. "Cha Cha Cha" (3:00)
  2. "Housepower" (11:42)

B-Side
  1. "Cha Cha Cha" (3:00)
  2. "Housepower" (11:42)

Personnel

Information taken from Discogs.[27]

  • Written By – MC Lyte, King Of Chill
  • Producer, Mixed By, Music By – King Of Chill
  • Mastered By – Dennis King
  • Executive Producer – Nat Robinson

Charts
Chart (1989–90) Peak
position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[28] 35
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[29] 1

References
  1. "Eyes on This - MC Lyte - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  2. "MC Lyte - Eyes On This". Discogs.
  3. "Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales".
  4. "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs". The Greatest. Episode 186. 2008-09-28. MTV Networks. VH1.
  5. MC Lyte (January 7, 2011). "Full Clip: MC Lyte Breaks Down Her Entire Catalogue (Brandy, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J & More)". Vibe.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  6. "MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha Sample of Four Tops's I Can't Live Without You". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  7. "MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha Sample of Funkadelic's Good Old Music". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  8. "MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha Sample of Cerrone's Rocket in the Pocket (Live)". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  9. "MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha Sample of The Fearless Four's Rockin' It". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  10. "MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha Sample of MC Lyte's Kickin' 4 Brooklyn". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  11. "MC Lyte: Cha Cha Cha (1989)". IMDb.
  12. "MC Lyte Films "Cha Cha Cha" Video On Randall's Island (description of photography)". Getty Images.
  13. "MC Lyte - The Shit I Never Dropped". AllMusic. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  14. "MC Lyte - Rhyme Masters". AllMusic. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  15. "Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte EP - MC Lyte - Release Info". Apple Music.
  16. "Cold Rock a Party Best Of - MC Lyte - Release Info". Apple Music.
  17. "MC Lyte - Lyte Of A Decade". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  18. "VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006: Da Brat Does MC Lyte". Vh1.blogs.com. October 13, 2006. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  19. "President Obama celebrates American music with "eclectic bunch"". CBS News. October 14, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  20. muzline (January 10, 2016). MC Lyte - Dear John / Cha Cha Cha (Live 2016). Retrieved January 28, 2021 – via YouTube.
  21. "Hip-Hop's Greatest Singles By Year (Ego Trip Magazine)". Genius (website). Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  22. Manning, Sean. "Meet Daru Jones, Jack White's Secret Weapon". esquire.com. Esquire Magazine. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  23. "Jack White Talks MC Lyte's Influence, "Seven Nation Army"'s Soccer Anthem Status For KROQ". radio.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  24. "7L & Esoteric's Word Association Sample of MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  25. "Rick Ross feat. T-Pain's The Boss Sample of MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  26. "Lil' Kim's Ms. G.O.A.T. Sample of MC Lyte's Cha Cha Cha". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  27. "MC Lyte – Cha Cha Cha (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  28. "MC Lyte Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  29. "MC Lyte Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
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