O.P.P. (song)
Encyclopedia
"O.P.P." is a 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. Its beat is sampled from Melvin Bliss' "Synthetic Substitution", with instrumentation samples from Jackson 5's "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.'"
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 people's pussy" and "other people's penis"; when the song asks if the listener is "down with O.P.P.", it is asking if he/she is willing to have sexual intercourse
with a person who is known to already have a significant other
. Lead rapper Treach
coyly obscures the meaning of the second "P" (which is meant to refer to either "pussy" or "penis") using euphemisms throughout the song saying – instead of pussy – that it is "another way to call a cat a kitten" or – instead of penis – a "five-letter word rhyming with cleanest or meanest." In the lyrics following, the rap defines the third "P" as "property" to "do it sorta properly."
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."
In 1998 the song was named one of the 100 best rap singles by The Source
.
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
", when Michael
rapped over the original words of the song with his own lyrics in a parodical manner.
The song was featured in the 2009 film Up in the Air
during the hotel club scene.
Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
. The song made it to the U.S. Top Ten (peaking at #6), propelling their self titled album Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature (album)
Naughty by Nature is the self-titled second album from Naughty by Nature, released on September 3, 1991 through Tommy Boy Records. It was a critical and commercial success, having been certified platinum on February 6, 1992, thanks in large part to the hit single, "O.P.P.", which reached #6 on the...
to platinum status. The song's declaration "Down Wit' OPP" was a popular catchphrase in the U.S. in the early-'90s. Its beat is sampled from Melvin Bliss' "Synthetic Substitution", with instrumentation samples from Jackson 5's "ABC
ABC (song)
"ABC" is a 1970 number-one hit song by The Jackson 5. "ABC" was written with the same design as "I Want You Back", and was first heard on American Bandstand in February 1970. "ABC" knocked The Beatles song "Let It Be" out of the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970...
" in which Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren
Freddie Perren
Frederick "Freddie" Perren was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor best known for as a co-songwriter and co-producer of such mega-hits as "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches &...
, Deke Richards
Deke Richards
Deke Richards, also known as Dennis Lussier and Deke Lussier, is a songwriter and record producer, one of many white musicians/songwriters who were affiliated with Motown...
, 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.'"
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
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
picked up on its video, and it got heavy airplay on Yo! MTV Raps
Yo! MTV Raps
Yo! MTV Raps was a two-hour American television music video program, which ran from August 1988 to August 1995 through its original Yo! MTV Raps name and later by Yo! . The program was the first hip hop music show on the network, based on the original MTV Europe show, aired one year earlier. The U.S...
that year, inspiring a remake of the song as "Down Wit' MTV."
The title is an initialism for "other people's pussy" and "other people's penis"; when the song asks if the listener is "down with O.P.P.", it is asking if he/she is willing to have sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with a person who is known to already have a significant other
Significant other
Significant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
. Lead rapper Treach
Treach
Anthony Criss , better known by his stage name Treach, is an American rapper and actor. He is best known as the lead rapper of the hip hop group Naughty by Nature.-Career:...
coyly obscures the meaning of the second "P" (which is meant to refer to either "pussy" or "penis") using euphemisms throughout the song saying – instead of pussy – that it is "another way to call a cat a kitten" or – instead of penis – a "five-letter word rhyming with cleanest or meanest." In the lyrics following, the rap defines the third "P" as "property" to "do it sorta properly."
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."
In 1998 the song was named one of the 100 best rap singles by The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
.
The song was featured in the 2003 film Malibu's Most Wanted
Malibu's Most Wanted
Malibu's Most Wanted is a 2003 comedic feature film written by and starring Jamie Kennedy and co-starring Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, and Regina Hall....
, where it played at an O.P.P.-themed Bar Mitzvah.
The song was also used in the 2005 war film Jarhead
Jarhead (film)
Jarhead is a 2005 biographical drama war film based on U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford's 1991 Gulf War memoir of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with co-stars Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chris Cooper. The title comes from the slang term used to refer to...
. It is played in the background while the Marines party in a tent on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
.
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
The Dundies
"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
", when Michael
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
rapped over the original words of the song with his own lyrics in a parodical manner.
The song was featured in the 2009 film Up in the Air
Up in the Air
Up in the Air is a 2001 novel by American author Walter Kirn. It was later adapted into the 2009 feature film Up in the Air, starring George Clooney.-Plot summary:...
during the hotel club scene.
Track listing
- O.P.P. (Vocal)
- Wickedest Man Alive (Vocal)
- O.P.P. (Sunny Days Remix)
- Wickedest Man Alive (Instrumental)
- O.P.P. (Instrumental)
Official versions
- O.P.P. (Album Version)
- O.P.P. (Vocal)
- O.P.P. (Instrumental)
- O.P.P. (Sunny Days Remix)
Peak positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Hot Rap Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks | 5 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 7 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 35 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1991) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 94 |