POSSIBLE SOURCES FOR THE WORD SHABOOYA

Shabooya !!!!!!!!!!!! Scene from the film Get On The Bus ( 1996 )

Uploaded by New7Michael7 on Apr 19, 2010

Scene from the movie " Get on the bus" ( 1996 ), directed by Spike Lee ( whose soundtrack featured Michael Jackson ), in which the people of the bus starts to rap with a catchy chorus.

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POSSIBLE SOURCES FOR THE WORD "SHABOOYA"
-Azizi Powell, 1/26/2012

OVERVIEW OF THE SHABOOYA ROLL CALL CHEER
"Shabooya Roll Call" is rap or cheer that always begins with the refrain "shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call".

In this post, I offer my theories about the sources for the word "shabooya" (also given as "shabooyah", and "shabuya" and pronounced shah-BOO-yah).

The earliest documented use of the word "shabooyah" ("shabooya") that I have found is Spike Lee's 1996 movie Get On The Bus. Therefore, my search for possible sources for "shabooya" is restricted to words or phrases in published works that were made prior to 1996.

Although Get On The Bus may be the earliest documented record of that word, since 2006 the word "shabooya" has been most closely associated Bring It On - All Or Nothing, the third movie in the teenage cheerleader movie series. There are two scenes in the Bring It On - All Or Nothing movie in which the "Shabooya Roll Call" cheer is featured -the cafeteria table scene and the school dance scene. The "Shabooya Roll Call" verse in the school dance scene is one verse of a longer cheer.

Both the bus ride version and the cafeteria table scene version of "Shabooya Roll Call" have the same call & response lyrical structure. And both have the same "shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call" refrain, and the same "Yeah" group response. Furthermore, the bus ride version, the cafeteria table version, and the school dance version of "Shabooya Roll Call" each have similar numbers of beats in their four line soloists verses. As determined by counting the number of syllables in each line of the soloist's verse, the usual number of syllables per soloist line is 5. But some soloist verses have lines with 6 syllables in a line, and a fewer number of soloist verses have lines with 4 syllables in a line.)

In addition, in both of those American movies, the purpose of "Shabooya Roll Call" is the same - it is used to introduce the characters (have the chanters say something about themselves).

My guess is that "Shabooya Roll Call" was lifted from an African American girls' street chant for the Get On The Bus movie. And my guess is that the Bring It On movie producers or writers then lifted that "shabooya roll call" from that earlier movie. Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for the words to the Get On The Bus version and the Bring it On- All Or Nothing version of "Shabooya Roll Call".

POSSIBLE SOURCES FOR THE WORD SHABOOYA
When I write that certain word are possible sources for "shabooya", I mean that I believe that the use of those particular word and people's familiarity with them directly or indirectly contributed to the coinage of people's acceptance of the word "shabooya". To be clear, my presentation of words and phrases that I believe are sources for the word "shabooya" focuses on the spelling and pronunciation of those words and phrases. In some cases, I have included video examples of those words. However, those videos are not to be taken to mean that I think that those songs or tunes have directly contributed to the coinage of the word "shabooya".

Without further introductory comments, here are my theories about possible sources for the word "shabooya": These words or phrases are placed in chronological order and not necessarily in order of the most influence upon the coinage of the word "shabooya".

BOOGIE and BOOGIE WOOGIE

John lee Hooker Boogie Chillen

Uploaded by grcvv on Jan 30, 2008

with Roy Rogers in concert 1992 Berkely.

-snip-

Words with the same or similar spellings and pronunciations can have different etymologies (origins and meanings). I believe that is the case with the word "boogie". http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/251/whats-the-origin-of-the-wor... provides various European etymologies for the word "boogie". I believe those etymologies fit the word "boogyman" (a hobgloblin) which I recall from my childhood in the 1950s in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, when I write that I believe that the word "boogie" contributed to the coinage of and/or the acceptance of the word "shabooyah", I'm talking about the African and African American meanings and usages of the word "boogie" and its reduplication "boogie woogie". Click ADD LINKS for information about the African origins of the word "boogie".

With regard to "boogie" as a source of the word "shabooyah", my particular interest is the
word "ch boogie" that is part of the title of the jump blues song "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie" which was recorded in 1946 by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five

CHOO CHOO ‘CH' BOOGIE

Louis Jordan — Choo Choo Ch'Boogie

Uploaded by ChChBoogie on Aug 7, 2011

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chorus:
Choo-choo, choo-choo, ch'boogie, woo-woo
Woo-woo, ch'boogie, choo-choo, choo-choo, ch'boogie
Take me right back to the track, jack

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choo_Choo_Ch'Boogie

Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" is a popular song first recorded in January 1946 by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five. It topped the R&B charts for 18 weeks from August 1946, a record only equalled by one other hit, "The Honeydripper." The record was one of Jordan's biggest ever hits with both black and white audiences, peaking at number seven on the national chart [1] and provided an important link between blues and country music, foreshadowing the development of "rock and roll" a few years later...

Although "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" is now seen as epitomising the style known as jump blues, it was written by white songwriters whose background was in country and western music. The song is credited to Darling, Horton and Gabler. Denver Darling (1909-1981) was a hillbilly guitarist and songwriter[2][3], as was his occasional songwriting partner Vaughn Horton (1911-1988)

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The Chords - Sh-Boom

Uploaded by BearWalken on Aug 12, 2007

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"Sh- Boom" (also known as "Life Could Be A Dream") was written and first recorded in 1954 by the African American group The Chords". That same year, because of the racial attitudes and customs in the United States, that song was covered by a Canadian White vocal group "The Crew Cuts", For more information about both records, click ADD LINK

SHADOOGIE

The Shadows - Shadoogie

Uploaded by Andrewshadowy on Feb 26, 2009

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadows_(album)

The Shadows, a 1961 rock album by British group The Shadows, was the first instrumental LP by a British group to reach number one in the UK charts.
Side 1 1."Shadoogie" (Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris, Tony Meehan)

Shadoogie - recorded 20 April 1961

-snip-

Also, as an aside, read information on ADD LINK about the origin of the origin of the Shadow Walk (the movement routine that White British group, affectionately known as The Shads are known for and which influenced other groups.)

BOOYAA / BOOYAH / BULLA

Here's an exchange from a YouTube video comment thread that I participated in about "Shabooya Roll Call" as performed by three Polish teenagers or young adults:

http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=BLXI1wmGmcQ [polish example]

I realy dont know what it means!
DanceGirlz1231, 2011

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@DanceGirlz1231 it's kinda like booyah, but the more feminine version and more in your face :)
-cherryblossom9148, 2011

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@cherryblossom9148 , actually "Shabooya" doesn't have any meaning. It's similar to jazz "scatting", Sounds that are scatted aren't supposed to have any literal meaning.They just add to the rhythm of the song. Shabooya is a word that's chanted because it enhances the chant's rhythmic, percussive flavor. Btw, a version of "Shabooya Roll Call" is included in Spike Lee's 1996 movie "Get On The Bus". That movie can be found on YouTube. Spike Lee didn't write it. lt's from African American culture.
-azizip17, 2011

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Also note that the word "shabooya" is also defined as scatting on certain YouTube comment threads, and urban dictionary entries.

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Here's a definition of "scatting" from http://www.answers.com/topic/scat

"skat
n.
Jazz singing in which improvised, meaningless syllables are sung to a melody."

-snip-

While I still believe that the word "shabooya" is similar to jazz scatting in that it isn't supposed to have any literal meaning in cheers, I don't believe that the "shabooya sha sha shabooya" refrain is actually scatting. There is a spontaneity to the sounds when scatting and those sounds are made to imitate the sounds made by musical instruments. In contrast, "shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call" is a set vocable phrase whose text, cadence, and pronunciation doesn't change within the cheer. As a means of further understanding the difference between the consistently sounded "shabooya sha sha shabooya roll call" refrain and scatting, visit ADD wikipedia LINK.

However, that exchange begs the question "What does the word 'booyaa' mean?"

Here's two reader entries from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Boo-Yaa
1.boo-yaa

206 up, 20 down

n. (1) During the 80's and 90's, boo-yaa was popular urban slang for a shotgun, or the sound a shotgun makes when fired. Similar to bada-bing

(2) Due to the popularity of gang culture in urban areas, the shotgun imitation sound was embraced by urban culture and often used to the point where it came to mean other things, such as "Hell yeah!" "Right on!" "In yer face!" or simply "Yeaahh!"

(3) In the late 90's and early 00's, boo-yaa was embraced by mainstream white culture, and the shotgun meaning was completely dropped and forgotten. In the mainstream white culture, boo-yaa simply became a yell of exuberance or joy.

(4) The Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E are an experimental Los Angeles gangsta/alternative rap group. They named themselves after the urban slang word for a shotgun or the sound a shotgun makes when fired.

[Sentence examples] *

(2) Boo-yaa, sucka, you got knocked straight out!

(3) Boo-yaa! Yaaay!! I won the game!

(4) The Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E are one sick rap group.

by Jam Master J Oct 25, 2005

-snip-

* Alert - Entries on urban dictionary.com come from readers. A considerable number of entries on that site include profanity, explicit sexual references, racial slurs, and other content that I consider very problematic. Use at your own risk.

Because cocojams.com is a family friendly site, I didn't include the first sentence in this entry as it contains a number of curse words. The word "sick" in sentence #4 is equivalent to the African Amrerican vernacular word "bad" and is therefore highly complimentary.

Note that the famous Hip–Hop artist Jam Master J died in 2002. Therefore, these comments aren’t from him unless they are a quote he made at some point in time.

-snip-

From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=booyah

Booyah

1020 up, 230 down

an exclamatory statement, often said when someone is extremely overjoyed. Often people do a hand movement simultaneously as they say 'Booyah'(clinching fist and thrusting their elbow downward vertically)

I got an A on my chem final. Booyah!
by mullett Jan 14, 2003

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If "booyaa" ("booyah") is a source for the word "shabooyah" ("shabooya"). then what is the source of the word "booyaa"? This urban dictionary entry indicates that the English word "booyah" comes from the Spanish word "bulla" which has the same pronunciation as "booyah":

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=booyah&page=2

booyah

18 up, 9 down

A term expressing joy, excitement, or triumph. An anglicised form of the Spanish word 'bulla', which is pronouced the same and means "noise or racket".

I got first place! Booyah!
- Kim Siever Feb 7, 2007

-snip-

Here's more information about the Spanish word "bulla" from http://www.wordmagicsoft.com/dictionary/es-en/bulla.php

bulla
From the Spanish verb bullir:

bulla is:
1st person singular (yo) Present Subjunctive

bu•lla Feminine - Noun - Singular
Diminutives: bullilla, bullillas, bullita, bullitas
Aumentatives: bullona, bullonas, bullota, bullotas...

-snip-

Like the word "shabooyah", the word "booyah" is usually and I believe correctly considered to be of African American origin. But could the word "booyah" have come from the Spanish word "bulla". I think that is quite possible, since some Black Americans are Latino/Latinaa, and African Americans and Latinos/Latinas often live in the same communities & and attend the same schools, and given the fact that some African Americans speak Spanish.

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UPDATE (1/29/2012)
Here's an example of aIn "introduce yourself" cheer that uses the word "shaboogie":

SHABOOGIE (Version #12 of Introduce Yourself)
Hey (insert name)
(Yeah?)
Introduce yourself
(No way)
Introduce yourself
(Okay, my name is ______)
Yeah?
(And I´m a Wildcat)
Yeah?
(And when I boogie,)
Yeah?
(I boogie on down)
He boogies on down

Ah, shaboogie,
Ah, ah, shaboogie,
Ah, shaboogie,
Ah, ah, shaboogie
- http://campwildcat.org/pages/custompage.asp?id=47 [retrieved February 10, 2011]

RELATED PAGES
Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 Cocojams Foot Stomping Cheers for the words to this Get On The Bus version,  the words to the Bring It On version, and for several other examples of "Shabooyah Roll Call".

http://cocojams.com/content/classification-foot-stomping-cheers-introduc...

http://cocojams.com/content/classification-foot-stomping-cheers-examples

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I also sincrely thank all those whose comments I quote in this post.

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Thanks for reading this post.

The conclusions in this post as to the sources for the word "shabooyah" are speculative. Your comments are very much welcomed.

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Ms. Azizi Powell, Founder/Editor
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Last revision: January 27, 2012

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