Baha Men

Friday November 10, 2000

PRESS RELEASE

Wingspan Records 

It' s hard to watch a sporting event these days without hearing the crowd scream Who Let The Dogs Out followed by a frenzied series of barking noises. Several professional baseball and football teams argue vehemently over who was the first to use the popular phrase.20/20 Downtown, the Seattle Mariners were credited with being the first team to use it when they played the song Who Let the Dogs Out by the Baha Men this past summer.

But if this is true, then how is it possible that fans of the Mississippi State Bull Dawgs could be heard on ESPN shouting the same phrase over a year before the Baha Men ever released their song? This can be answered by Danville, Virginia based rapper Chuck Smooth.

It is a little known fact that the song released by the Baha Men under the name Who Let The Dogs Out is actually a remake of a Caribbean song titled Doggie, co-written by soca artist Anslem Douglas and composer/producer Ossie Gurley.

Chuck Smooth heard Doggie while vacationing in Antigua in the spring of 1998 and knew instantly that the catchy chant in this song that asked the now famous question would make a great idea for a rap song. After returning home, he licensed a sample of this phrase and wrote a new rap song that he called Who Let The Dogs Out.

Who Let The Dogs Out by Chuck Smooth debuted at #20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart on November 28, 1998. The song moved quickly throughout the south and topped record pool charts in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi (where it was soon adopted by the Mississippi State Bull Dawgs as their fight song). In May of this year, before the Baha Men ever even released their single, the Chuck Smooth song was named the #12 Rap Single of the Year by Billboard (May 6, 2000 issue page 88). In August of this year, it was #1 for the state of Mississippi on Amazon.com and is currently still on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart!

The label's success caught the attention of Artemis Records who contacted Wingspan in the spring of this year and began negotiations for a distribution deal which included the release of Who Let The Dogs Out? by Chuck Smooth to Top 40/Pop radio. The negotiations continued into early summer until Wingspan learned that S-Curve/Artemis had just released a remake of Doggie by the Baha Men. They had changed the name of the song to Who Let The Dogs Out, rearranged it to make the chant more prominent and even added a rap to the end. When Wingspan inquired with Artemis about the situation, Artemis withdrew their offer.

Wingspan Records then enlisted marketing consultant Paul Porter along with WYZ GIRL Entertainment Consulting. WYZ GIRL also negotiated a production deal with Doggie co-writer Ossie Gurley who will be releasing songs on Wingspan Records in the near future.