Tag Team (duo)
| Company type | Duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia , United States |
Key people | Cecil Glenn (DC, the Brain Supreme), Steve Gibson (Steve Rolln) |
| Products | Hip-hop/pop-rap music |
Tag Team is a hip-hop/pop-rap duo originating from Atlanta, Georgia, United States. They gained widespread recognition with their 1993 smash hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)", a track frequently featured in commercials, movies, and television programs. The group is composed of Cecil Glenn (known as DC, the Brain Supreme) and Steve Gibson (also called Steve Rolln).
During the early 1990s, Tag Team broke conventional hip-hop molds by crafting a commercially successful song that avoided aggressive or explicit lyrics. Their hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)" became a landmark in hip-hop history, resonating with audiences across various cultural backgrounds and age groups.
Origins
Cecil Glenn and Steve Gibson, both natives of Denver, Colorado, first crossed paths at Manual High School in 1982 while engaging in musical activities. Gibson was involved with the jazz band as a drummer and pursued audio engineering studies, whereas Glenn contributed as a tenor vocalist in the school choir.
After relocating to Georgia, their musical direction shifted toward southern bass influences. Gibson enrolled at the Art Institute of Atlanta in 1988 to study studio engineering; Glenn later joined him after attending Sacramento State University. Drawing inspiration from Southern hip-hop acts such as Success N Effect and Kilo Ali, they cultivated their distinctive sound. In 1990, under the name The Tag Team Crew, they released their debut single "Strictly Political."
The success of "Whoomp! (There It Is)"
In August 1992, Tag Team laid down "Whoomp! (There It Is)." At that time, Glenn served as the lead DJ at Atlanta's Magic City, a prominent venue for southern hip-hop culture. He premiered the track immediately after its completion, eliciting an extraordinary reaction from the audience. Although record companies initially declined due to unfamiliarity with southern bass music, Glenn secured $2,500 from his parents to produce 800 copies of the single. These quickly sold out locally through grassroots promotion.
A Mercury Records representative connected them with Al Bell of Stax Records, who subsequently signed Tag Team. Within a few months, "Whoomp!" reached number one on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and Hot 100 Single Sales chart. It maintained the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks and earned platinum certification. By February 1994, it had achieved quadruple platinum status. The song became a staple at sporting events and appeared in films including Elf, Shark Tale, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and D2: The Mighty Ducks.
Interestingly, Miami-based group 95 South released a similar track titled "Whoot, There It Is" just one month prior. Both record labels insisted that any resemblance was coincidental since the phrase was commonly used in nightclub scenes in Atlanta and Miami. Both acts were featured on Arsenio Hall’s show for a charity event supporting victims of the 1993 Midwest Floods.
The track received acclaim for its energetic and positive tone. The expression "Whoomp! There it is!" came to signify an exclamation akin to "Check this out!" embodying a spirit of joyful celebration. Glenn and Gibson chose the phrase spontaneously during songwriting sessions and described it as an affirmation of anything positive. The song’s signature rhythm and bassline have been described as “whoomping.” Atlanta Magazine recognized it as the definitive "Da Bomb Party Song" of the 1990s and ranked it among the most commercially successful singles in U.S. history.
Hiatus
Tag Team's album, Whoomp! (There It Is), featuring the hit title track, achieved gold certification and was supported by two more singles. Nevertheless, these additional releases did not reach the same level of success as the quadruple platinum-certified "Whoomp!" single. Their follow-up record in 1995, Audio Entertainment, underperformed commercially, influenced in part by financial and legal troubles faced by their record label.
In 1997, Bellmark Records, the label representing Tag Team, declared bankruptcy after resolving a lawsuit related to unauthorized sampling of Kano's "I'm Ready." This led to a dispute over the ownership rights of "Whoomp!" once Bellmark's assets were liquidated. After a protracted 24-year legal conflict concerning copyright infringement damages, the matter was ultimately resolved in bankruptcy court. Tag Team secured full ownership of the writers' share and a portion of publisher royalties from the song’s ongoing use and future earnings, as well as rights to reclaim performance royalties.
During this interval, Glenn returned to DJing at clubs in Atlanta. Although the duo never officially dissolved and initially planned only a short break in the mid-1990s, Glenn and Gibson refrained from recording or performing as Tag Team for nearly ten years. The track "Whoomp! (There It Is)" experienced renewed popularity beginning in 2003 after being featured in the film Elf, followed by placements in various other movies and television programs. While Glenn and Gibson accepted bookings for corporate events amid this revival, they did not intend to fully reactivate Tag Team.
Subsequently, Tag Team took part in the San Francisco 49ers' Halftime Show and joined the 2019 Hammer House Party Tour. Most recently, they performed during the halftime show at the Seattle Seahawks' season opener against the Denver Broncos in September 2024.
Impact
Tag Team significantly contributed to bringing Atlanta's take on Miami bass—often called Southern bass—into mainstream awareness. They helped position Atlanta as a center for hip-hop alternatives distinct from the prominent "East Coast/West Coast" rivalry, alongside artists such as DJ MZH (Marcus Holbert). Around late 2020, Tag Team appeared in a GEICO commercial that humorously reimagined "Whoomp!" with an ice cream motif and the altered lyric "Scoop!".
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B | ||||||||
| Whoomp! (There It Is) |
|
39 | 28 |
| |||||
| Audio Entertainment |
|
— | — | ||||||
| Boxcar Graffiti |
|
— | — | ||||||
| Turnt Up Season |
|
— | — | ||||||
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart | |||||||||
Compilation albums
| Album | Information |
|---|---|
| The Best of Tag Team |
|
Singles
| Year | Track | Highest chart rankings | Certifications (sales criteria) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
US Pop |
AUS |
UK | |||||
| 1993 | "Whoomp! (There It Is)" | 2 | 1 | 38 | 19 | 34 | Whoomp (There It Is) | ||
| "U Go Girl" | — | — | — | 85 | — | ||||
| 1994 | "Here It Is, Bam!" | — | 75 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| 1995 | "Funkey Situation" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts | |||||||||
Other charted songs
| Year | Track | Peak chart positions |
Album or release | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US (Billboard Hot 100) |
UK (UK Singles Chart) | ||||||||
| 1994 | "Addams Family (Whoomp!)" | 84 | 53 | Addams Family Values: Music from the Motion Picture | |||||
| "Whoomp! (There It Is)" (remix) | — | 48 | Non-album single release | ||||||
| "Whoomp! (There It Went)" (featuring Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy) |
97 | — | Mickey Unrapped | ||||||
| "—" marks tracks that failed to chart | |||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video title | Director name |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Whoomp! (There It Is)" | V.J. Beedles |
| 1993 | "Addams Family Whoomp" | V.J. Beetles |
| 1994 | "Whoomp! (There It Went)" (with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald) | |
| 1995 | "Pig Power in the House" |
Awards and nominations
- Won Favorite Song at the 1994 Kids' Choice Awards
- Nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Song at the 1994 American Music Awards
- Nominated for Best R&B New Artist at the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards