Whoomp, There He Isn't! Rap Duo Deny Barack Obama Music Video Cameo
Was Barack Obama in the music video for Tag Team's 1993 single "Whoomp! (There It Is)"? No! Here's proof: We spoke to Tag Team themselves. They told us the mysterious Obama doppelganger was a friend, the rapper LA Sno.
The newest Barack Obama conspiracy theory puts him as an extra in the 1993 music video for Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)." It's hard to deny the resemblance between the man playing dominoes in the video and the leader of the free world. And online speculation has run rampant. But we spoke to DC The Brain Supreme and Steve Roll'N of the Atlanta rap duo. And they told us a young Obama definitely wasn't on the set of "Whoomp!" that day. At least, they're pretty sure...
People are speculating that Barack Obama is in the video for "Whoomp! (There It Is)".
DC the Brain Supreme: We've been bombarded over the last 24 hours with it. This is crazy, man. Where does this go—you know what I'm saying?
OK, so let's get the definitive word. Is the President of the United States in your video?
DC: Nah, it's not the President of the United States.
You know for sure?
DC: I know it's not the person that they're looking at and saying might be him.
Do you know who it is?
DC: Who is it, Steve?
Steve Roll'N: A friend of ours named L.A. Sno. He's a rapper in another group. [Likely the 1990s Atlanta rap duo Duice —Ed.]
DC: Yeah. But it really does look like Obama. He could have been there. You just don't know.
Does L.A. Snow even resemble Obama at all?
DC: I don't think he looks like Obama.
Steve: Nah, he doesn't. He's way light-skinned.
DC: That's why they call him "Snow."
Steve: And he's got a pill head. Like, a square pill head. He looks nothing like Obama. Obama's head is round. And he's got big ears. They just got that one frame shot that just looks like him.
Steve: 'Cause I looked at it and was like "wow," he does look like him. That's cool.
You guys could have some fun with this if you want.
DC: I know, but it's kind of an integrity issue, you know what I mean? But we've been debating that.
Steve: Yeah.
DC: But I can just imagine that if some of the birthers, or some of the right-wingers really just wanted to start some stuff, and really wanted to make it nasty, they could just throw Obama all over this thing. And then they're gonna pick the lyrics apart, and it's stupid, but that's how it works, isn't it? There's a certain segment of the population that actually believes that shit, man. We were talking about saying, "We don't know if it's him—it could be him," but we don't want to do that. We're straight-up cats. We're not trying to do it like that. We know for a fact that it wasn't him.
You're positive.
DC: Yeah. Unless he says (in Obama voice): "Yeah, I was there. I'd just gotten out of grad school and was down in Atlanta and I loved that song..." then I'd be like, Wow. My mouth would be open wide and I'd be like "I don't remember." 'Cause there was a thousand people at that video shoot. It was a real, serious party video shoot, the concept for it. We did it at a place called Lakewood Fairgrounds, which is an old airplane hangar. A lot of people in Atlanta came out for that. Ed Lover from Yo! MTV Raps was in the video. Tony Mercedes was there. A whole bunch of people were in it, there were cameos, but I don't remember a young Barack Obama there. I would have known!
Jason Richards is a freelance journalist based in Toronto.
Previously:
Was Barack Obama in the 1993 Music Video for "Whoomp! (There It Is)"?
The Whoompers: New, Paranoid Theories of Barack Obama's 1993 Music Video 'Cameo'