ABSTRACT
Ironically for the hit single “Wait (The Whisper Song),” hip hop is broadly conceived as never being about waiting for anything, always about sex, and seldom about whispering. So how did “Wait” achieve such an effect in the popular imagination? What made it the radio and club hit of the summer? The anecdote of my first hearing of the tune demonstrates several important tenets of hip hop. This music is portable, easily separated from its original local context. It thrives in public and private transcripts, with “secret” versions of songs easily available to fans in the know. “Wait” demonstrates a laughable misogyny, at once humorously boastful and patently rude. It is not precious – it flashes into and out of pop consciousness aggressively, making its statement and generating buzz before moving, just as quickly, out of circulation, making way for the next cycle of hits and misses. Most importantly, the music demands dance,
and predicts playful interaction in some social space – the club, the gym, and possibly (although, not probably) the bedroom.
