Gangster Tripping

"Gangster Tripping" (released as a single under the name "Gangster Trippin", which is also the title of the clean version that censors profanity) is a song by British big beat musician Fatboy Slim. It was released on 5 October 1998 as the second single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998).

Samples

The song contains samples^[1] from "Entropy" by DJ Shadow, "Word Play" and "The Turntablist Anthem" by the X-Ecutioners, "Beatbox Wash" by the Dust Junkys (this track contains the song's chorus line), "Change the Mood" by Jackie Mittoo, "Sissy Walk" by Freedom Now Brothers, and "You Did It" by Ann Robinson. The song was featured in the 2006 PlayStation Portable game Lumines II and the 1999 film Go. The single peaked at No. 3 in the United Kingdom and No. 49 in Switzerland.

The recognizable "We gotta kick that gangsta shit" sample comes from the first recorded live performance by jazz rap duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth (sampled by DJ Shadow on "Entropy"). In the radio cut, it was re-edited for censorship purposes.

In 2013, Nicky Lockett (aka MC Tunes) of the Dust Junkys^[2] won a three-year court case to recover unpaid royalties for use of his vocals in the main chorus of the song.

Music video

The music video for "Gangster Trippin", directed by Roman Coppola, consists simply of scenes of furniture sets exploding, shown from multiple angles, and often in slow-motion. Fatboy Slim himself makes a cameo in the video, being shown on a photograph on the mirror where a lady stands up from. According to MTV at the time, the script for the video contained just one line: "Blow stuff up".^[3]

The video shows certain similarities to the ending of Antonioni's Zabriskie Point where several pieces of furniture are blown up similarly in slow motion and from different angles. Director Coppola often praised the works of Antonioni in interviews.^[4][5]

Track listings

Standard CD, 12-inch, and cassette single^[6][7][8]

1. "Gangster Trippin"
2. "The World Went Down"
3. "Jack It Up (DJ Delite)"

European CD single^[9]

1. "Gangster Trippin"
2. "The World Went Down"

Japanese CD single^[10]

1. "Gangster Trippin" (radio edit)
2. "Gangster Trippin" (full version)
3. "Jack It Up (DJ Delite)"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

1. ^ Making of 'Fatboy Slim - Gangster Trippin' in Ableton by Sonic Academy
2. ^ MC Tunes wins court case over use of vocals
3. ^ Songfacts. "Gangster Tripping by Fatboy Slim - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
4. ^ "BBC – Films – interview – Roman Coppola". BBC.
5. ^ "My '60s European Movie – One Q, One A with Roman Coppola". TheStranger.
6. ^ Gangster Trippin (UK CD single liner notes). Skint Records. 1998. SKINT 39 CD.
7. ^ Gangster Trippin (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Skint Records. 1998. SKINT 39.
8. ^ Gangster Trippin (UK cassette single sleeve). Skint Records. 1998. SKINT MC39.
9. ^ Gangster Trippin (European CD single liner notes). Skint Records. 1998. SKI 666415 1.
10. ^ Gangster Trippin (Japanese CD single liner notes). Skint Records. 1998. ESCA 7349.
11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
12. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 43. 24 October 1998. p. 16. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
13. ^ "Íslenski Listinn (22.10–29.10. 1998)" (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. 23 October 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
14. ^ "Hits of the World – Italy". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 44. 31 October 1998. p. 64. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
15. ^ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
16. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 3 October 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 6 July 2021. Misprinted as 5 September.
17. ^ "Fatboy Slim". Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived 4 January 2001 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 August 2023. Click on Discography.
18. ^ "Alternative: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1308. 16 July 1999. p. 118.