Tipsy

Album: Hood Hop (2004)
Charted: 4 2
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, J-Kwon makes a statement on underage drinking: He's all for it!

    The song takes place in a club where he and his pals are living it up, getting drunk and hitting the dance floor hard. We learn in the song's spoken intro how he gained admission:

    [sarcastically] Teen drinking is very bad
    Yo, I got a fake ID though


    J-Kwon really was underage, just 17 when the song was released in January 2004.
  • "Tipsy" was J-Kwon's first single. He was based in St. Louis, which thanks to Nelly was a hip-hop hotbed in the early '00s, so labels were looking for talent in the area. J-Kwon made enough of a stir to get the attention of L.A. Reid at Arista Records, which signed him to the So So Def imprint run by Jermaine Dupri.

    "Tipsy" was a huge hit and got J-Kwon off to a strong start with his debut album, Hood Hop, but he wasn't able to follow it up. His next single, "You & Me," stalled at #58. That was his last chart entry.
  • There are two versions of "Tispy." The radio edit replaces "E'rybody in this bitch gettin' tipsy" with "E'rybody in this club gettin' tipsy." The album version, also called the "club mix," ironically removes the club reference. The video uses the radio edit and also removes the spoken intro.
  • The music video changes the setting from a club to a houseparty, which is more age appropriate. We don't see any actual drinking in the video, which was necessary to get it on TV (it did very well on BET). Instead, there's lots of dancing and some shenanigans like a guest stinking up the bathroom. At the end, we see J-Kwon's parents come home to find the place in disarray with red Solo cups all over the floor, but nothing to indicate there was alcohol at this party.

    J-Kwon's So So Def labelmate Da Brat shows up in the video, as does Lavell Crawford, who plays his dad.
  • The song was produced by The Trackboyz - the team of Joe Kent and Mark Williams. They also have songwriting credits on the track along with J-Kwon.

    Trackboyz bring the kind of beats that rattle the china. Some of their other productions include "Air Force Ones" by Nelly and "Po' Folks" by Nappy Roots.
  • "Tipsy" went all the way to #2 in April 2004 when "Yeah!" by Usher was in the middle of a 12-week run at the top.
  • Movies to use this song include:

    Rough Night (2017)
    Sisters (2015)
    Project X (2012)
    White Chicks (2004)
    Soul Plane (2004)
    Breakin' All the Rules (2004)

    It was also used in the 2004 episode of The Wire, "Moral Midgetry."
  • J-Kwon performed "Tipsy" on the May 15, 2004 episode of Saturday Night Live, when the Olsen twins hosted.
  • Shaboozey interpolated parts of "Tipsy" for his 2024 country track "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," which took off after he appeared on Beyoncé's album Cowboy Carter. According to J-Kwon, Shaboozey paid a substantial royalty rate to clear the interpolation.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Maria Muldaur

Maria MuldaurSongwriter Interviews

The "Midnight At The Oasis" singer is an Old Time gal. She talks about her jug band beginnings and shares a Dylan story.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

70s Music Quiz 1

70s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

The '70s gave us Muppets, disco and Van Halen, all which show up in this groovy quiz.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

U2

U2Fact or Fiction

How did The Edge get his name? Did they name a song after a Tolkien book? And who is "Angel of Harlem" about?