Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)

"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)"
Single by Us3
from the album Hand On the Torch
Released	2 January 1993
Recorded	1992
Genre	Jazz rap acid jazz
Length	3:42 (single version) 4:41 (album version)
Label	Blue Note Records
Songwriter(s)	Herbie Hancock Rahsaan Kelly Geoff Wilkinson Mel Simpson
Producer(s)	Geoff Wilkinson Mel Simpson
Us3 singles chronology
"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (1993) "Tukka Yoot's Riddim" (1993)
Music video
"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" on YouTube

"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" is a song by British jazz-rap group Us3, originally released in October 1992 by Blue Note Records as the lead single from the group's debut album, Hand On the Torch (1993). The song was recorded as a demo a year before the group's first release and features a sample of Herbie Hancock's song "Cantaloupe Island". Another sample, the announcement by Pee Wee Marquette, is taken from the Blue Note album A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1 by The Art Blakey Quintet.^[1] "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" did not chart in the group's native UK, but in the US, it reached No. 9 and 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, becoming the group's only top 40 single. It was subsequently re-released in UK where it peaked at No. 23.^[2] The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 25, 1994 for selling over 500,000 copies.

Critical reception

Ron Wynn from AllMusic stated that "when words and music mesh", as on "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)", "Us3 show how effectively hip-hop and jazz can blend."^[3] Another AllMusic editor, Stewart Mason, complimented it as "excellent" and "probably the best acid jazz single ever".^[4] Larry Flick from Billboard said, "Tired of the same old urban grind? Here's just what you need: a zesty stew of traditional jazz-fusion, hip-hop, and classic funk. Live horns (with a trumpet solo that works!), imaginative use of samples from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloop Island", and diggy-diggy-bop rapping render this an essential playlist addition."^[5] The Daily Vault's Christopher Thelen noted its "trip-hop mood".^[6] David Hajdu from Entertainment Weekly named it "one of the best singles of the year".^[7] Linda Ryan from the Gavin Report commented, "It just doesn't get cooler than this! US3 combine jazz, hip-hop and house grooves for a fresh sound that begs to be discovered in a big way. If you thought Guru's Jazzmatazz was phat and all that, wait 'til you hear US3's "Cantaloop!" I prefer either the Radio Edit or the Groovy Mix. Aw, yeah."^[8]

The Irish Independent deemed it as "excellent".^[9] Calvin Bush from Melody Maker called it "exultant".^[10] Another music critic, Peter Paphides, felt "this new colourful little number is piquant yet sweet, adventurous yet convivial, brusque yet somehow inviting."^[11] Alan Jones from Music Week named it Pick of the Week, praising it as a "superb" rap and "funky, spunky, tasty, sample-strewn and cool jazz jam".^[12] The magazine's Andy Beevers gave it four out of five, noting that the song "is even more catchy than "Tukka Yoot's Riddim". Rahsaan is the rapper this time and the vibe is funky rather than ragga influenced."^[13] Neil Spencer from The Observer considered it the "standout" of the album.^[14] Dimitri Ehrlich from Rolling Stone found that "Cantaloop" "is as easily digested as the fruit it's named after."^[15] Adam Higginbotham from Select named it a "outstanding effort" and "infectious".^[16] Charles Aaron from Spin wrote, "When this gem popped out of the sound system at Madison Square Garden (Knicks 98, Clippers 77, January 11, 1994), even Woody Allen quit slouching. For the 20-second time-out, I could envision a jazz orchestra doing hip-hop repertory in a racially mixed midtown disco. And it was a really good idea."^[17] Troy J. Augusto from Variety described it as "a smooth, midtempo jazz track" that heavily samples the Herbie Hancock track.^[18]

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Charles Wittenmeier. It earned an award in the category for Best New Artist Clip at the 1994 Billboard Music Video Awards in Los Angeles.^[19] The video was later made available on YouTube's Vevo channel in 2009, and had generated more than 14 million views as of early 2024.^[20]

Impact and legacy

"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" was awarded one of ASCAP's Rhythm & Soul Awards in 1995.^[21]

American online publication Slant Magazine listed the song at number 76 in their ranking of "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s" in 2011, writing, "They got the beats. They got the rhymes. Us3’s sole pop hit, “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)”, is a cheerfully funky fusion of jazz and hip-hop—nothing more, nothing less. What it lacks in social consciousness it makes up for in musical brinkmanship: The production’s exciting explosion of frenetic horn riffs, interrupted only by a sick trumpet solo by Gerard Presencer, samples Herbie Hancock and Lou Donaldson, among others, and grooves in scary synchronicity with the uncannily delivered lyrics by one-time member Rahsaan Kelly. The mood is creative, idealistic, and laidback, suggesting the good vibes of A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets. It’s a sweet, slick, funky maelstrom of sound that’s also a time capsule of a gorgeously short-lived musical form. Diddi-diddi bop."^[22]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993-1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[23] 32 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[24] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 24 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26] 24 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[27] 5 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[28] 31 Europe (European Dance Radio)[29] 16 France (SNEP)[30] 55 Germany (GfK)[31] 22 Greece (Pop + Rock)[32] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[33] 17 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[34] 18 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[35] 16 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 7 UK Singles (OCC)[37] 23 UK Airplay (ERA)[38] 41 UK Dance (Music Week)[39] 8 UK Club Chart (Music Week)[40] 49 US Billboard Hot 100[41] 9 US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[42] 21 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[43] 29 US Cash Box Top 100[44] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[45] 26 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[46] 86 Germany (Official German Charts)[47] 48 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] 24 Chart (1994) Position US Billboard Hot 100[49] 41 US Cash Box Top 100[50] 42

Appearances in other media

"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" is played in the films Super Mario Bros. (1993), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), Renaissance Man (1994), It Takes Two (1995),^[51] Sisters (2015),^[52] and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), and in the TV shows New York Undercover, Hindsight, the Baywatch episode "Someone to Baywatch Over You" (1994) and the Australian news satire Frontline. It is also featured in the PlayStation 4 video game Knack II (2017), during the end credits showing Knack in his various sizes dancing to the song,^[53] and was used as the theme song for The Connection radio program on WBUR.^[54] In 2024, the song was used as background music in U.S. TV commercials for Johnsonville Sausage's "Keep It Juicy" campaign.

References

1. A Night At Birdland vol.1, retrieved August 9, 2022
2. "Official Charts Company: Us3". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
3. Wynn, Ron. "Us3 – Hand On the Torch". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
4. Mason, Stewart. "Us3 – Flip Fantasia: Hits & Remixes". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
5. Flick, Larry (March 13, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 118. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
6. Thelen, Christopher (December 31, 1998). "Hand On The Torch – Us3". The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
7. Hajdu, David (January 14, 1994). "Hand On the Torch". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
8. Ryan, Linda (October 8, 1993). "Alternative: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 54. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
9. Irish Independent. 5 October 1993. p. 22.
10. Bush, Calvin (July 24, 1993). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 35. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
11. Paphides, Peter (September 18, 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
12. Jones, Alan (September 18, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 16. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
13. Beevers, Andy (September 11, 1993). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 14. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
14. Spencer, Neil (11 July 1993). "Pop Releases". The Observer.
15. "Us3: Hand on the Torch". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
16. Higginbotham, Adam (August 1993). "New Albums". Select. p. 103. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
17. Aaron, Charles (April 1994). "Singles". Spin. p. 96. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
18. Augusto, Troy J. (April 5, 1994). "Us3". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
19. Flick, Larry (November 19, 1994). "Dance Trax: M People's 3rd deConstruction Set To Bear 'Fruit'" (PDF). Billboard. p. 33. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
20. "US3 - Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) [Official Video]". YouTube. March 12, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
21. "Congratulations To Our Winners" (PDF). Billboard. July 1, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
22. "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s". Slant Magazine. January 9, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
23. "US 3 – Cantaloop". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
24. "US 3 – Cantaloop" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
25. "US 3 – Cantaloop" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
26. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1606." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
27. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 6256." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
28. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 11. March 13, 1993. p. 23. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
29. "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 10. March 6, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
30. "US 3 – Cantaloop" (in French). Les classement single.
31. "US 3 – Cantaloop" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
32. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 18. May 1, 1993. p. 24. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
33. "Nederlandse Top 40 – US 3" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
34. "US 3 – Cantaloop" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
35. "US 3 – Cantaloop". Top 40 Singles.
36. "US 3 – Cantaloop". Swiss Singles Chart.
37. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
38. "Airplay 100" (PDF). Hit Music. October 23, 1993. p. 23. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
39. "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. September 25, 1993. p. 26. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
40. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). September 18, 1993. p. 4. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
41. "Us3 - Chart history | Billboard Hot 100". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
42. "Us3 - Chart history | Billboard Hot R&B Hip Hop Songs". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
43. "Us3 Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
44. "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVII, no. 29. April 2, 1994. p. 10. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
45. "JAHRESHITPARADE 1993" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
46. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. December 18, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
47. "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
48. "SWISS YEAR-END CHARTS 1993". swisscharts.com. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
49. "Billboard Top 100 - 1994". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
50. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1994". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
51. "It Takes Two (1995)". imdb.
52. "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) [Goldfish Remix] Goldfish & Us3 in Sisters Movie". InSoundtrack.
53. "Knack 2". Playstation. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
54. The Connection. WBUR.