soo woo

Keep Calm-o-Matic

The Bloods is one of the largest street gangs in the US, first forming in Los Angeles during the 1970s and spreading across the country. One Blood may issue a Soo woo in greeting, with the force of “Bloods rule,” with another Blood responding with Woo.

Several myths surround soo woo. Some claim it derives from Swahili; others believe it imitates the sound of police sirens. The most likely explanation, though, is that soo woo is a variation on woop woop, a slang way to express excitement.

During the 1990s various Bloods members started using woop woop to greet one another. This picked up in popularity after it was featured in rap songs like “Mafia-Lane” by the Bloods & Crips (1994) and “Whoop Whoop” by DJ Pooh (1997). In the early 2000s, woop woop morphed into such forms as suhwoop, soowoop, and soo woo.

Soo woo began spreading in 2009 when Lil Wayne released the song “Soo-Woop” on his album The Leak (Reloaded). But this was neither the first nor last time Lil Wayne featured soo woo in his lyrics. Soo woo appears in other songs such as “I’m Blooded” (2007), “Gossip” (2007), and even “Mr. Carter” (2008) featuring Jay-Z. Soo woo entered peak popularity in 2011 after the release of the rapper Game’s song “Soo Woo,” which features Lil Wayne in the chorus rapping: “Lemme hear ya say soo woo, soo woo, soo woo!”

Soo woo went further mainstream in 2018 after rapper YG released a song named after yet another variation of the term: “Suu Whoop.” The song features lyrics about the Bloods and being involved in gang life in LA.