Let’s get into it. Is More Bounce to the Ounce the biggest song to come out of the Miami Valley? There were hit songs by the Ohio Players. Smashes by Heatwave. Bangers by Lakeside. But, how many of those groups had singles that influenced music, and by extension, American culture? The one song that did those things was Zapp’s (or Zapp & Roger specifically for this single’s release) More Bounce to the Ounce. How did this cut impact music?
Like...
...this.
And this.
And this.
And... this.
That’s just the tip of a very large iceberg. According to the website WhoSampled, More Bounce to the Ounce has been sampled in 310 songs. And these are the ones that we know about. That’s how beloved this tune is, especially in Hip-Hop culture. When the song was released in September 1980, it wasn’t a hit at all on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number 86. But, on Billboard’s US R&B Singles chart, it reached number two, becoming a smash in Black communities across America. More Bounce to the Ounce grew in popularity over the years, becoming a Black cookout staple, a nightclub party starter, and then a massively sampled/ influential strand of the DNA helix of Rap music. Through the re-purposing of rap songs, there’s been a new love and respect for this classic. Play More Bounce to the Ounce anywhere, and watch the dancing start.
Here’s a shoutout, and a point to the sky for Roger Troutman...a genius gone too soon, and the creator of one of the funkiest, baddest, and beloved jams of all time, and Dayton, Ohio’s biggest musical export.
Miami Valley Music Focus explores the places and people behind the music of Southwest, Ohio. This series is made possible by support from Ohio Arts Council.
