Who Let The Dogs Out? Who? Who? Who? Who?
The Baha Men released their memorable version of the famous song ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ 25 years ago, a tune that has since become a staple at various celebrations such as school dances, weddings, and parties.
The group continues to produce new music, with a recent release titled ‘Smile’ on March 28. As they celebrated the 25th anniversary of ‘Who Let The Dogs Out,’ they also provided some insight into the enduring mystery that has puzzled fans since 2000.
Before the song became a hit, the Baha Men were practicing at band member Isaiah Taylor’s house when they received a call from their record label.
The record label representative asked Isaiah if the band would consider creating their own version of ‘Who Let The Dogs Out,’ a song initially written by Trinidadian musician Anslem Douglas.
Reflecting on his initial reaction in an interview with UNILAD, Isaiah said: “I just asked him if he was crazy.”
Despite Isaiah’s initial doubts, the song became a massive success, winning a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, a Billboard Music Award for World Music Artist and Album of the Year, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Song.
“He proved to me he wasn’t crazy,” Isaiah said about the record company representative.
Twenty-five years later, the Baha Men are still ‘surprised’ by how beloved the track remains.
Dyson Knight, a vocalist for the band, told UNILAD: “I [thought] at some point in time people would get tired of even the question- ‘so, did you find out who let the dogs out?’ It’s like, people never get tired of just referencing the song. It’s kind of something to marvel at, really, just to know that a song can hold on to somebody and especially through generations as well.”
Rik Carey, another vocalist, shared his thoughts: “I’m actually kind of thankful [for] being in this band for so long, and watching the impact on the public all around the world, how they react to the song, the energy they give when the song comes on. Then I hear from other artists using it in their music in their own way – I think it’s really dope to see that, that’s the power of influence. And I think that’s a very powerful thing, it’s a good thing.”
With people continuing to ask ‘who let the dogs out?’, it’s time we learned the truth—don’t you agree? I posed the crucial question, and Knight shared that there’s actually an update on the subject.
He said: “Have you ever watched Paw Patrol? There are some pups… they’re presently on the case. We’re waiting to get some feedback from Paw Patrol, because we did call them.”
Let’s hope the pups can solve this mystery!
Knight then humorously suggested that not only are the dogs ‘loose,’ but they’re now completely ‘missing.’
“They’re actually missing now. We can’t find them anywhere, we only see the havoc that they cause in the wake of where they’ve been,” he said.
Jokes aside, Knight mentioned that the ongoing question of ‘who let the dogs out’ has been a source of irritation for one particular group—fans of cats.
He elaborated: “I had a complaint, it was a complaint about the dogs being out. The complaint was ‘I’m not a dog person, I’m a cat person and your song is so pro-dog and, we’re upset that cats never get a shout out.”
Perhaps it’s time for a ‘Who Let The Cats Out’ version?
That may be an idea for the future, but for now, the Baha Men remain committed to their shared love for creating music.
Their new song, ‘Smile,’ aims to unite people and lift their spirits.
“No matter where you are in the world, no matter where you are, what’s going on, you find time to be happy,” producer Troyton Rami said.
With ‘Smile’ arriving amidst a period of global conflict, fear, and anger, Knight emphasized that artists have a ‘responsibility’ to help ‘write history’ and ‘tell the story as true as you possibly can’.
“You can go back in time to any era and listen to the music of that era, and pretty much be able to figure out what was going on in the world or in that space,” he said, adding: “I think that’s a huge responsibility, so I [want to] take the opportunity to just remind creatives that they have that responsibility and they should take it seriously.”
“Also, remain not only sympathetic but sensitive to what people need at this point in time in the world…,” he continued. “People are going through some serious [stuff]… it’s extremely important that we allow ourselves to feel that, to connect to that, and connect to the world, and connect to humanity, and do what is is required, because not everyone can storytell the way that artists do. So we should use that strength and that ability to try to make the world a better place.”
Looking back on their enduring career, Carey noted: “There are people who are not as fortunate to have a long lasting career. The music business is very tough, extremely tough. It’s hard to keep things together. But I know for sure in this organization, because of our passion for music and how much we love playing live, hitting the stage, we love to travel, we love working together, we’ve got our own sound that everybody appreciates, and that is the common goal.
“It’s not always a bed of roses. We argue, you know, like most organizations, like any brotherhood, we’re very family oriented as well, [but] this is therapy for us, creating music, making music. None of us could escape it, even if we wanted to. We all just have a passion for just making music. And we love it. We absolutely love it.”