Tacoma’s rapidly expanding early ‘90s hip-hop scene was partially the result of its close proximity to Fort Lewis, only nine miles south. The military base was home to a large population of Black servicemen from all over the country: That’s where Bobby G. and The G.S.E. Posse got their start.
“Jam” is a fun tune built around two simple elements: A catchy hook repeated often, and an invitation to crowds in various American cities and states to “Do The Electric Slide,” a dance move popularized in the ‘80s, where, with a sidestep, you’d face each of the four walls of the room. The move was later adopted by both B-Boys and the country music line dance community, making this single almost a perfect party record for any audience or occasion.
Bobby G spends most of the tune listing off American cities individually—Miami, New Orleans, St. Louis, Houston, LA, Portland—and inviting them to show off their electric slide while bopping to these “hardcore grooves from T-Town.”
Musically, this song is as much James Brown soul as it is hip-hop, lots of talk-singing accompanied by a seemingly endless funk jam, but with the addition of scratched vocals and posse shoutouts.
This vinyl single contains five edits of what is essentially the same song. The B-side includes an instrumental version and a vocals-only version for DJs, while “Jazzy D’s Version” flips the instrumental by adding five minutes of solo saxophone performance on top.