Competitiveness played a foundational role in the rise of Hip Hop during its early years. Whodini exemplified this competitive spirit with their song “Freaks Come Out at Night.” In an interview with AL.com, Jalil, one-half of the duo, shared that they initially had an artist from another genre in mind when they started working on the song.
“The first initial thought was really making a song competitive with that Pat Benatar stuff that was out,” Jalil recalled.
However, the group ultimately decided against that direction. Instead, Jalil drew inspiration from the Funk artists of the era.
“I started looking at the funk bands and their use of ‘freak.’ All of those songs, thinking of Rick James and all those characters. And 42nd Street in New York City is a hectic set, and thinking about the nightlife of New York and all of a sudden [the song] changed into something like funk and ‘Freaks Come Out at Night.'”
It was a smart move to have Benatar in mind during the creative process. At that time, she was releasing top 15 hits on the US Billboard charts with ease, including songs like “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” among others.
Later in the interview, Jalil reminisced about his late bandmate, Ecstasy, and the different styles of Zorro hats that he owned.
Check out FULL INTERVIEW HERE
