95 SOUTH : There It Is--But Is It a ‘Whoot’ or a ‘Whoomp’?

The great Whoot vs. Whoomp contro versy is not one of the major issues of our time, but it’s certainly been a hot topic in rap circles for months.

The question: Which record is better--95 South’s “Whoot, There It Is” or Tag Team’s “Whoomp! (There It Is)”? Both have parlayed the popular catch phrase into a big hit single.

So far, “Whoomp” has whipped “Whoot” in sales, reaching No. 2 on the pop chart. “Whoot” is still climbing, at No. 11. While both are frivolous, party-time singles, they sound very different, with “Whoot” being much faster and raunchier.

The records’ similar titles have caused some confusion, and 95 South’s leader, Johnny McGowan, says that it’s been costly to his group.

“We know of plenty cases where people have gone in to buy our record and wound up buying their record instead,” says McGowan, 26, who works with Artice Bartley, Carlos Spencer and Marcus Anthony in the Jacksonville, Fla., group.

What’s miffing McGowan is that his single, from the group’s “Quad City Knock” album, came out in February, while Tag Team’s came out in May. He hinted that Tag Team’s single might have been influenced by the 95 South track.

“In February, I took the single to Cecil Glenn (of Tag Team), who was the deejay at a club in Atlanta,” says McGowan. “Maybe he heard our record and said: ‘I can do one like that too.’ ”

McGowan added, “I got the idea for the single from the clubs in Atlanta. I heard people saying, ‘Whoot, there it is,’ and I thought it was a good idea for a single. We recorded it last November.”

In a separate interview, Tag Team members downplayed the controversy but did note that though their single wasn’t released until May, it was recorded last October.

While 95 South claims to have lost sales, the confusion has worked in their favor too. “Probably some people who went in to buy their single bought ours instead,” McGowan conceded. “But it’s still weighted in their favor. . . . We can’t help thinking that if that single wasn’t around, all the ‘Whoot’ and ‘Whoomp’ sales would be ours.”