# In Nelly's 'Hot In Herre" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 14, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847 "2009-10-14T23:40:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/21 "2009-10-16T19:51:09Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > totally agree - I hopped into this thread to see if it was started just to say how great it is. The basic keyboard riff underneath the song is hypnotically catchy… And that Afro-Cuban-style percussion right there in the middle. Fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/22 "2009-10-16T20:46:29Z")
Just another vote for yeah- He’s Kidding like Jason = Jason Kidd the Basketball player. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/23 "2009-10-16T20:52:49Z")
For what it’s worth, in the Jenny Owens Young cover she clearly says “Pole” in the basement and mimes a pole with her hands. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/24 "2009-10-16T21:56:15Z")
I’m going to keep reading this thread in hopes that someone explains WTF “herre” is. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/25 "2009-10-16T22:29:17Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’m going to keep reading this thread in hopes that someone explains WTF “herre” is. “Herre” is a deliberate mispronunciation of the word here. We black people always need a cool way to say shit. See also these: (other deliberate msipronuciations)scared-\>scurred, business-\>bi’ness (str -\> skr at the beginning of a word) skrip club. skrawberry daiquri, Meryl Skreep (-eezy) Lil Wayne-\>Weezy, Chris Brown-\>C. Breezy You will find a lot of examples at Urban Dictionary(.com). ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Turk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dan\_Turk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Turk)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/26 "2009-10-16T23:01:55Z")
It’s a pole in the basement. As in a stripper pole. She gets offended “wha?” so he plays it off by saying he’s just Kidding like Jason. As in Jason Kidd, the basketball player. She accepts that he is kidding “oh” and they live happily ever after. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/27 "2009-10-16T23:03:00Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > We black people always need a cool way to say shit. More like _some_ black people with regional accents will often colloquially spell words the way they pronounce them. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/28 "2009-10-17T13:20:15Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > If he’s saying “bowl” I’d guess it’s a marijuana reference (as in, “let’s smoke a bowl!”), but if it’s “pole” then I think **Nzinga** is right that it would be a stripper pole. > > Google indicates that it is “pole”. **I think Nelly’s suggesting that the women might entertain the men by dancing like strippers. The woman is offended, so Nelly tries to pass it off as a joke…unless the woman is actually willing to dance like a stripper for him.** That seems to fit the general theme of the song. > > I’m probably the least qualified person in the world when it comes to analyzing rap music, but I think that’s what’s going on. That’s exactly right, and is the only redeeming quality to the song. I thought it was pretty funny. I always resented the fact that preteen and teenaged girls like my stepdaughter were running around singing that song. Of course, until that “Lollipop” song came out, which was even worse. Nothing like very thinly veiled references to dick-sucking to prep the young girl’s mind for her future. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/29 "2009-10-17T13:48:24Z")
You prefer, say, “My Humps”? ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/30 "2009-10-17T19:56:15Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > See what you’ve done? Curse you, **Made in Macau**! My first curse! (on the Dope - obviously) Thank you Biggirl! Pole of course now seems totally fitting. However, I read the wiki link to your b-ball player Jason Kidd (as I know nothing about basketball - cricket? Another story) but saw nothing about Poles In The Basement. Just sporting prowess, church and wife-beating. As for the song itself, I like it - but was worried as I said upthread that a ‘bowl in the basement’ and ‘Jason’ might refer to a ‘2 girls 1 cup’ type scandal of which I was unaware. Thankfully its JUST perving over women dancing for you. Thanks to all MiM ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/31 "2009-10-17T23:28:27Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > For fans of _The Office_, there’s a very well done [video on YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm3xlJ0yQOE) for this song made up of clips from the show. > > What makes it especially funny for me is that I can easily imagine Michael going around the office singing “Hot in Herre”. Thank you for sharing this. Well done, indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/32 "2009-10-18T00:02:09Z")
> [@Chum](#): > > Thank you for sharing this. Well done, indeed! It cracks me up when Pam says “What!?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/33 "2009-10-19T14:41:51Z")
I liked Weird Al’s version in Trash Day (“Rotten Herre”) _Some Lysol… some Comet… I gotta mop and it’s got your name on it._ What?! _I’m only kidding doggonit._ Oh. _Unless you’re gonna DO IT!_ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/34 "2009-10-19T15:31:29Z")
> [@Made\_in\_Macau](#): > > Pole of course now seems totally fitting. However, I read the wiki link to your b-ball player Jason Kidd (as I know nothing about basketball - cricket? Another story) but saw nothing about Poles In The Basement. Just sporting prowess, church and wife-beating. “I’m just **Kidd** ing, like **Jason** ” ---
**Author:** ![byankaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6f9a4e/32.png) [@byankaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/byankaz)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/35 "2022-08-04T09:12:48Z")
The written lyrics mention a HOLE in the basement after he basically tells her to quit playing games and wasting his time… I’d assume it’s a threat? Like come fuck wit me or get lost haha idk the lyrics make even less sense after reading them! I used to believe that lyric referred to poverty for some reason like she wasn’t having it if he had poor friends and that’s why he says jk so quick… I was like 10 when this song came out tho hahahah With a few more clicks I managed to find out: Kidding like Jason is a play on Jason Kidd’s name, a pro ball player. I thought it was the killer cuz of the basement thing or maybe a comedian cuz I’m not into basketball and never knew he was a player til looking into the lyrics tonight tho. I know I’m late to this thread but it was fun reading these answers and into the lyrics for myself. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847/36 "2022-08-04T09:35:57Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > One more thing… > > I’m just Kidding like Jason… > > uhhhh…Jason Kidd? [ Yes](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2522278-kidding-like-jason-jason-kidd-on-being-a-famous-lyric-in-nellys-hit-song) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-nellys-hot-in-herre/513847.md?page=1)