Firstly we should look at the artists involved in the song.These are Tellaman,Shekhinah and Nasty C.
According to Wikipedia,it states that Tellaman was born and grew up in Durban.He is a self taught musician whose interest in music was sparked by his mother who had him singing at home,at church and in youth choir. At the age of fifteen he decided to pursue music as a career and began writing and recording his music.
From my point of view,I believe that his mother played a big part in his music career because without her,he would not have risen to success and the song Whipped would not have existed in the first place. Moreover the fact that he is a self-taught musician means that he is mainly responsible for the song Whipped to be one of the greatest hits in South Africa.
According to Wikipedia,Shekhinah is a singer-songwriter from Durban,South Africa.Shekhinah was among the Top 32 of M Nets Season 7 of SA Idols in 2011 and among the Top 6 of Season 8 of SA Idols in 2012.
Right,personally I believe Shekhinah also played a key role in the song Whipped because:
1. She has experience from SA Idols hence she knows what the fans really want in music and what to do to gain momentum.
2. The fact that she is not only a singer but a songwriter,it means that she contributed to the lyrics involved in the song hence why she is part of the song in the first place.
According to Wikipedia,Nasty C is a South African rapper,songwriter and record producer.After the passing of his mother who was involved in a fatal car crash while he was 11 months, he relocated to Durban,KwaZulu Natal to be raised by his father David Ngcobo who is a human resources manager.He has an older brother Siyabonga Ngcobo who influenced him to rap as he learnt the basics of producing music from him while he was nine.
From my point of view,Nasty C also played a key role in the song to be one of the greatest hits in South Africa because he is one of the best rappers. Moreover,the fact that his brother influenced him to rap means that without his brother he would not have become a rapper.
Therefore with the help of Tellaman a self taught musician,Shekhinah a singer who knows how to gain momentum and Nasty C,one of the best rappers, this is one of the reasons why the song Whipped is a hit.
What is the definition of the word,Whipped from the song?
From my point of view it seems that Tellaman is talking about falling so hard in love with the girl of his dreams. If we look at the lyrics where it says:
Oh darling, (Darling, darling, darling) I wouldn't trade you for nothing (I wouldn't trade you for nothing, nothing) All the diamonds and gold don't mean nothing (Don't mean nothing, don't mean nothing) I need you in every way I swear your love gets me babe All the money don't mean nothing to me Don't mean nothing to me I need you in every way I swear your love gets me babe All the money don't mean nothing to me Don't mean nothing to me
The use of the words, "need" and "swear" clearly shows that he is obviously Whipped meaning that he is in love with this girl.
According to Times Live by Chrizela Kekana (14 March 2019:"Tellaman's just as whipped as his song reveals,but who's the lucky woman?" ,Tellaman states that "When it comes to love songs,I have to relate it somehow.But specifically for Whipped and the whole project,it's based on what was happening in my life that time,when I was making the music.There was someone I was writing for.The whole project is like a short story of what happened when I met that person and when the fallout happened and we stopped seeing each other".
From my point of view,the article clearly shows that the song is based on his personal experience. Moreover we can interpret the title,Whipped as not only falling hard in love with someone but also losing the one you love.This shows that in life sometimes things will not work out the way it's supposed to however one should always get up and never give up especially when it comes to love.This is why it's a hit in South Africa.
The music video was released on May 10,2019 and the single features on Tellaman's debut album, God Decides