Entry · catalog no. 9219
tear da club up
/ /ˈtɛɹ də ˈklʌb ʌp/ /TARE duh KLUB UP
verb phrase · Memphis, Tennessee (1995) · 1990s
✓ Verified
1.
To make a club erupt, with loud music, wild dancing and a crowd that loses control.
“When that beat dropped, we tore the club up.”
2.
As a command or chant, an order to the crowd to go all the way off.
“Tear da club up, y'all!”
Origin & Attribution
The phrase became a Memphis anthem through Three 6 Mafia's 'Tear da Club Up' (1995), produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J and released on the group's debut album Mystic Stylez. A reworked version, 'Tear da Club Up '97', appeared on Chapter 2: World Domination (1997). 'Tear up' in the sense of wreaking havoc is older English; the Memphis record made it a club chant in Southern rap. Wikipedia reports the song was banned from some Southern nightclubs for inciting fights among fans.
1995
Three 6 Mafia release 'Tear da Club Up' on Mystic Stylez
1997
'Tear da Club Up '97' released on Chapter 2: World Domination
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
Nationwide
Memphis, Tennessee (1995) · 1990s
Spoken by
Memphis rap artists and fans; Southern club-goers
$TEARDAThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Steady31 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
50/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
1995
in the culture
Recorded here
2026
point of first record
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@auntiereg
Atlanta, GA
@deltasoul
Memphis, TN
Contribute your pronunciation
Citations & Sources
■
Three 6 Mafia, 'Tear da Club Up', Mystic Stylez (1995)
recording
■
Three 6 Mafia, 'Tear da Club Up '97', Chapter 2: World Domination (1997)
recording
■
+ Cite a sourceWikipedia, 'Tear da Club Up'; secondary
web
See also