In contrast to the chants of many other Greek organizations on historically African American campuses, Kappa Alpha Psi’s chants devote a greater amount of attention to the achievements, attractiveness, and positive characteristics of its members, the “Kappa men.”
“And God Created the Kappa Man”
Founded in 1911 at the University of Indiana, Kappa Alpha Psi is a fraternity that aims to help African American students overcome the challenges of racism at that institution, hoping that by doing so they will be able “…raise the sights of black students and motivate them to achieve greater things than they might have ever dreamed of.”…
“The purpose of their fraternity was to unite men of “culture, patriotism, and honor,” who had a strong sense of both their own abilities, as well as their responsibility to the community as a whole.
As you will find throughout the chants of Kappa Alpha Psi, there is often a reference to a chivalrous nature, not to mention a dapper appearance, which is also reflected in the chants. According to the Auburn University Chapter website, there is a quote that talks about the colors of the fraternity, which are crimson and cream.
The crimson color signifies courage and the cream symbolizes the dream of every woman. This sense of self-confidence is evident in just about every chant celebrated by this fraternity.
Sweetheart Kappa Alpha Psi Chants
There is a chant that Kappa men do during parties that fits perfectly with the idea of being “knights” who are every woman’s ideal man and in keeping with that, the ladies who are attending the parties sing this song known as the “Sweetheart Chant” (or “Sweetheart Kall”) that they chant in keeping with the idea that they are the ideal man.
It is not surprising they are a bit egocentric but they are also very positive in their self-esteem
”I’m pretty on my left, I’m pretty on my right, I’m so damn pretty I can’t sleep at night”
Other chants talk about how they are “sexy, classy ladies” and the like, proud to be with their Kappa men. Most of them also involve the signature call of “OW, OW, OW!” that is part of many Kappa chants.
Learning the “Kappa-Bet” and Other Chants
Although the Kappa men are mainly concerned with their own achievements, they do not shy away from criticizing other Greek organizations either. It is done in an oblique way, through a chant called the “Kappa bet”, which goes through the Greek alphabet with occasional commentary.
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, whoa!” it begins and continues through many letters until it reaches “Kappa Alpha Psi – Until the Day I Die!” It also exhorts the members “Never be Omega!”
For reinforcing their own pride of character, there is “the Pin Song” a companion chant to “Sweetheart’s Chant,” which speaks of the reasons why a woman of fine character would choose a Kappa Man:
It was because he wore the Kappa shield, because he was a Kappa Bold and a knight of old.
The Kappa Sweetheart chant is another popular chant which is essentially a love song sung by the Kappa Man to his sweetheart, which can be thought of as a love song. I find it to be relentlessly positive and flattering.
I believe it continues the positive message of this fraternity. There are even a couple of lines in the lyrics that tell the young woman to “never feel discouraged, never feel lonely, sad, or blue;”
Listening to the Chants
Despite the fact that it is fascinating to learn about the chants, it’s equally important to remember that even modern “pop” chants such as “Yo Baby” are solely intended for the use of members of the fraternities, and not meant to be imitated or duplicated by anyone outside of the fraternity.
While Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity isn’t as widespread as some of the other fraternities, the Kappa Alpha Psi chapters are excellent examples of how a fraternity can give young men pride, purpose, and a sense of civic responsibility.