Formed in the late '70s, Cleveland's Dazz Band was the union of two popular funk bands in that city and took their name from their self-styled danceable jazz. The group had some minor success through two albums on the R&B and dance charts, but had failed to have a mainstream pop hit when they signed with Motown Records.

In 1982, the Dazz Band released their debut album for that legendary label, Keep It Live. Culled from the album as the first single was "Let It Whip." The song was already shaping up to be a major hit on the R&B charts when it crossed over to pop radio. In May, "Let It Whip" broke into the US Top 40. With a silky smooth melody and funky vocals, the song steadily climbed the chart eventually peaking at #5 in August. By then, "Let It Whip" had already topped the R&B charts and reached #2 on the dance charts.

It would prove to be the Dazz Band's only US Top 40 hit. Although they would continue to have hits on R&B radio throughout the rest of the '80s, they could never duplicate the success of "Let It Whip" and, in fact, only had one more minor pop hit when they hit #61 in 1984 with the single "Joystick."

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