Shabba

Album: Trap Lord (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Ferg pays homage to the legendary Jamaican Dancehall artist Shabba Ranks on this track over a beat from Snugsworth of Modern Outfit. A$AP Mob spearhead and Ferg's friend since high school, A$AP Rocky, takes the second verse.

    Shabba Ranks is a Jamaican singer whose gravel toned, rough-sounding voice made him one of the most popular dancehall artists of his generation. Ranks began his music career in 1980 as Jamaican DJ Don, building up a strong following on the island. His biggest hit single outside of the Caribbean was the reggae fusion smash "Mr. Loverman" which was a Jamaican hit in the late 80s, but had to wait until 1992 for international success in remix form.
  • The video was shot in a Yonkers, New York, mansion. The clip features plenty of Versace and sexy servants, as we see the entire ASAP Mob partying in luxury alongside The Wire's' Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and Shabba Ranks himself. "We found him — it's very rare, man. Our peoples reached out to his peoples and we finally got a hold of the legend," Ferg told MTV News regarding how they recruited Shabba for his cameo.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

George Clinton

George ClintonSongwriter Interviews

When you free your mind, your ass may follow, but you have to make sure someone else doesn't program it while it's wide open.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.