AUDIO: A$AP Ferg’s “Shabba” Continues Hip-Hop’s ’90s Dancehall Obsession

Words by Richard “Treats” Dryden—

We were up real late last night when A$AP Ferg’s “Shabba” caught our ear (via NahRight), minutes after seeing the video for his “Work” remix on MTVJams. The Harlem native is emerging from A$AP Rocky’s shadow and killing it right now, and it didn’t take him long, either. He’s officially hit a stride between “Work,” stealing the show on A$AP MOB’s Lord$ Never Worry, and now “Shabba”. The latest in the wave of new hip-hop tracks referencing classic, ’90s-era dancehall, (see also Kanye’s recent Shabba shout-out), the A$AP Rocky-guested track sees Ferg likening his accessories game to the iconic dancehall star whose style is synonymous with swagger.

Granted, Fergenstein’s fatois (fake patois) definitely gets a pass; we hear Ferg has Jamaican roots himself. All quotables aside, pay close attention to his trail-a-load of ad-libs (The Liu Kang one, Bruce Wayne/Master Bruce and “DAMN”). He’s clearly inherited a knack for ad-libs from fellow Harlemite, Jim Jones.

Now, cue Marlon Wayans’ invoking of the Champion Lover, Mr. Ugly Man from In Living Color.