Shake Ya Ass

"Shake Ya Ass"
Single by Mystikal featuring Pharrell Williams
from the album Let's Get Ready
B-side"Shake It Fast"
ReleasedJuly 18, 2000 (2000-07-18)
StudioMaster Sound Studios
(Virginia Beach, Virginia)
GenreDirty rap
Length4:20
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)Michael Tyler, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo
Producer(s)The Neptunes
Mystikal singles chronology
"Live or Die"
(1999) 		"Shake Ya Ass"
(2000) 		"Danger (Been So Long)"
(2000)

"Shake Ya Ass", also known by its clean title "Shake It Fast", is a song by American rapper Mystikal, released on July 18, 2000 as the first single from his fourth album, Let's Get Ready. Produced by the Neptunes, the song features a hook performed by Pharrell Williams, who is uncredited on various releases of the song. It was Mystikal's biggest commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number seven on the Hot Rap Singles chart. Both the song and music video (directed by Little X (now Director X)) received heavy radio airplay and it has become Mystikal's most popular song, along with its similarly successful follow-up, "Danger (Been So Long)"—which the Neptunes also produced.

History

There were two edited versions of the song, allowing radio stations to choose between the two refrains but both versions had modified lyrics. Only the edited version of "Shake Ya Ass" was never released as opposed to "Shake It Fast" on the album's edited version.

In March 2002, Mystikal was sued by Steve Winn, the creator of the Cajun in Your Pocket keychain toy, who claimed that "Shake Ya Ass" bore many similarities to his product.[1]

In an interview with RapGenius, Mystikal explained that he was reluctant to release the song as a single at first, stating that he felt that it didn't adequately showcase his abilities as an artist. However, he stated that he was grateful it was released, saying that its success "proved me wrong" and that it was the "biggest song of my career".[2]

Music video

The music video for this song shows Mystikal being invited to a party by three Black women. He later goes to the house where this party is being held. As he enters the house, he notices a group of bikini-clad women wearing masks and shaking on the dance floor. One of the women leads him upstairs, removes her mask, and shows him she was one of the three women he had met earlier. Pharrell can also be seen singing and dancing with some of the women. The video vixens featured are Melyssa Ford, Tanisha Scott, and Maritza Murray.

Legacy

The song was listed as the 303rd best song of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media.

Since its release, the song has been featured in several films and other media. It has been featured in the films The Hot Chick, Zoolander, Crossroads, Down to Earth, Juwanna Mann, Scary Movie 2, Identity Thief, About a Boy and It's a Boy Girl Thing and the HBO television series Treme and in the first-season episode "Everybody Hates Drew" of TV series Everybody Hates Chris. It also appeared in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV when the player enters the Alderney strip club in the city. In 2019, the song lyrics were read by former WCW commentator Tony Schiavone on his popular podcast What Happened When. This was a big success with the podcast audience and has led to Schiavone reading different rap songs every week. The song was subsequently remixed with Schiavone's initial version dubbed in over the music.

Track listing

A-side

  1. "Shake Ya Ass" (LP version) – 4:20
  2. "Shake Ya Ass" (instrumental) – 4:39

B-side

  1. "Shake Ya Ass" (clean radio edit) – 4:17
  2. "Shake It Fast" (cleaner radio edit) – 4:16

Charts

References

  1. ^ Goodman, Abbey (March 26, 2002). "Mystikal Sued For Advocating The Sucking Of Crawfish Heads: Inventor of Cajun in Your Pocket key chain seeks songwriting credit on 'Shake Ya Ass.'". MTV News. Viacom International, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  2. ^ Setaro, Shawn. "OTL 39: Mystikal & Kevin Gates". Outside the Lines With Rap Genius. RapGenius. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  3. ^ "The ARIA Report: Issue 574 (Week Commencing 26 February 2001)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "Issue 576" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  5. ^ "Mystikal – Shake Ya Ass" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  6. ^ "Mystikal – Shake Ya Ass" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  7. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  9. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  11. ^ "Mystikal Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  12. ^ "Mystikal Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  13. ^ "Mystikal Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  15. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2021.