Mo Bamba

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Mo Bamba
Sheck Wes
publication June 16, 2017
length 3:04
Genre (s) Trap
Author (s) 16yrold , Take a Daytrip , Sheck Wes, Emanuell Frantay Williams
Producer (s) 16yrold, Take a Daytrip
Label Cactus Jack
album Mudboy

Mo Bamba is a song by US rapper Sheck Wes from 2017. The second single from his debut album Mudboy was written by the rapper together with Emanuell Frantay Williams and the producers of the song, 16yrold and Take a Daytrip .

background

Mo Bamba was born as a freestyle . Sheck Wes came up with the concept in about 20 minutes and didn't take any notes beforehand. The musician performed his lead vocals in one take using a beat that Take a Daytrip brought to their laptop ; after recording, he declined the producers' suggestion to re-sing some of the lines for improvement. Only additional adlibs were added later. During the recording there was a short interruption of the instrumental as the computer that was playing it froze. Sheck Wes made do with shouting a few swear words rhythmically into the microphone to bridge the gap . The beat started again a short time later, so that the interpreter managed to continue rapping at the right moment. This incident was retained in the finished song. Was named Mo Bamba after the basketball player Mohamed Bamba with which Wes together in Harlem grew up. He is also mentioned in the text, but is only referred to as "Mo".

Music and lyrics

Mo Bamba can be assigned to the Trap genre . It relies on a minimalist beat, which mainly from a simple, continuously repetitive keyboard melody is that with deep, distorted 808 - bass drums , electronic bass , hi-hats and claps is highlighted. Sheck Wes sings most of the time, always with the same sequence of notes . Only after the interruption of the instrumental does a flow change take place and the performer begins to rap. After this stanza he goes back to singing . His voice is subtly alienated with the autotune effect . The lyrics of the song are mostly about the musician's libido , as well as his success and wealth . He threatens the listener and mentions that he had secretly had sex with his girlfriend .

Music video

The music video for Mo Bamba , directed by Tyler Ross , Nick Walker and Sheck Wes, is entirely in black and white (with the exception of a few fixed subtitles highlighted in red ) . You can see the interpreter driving an electric vehicle and in some scenes (at the beginning with two crutches , which he twirls through the air, but later throws them away) standing and dancing . He is surrounded in several sequences by a multitude of people who imitate his short, jerky movements. Wes and his clique often throw bills up in the air; several people are playing basketball. In a subplot, the rapper is watched and pursued by two men who offer him a large bag of money in order to win him over to a record deal . However, when they notice that Wes is also merely spreading the contents of this in the area, they realize that he is not interested in the business.

criticism

Mo Bamba received extremely positive reviews and was able to place in several year-end lists. Since the song only gained notoriety and commercial success the following year after its release, it was included mainly in leaderboards for 2018, including those from Rolling Stone and Billboard . Above all, the entertainment value of the song was praised; several reviewers noted that it would be impossible not to feel the need to dance once the song starts playing. In particular, the point at which the beat stopped and Sheck Wes improvised several curses was repeatedly perceived as an outstanding moment of the title. The song was also timelessness and a status as hip-hop - classics predicted.

success

Mo Bamba was a great commercial success, especially in the USA, which managed to climb to number 6 on the charts. The song was awarded five times platinum there. It also did well in Canada , where it reached position 5. It only reached number 26 in the UK but was awarded gold. In the rest of the world it was much less successful and mostly placed in the middle of the charts. In the German-speaking countries, the song was only able to assert itself in the Swiss charts, where it was number 56.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Album credits. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  2. ^ New York Times article on "Mo Bamba". Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  3. ↑ DJ Booth article on "Mo Bamba" Adlibs. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Lyrics. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  5. ↑ music video. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Rolling Stone's "50 Best Songs of 2018". Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Diffus' "The 10 best songs of 2018 internationally". Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  8. ↑ DJ Booth's "Best Bsngers of 2018". Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Hypebeast's "Top 10 Songs of 2018". Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Billboard's "100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks". Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Mo Bamba (song) in the gold / platinum database of the RIAA (USA)
  12. ↑ Mo Bamba (song) in the British charts
  13. ↑ Gold / platinum database of the BPI (UK, database search)
  14. ↑ US charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Canadian Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .