Wine ah de Century

Not far down a rabbit hole that opens when discovering Moombahton, one is almost certain to find him- or herself in the world of Dutch House, or “Dirty Dutch” as it is known in certain corners of the internet. Brooklyn-based producer Dubbel Dutch is responsible for some of the finest examples of music inspired by the Dutch’s keen ear for the bashment club vibe.

Dubbel Dutch – Dip So

Something interesting about this example is that the vocal samples belong to a singer who has been referred to of late as fellow Barbadian, Rihanna’s heir apparent.

Rihanna feat. J-Status & Shontelle – Roll It

Contrary to the impression you may have gotten watching the video, the lyrics actually express the singer’s appreciation for what she considers an ample physique.

Waistline me have plenty
And prepare fi de wine ah de century
Me look good and me fresh and me clean
Ah you nah ready fi de Bajan Queen

If you just close you’re eyes it’s easy to imagine she’s offering encouragement to women so often mistreated by show biz’s impossible body standards. If you’re going “who the hell is Shontelle”, here’s the one you’ve probably heard before:

Shontelle – Impossible

You may remember we mentioned Rihanna a couple of days ago in the same breath as Lil Kim, whose own successor, Tiffany Foxx, has been making waves for more than a year now:

Tiffany Foxx – Jellybean

In perhaps the most overt example of women’s adoption of the male rap persona to date, Foxx’s latest release which dropped last month is entitled King Foxx. Let’s hope the irony isn’t lost on her that her debut album was called “HERstory”.

Girl Power

You may remember from a week ago our treatment of what seems a new requirement of women in hip hop and R&B to have the kind of braggadocio traditionally belonging to men.

Azealia Banks

Until recently female swagger followed a trajectory better-suited to the traditional genders roles found in the lyrics of female rappers like Lil Kim in this gem from a track by our old friend, 50 Cent:

Lil’ Kim not a whore
But I sex a nigga so good, he gotta tell his boys

Since that track dropped, around the time some of the oldest of the millennials were in college, a lot has gone on. The aforementioned Rihanna rocketed to super-stardom just two years later with the unforgettable Pon de Replay.

Rihanna – Pon De Replay (Re-Verbz Moombah Bootleg)

The track prominently features the slack patois of the singer’s native Barbados.

For no reason at all, here is one of the dopest things ever to come out of Moombahton:

MRRSN – Alegria