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Pharrell Williams · S3 E4
Shake Ya Ass
Mystikal meets The Neptunes — chaos and genius
Somewhere in a studio, 2000. Mystikal is screaming so hard into the microphone that the engineer has to pull the input levels back three times before the first verse is done.
Mystikal, Shake Ya Ass (2000). The most physically explosive rapper alive over the cleanest Neptunes beat yet. Pure chaos meets surgical precision.
Shake Ya Ass, Mystikal (2000)
The Neptunes do the opposite of what every other producer does for Mystikal: they strip the beat down to almost nothing. A stuttering hi-hat drives the track forward while a stripped-down bass groove and staccato synth hits create pockets of space that Mystikal fills with pure screaming energy. Pharrell's smooth vocal ad-libs weave through the background, creating a contrast that makes Mystikal sound even more unhinged.
The New Orleans Wildman
Mystikal is a force of nature from New Orleans who spent three years on Master P's No Limit Records, going platinum twice. By 2000, he has signed with Jive Records and is looking for a sound big enough to match his manic energy. Someone suggests The Neptunes, and two completely opposite creative worlds collide.
“The first time he started rapping, I thought the speakers were going to blow. I had never seen anyone perform like that in a recording booth.”
— Pharrell Williams, in interviews about working with Mystikal (paraphrased)
TAP TO REVEAL: How did The Neptunes turn a star into a supernova?
Mystikal served in which branch of the U.S. military before becoming a rapper?
Danger (Been So Long), Mystikal ft. Nivea
The other massive single from "Let's Get Ready," produced by Jermaine Dupri. Where "Shake Ya Ass" is pure adrenaline, "Danger" rides a smoother groove and reveals Mystikal's range. The whole album went double platinum, and this track carried the second half of its rollout.
The Neptunes have conquered every corner of hip-hop: New York, Atlanta, New Orleans. Now the most unexpected call yet: Britney Spears wants what Mystikal has, and Pharrell is about to rewire pop music from the inside.
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