New Music: Jason Derulo feat. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign - 'Swalla'
Nearly two months after teasing his Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign-assisted single “Swalla,” Jason Derulo has finally unveiled the Caribbean-flavored banger.
Perfect for the dance floor on a tropical island, “Swalla” allows Jason to get raunchy. “All the girls in here,” he sings. “If you feeling thirsty / Come on, take a sip.”
Ty comes through with the second verse about his Cali girl. “Met her out in Beverly Hills,” he sings. “Dolla got too many girls / Met her out in Beverly Hills / All she wear is red bottom heels.”
But it’s Nicki Minaj who anchors the track with a third and final verse that many will likely assume is another thinly-veiled jab at Remy Ma. “I gave these bitches two years, now your time’s up,” she rhymes. “Bless her heart, she throwin’ shots, but every line sucks.”
“Swalla” doesn’t just borrow from Caribbean sounds. The Ricky Reed-produced track also pulls inspiration from Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s classic 1995 single “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 smash “Swimming Pools (Drank).”
Derulo announced “Swalla” on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” at the start of the year. “I feel like it’s a record we need,” he said. “It’s one of those ones that’s gonna get us up and dancing.”
More recently, he told Billboard that “Swalla” is an organic partnership with Nicki and Dolla. “I never believe in forcing a collaboration,” he said. “I’m a fan of both of theirs and I thought that they fit the track perfectly. It’s one of those ones that’ll get you up and doing your thing. I feel like it’s gonna stick out on the radio. There’s nothing that sounds like it.”
“Swalla” is the lead single off Derulo’s next album, which is set to follow 2015’s Everything Is 4.