BIA Nods Red Rat In New Dancehall Song ‘Oh No’, But Where’s The Shenseea Collab?

Rising rap sensation BIA has sampled Red Rat‘s Tight Up Skirt (1997) in her new song, Oh No, off her latest EP, REALLY HER, which dropped last Friday, July 28.

Listeners will instantly recognize Red Rat’s vocals crooning “Oh No” and “Ayy, you, girl, inna di tight up skirt” in the catchy intro and chorus.

Produced by Lil Rich, the track is both fresh and nostalgic as BIA blends her rap verses with elements from the Dancehall riddim Mad Lion, on which Tight Up Skirt first appeared.

Interestingly, in September last year, BIA had dropped hints about a potential collaboration with Dancehall star Shenseea for Oh No.

The Whole Lotta Money rapper had tweeted a photo of Lil Rich holding a whiteboard that seemed to display the tracklist for a “BIA Album.”

Although the titles were obscured, eagle-eyed fans noticed “Oh No – Shenseea” written on the lower part of the board, even though it was partially marked out.

Shenseea, 26, and BIA, 31, were first spotted together at the Jamaican singer’s New York City album launch in March 2022.

Produced by Andrew ‘Buccaneer‘ Bradford, the Mad Lion riddim also featured Goofy’s Buff Bay, Ghost’s Mixup Situation, and Buccaneer’s Plenty More Gal.

Tight Up Skirt later appeared on Red Rat’s album Oh No… It’s Red Rat, which was released by Greensleeves in 1997.

Over the years, a few artists have been inspired by its infectious beat and lyrics, including Samantha J’s Tight Skirt (2012) and BEAM, Toian, Don Toliver, and Wizkid‘s Link Up (2023), which appeared on the Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse soundtrack.

However, not all samples of the song have been without controversy.

Chris Brown’s use of the track in his 2017 song Privacy led to a copyright lawsuit, which was settled in September last year.

Greensleeves had sought over USD 1,500,000 in damages, profits, and interest in the original complaint.  Red Rat’s attorney-at-law Merrick Dammar, who had revealed that the lawsuit had been filed without his client’s knowledge or permission, offered no comment on the settlement when it was reached.

BIA, who is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent and hails from Medford, Massachusetts, has been making a name for herself since 2016 when she first appeared on the reality TV show Sisterhood of Hip Hop.

Her latest EP includes London with J. Cole, I’m That B**ch with Timbaland, and Four Seasons, which features some Jamaican patios lines.