If you are looking up the meaning of “Crocodile Teeth,” the title refers to ammunition. In the hook, Skillibeng says he carries guns with heavy clips loaded with “crocodile teeth.”
Nicki Swift’s 2021 explainer cited Genius on what the phrase means: he refers to high-capacity magazines, which can store 50 to 100 rounds, and feature rifle rounds that closely resemble a crocodile’s teeth.
In plain terms, the long, pointed rifle bullets lined up in an extended magazine look like a row of crocodile teeth.
What the Lyrics Are About
The song is gun talk and a show of dominance, a common style in dancehall. Lyric analysis sites mostly agree on the main themes.
Songtell, writing about three years ago, says in the chorus, Skillibeng emphasizes his fearlessness and toughness compared to others who may talk big but lack the same level of boldness.
It adds that in the first verse he refers to his guns as “chopstick” and “Draco,” emphasizing their menacing nature.
The song also names Skillibeng’s home base. Lyreka’s reading is that the EastSyde affiliation serves as both territorial marker and identity badge, and that the many weapon references function as status symbols in a world where violence represents power.
Skillibeng is signed to RCA Records and Eastsyde Records. Keep in mind that these readings are interpretations by third-party lyric sites. Skillibeng has not explained them himself.
The violence in the lyrics is graphic. The verses warn rivals about what happens if they disrespect him or his crew.
They describe readiness for conflict and gunshots, and they tell anyone who doesn’t want to bleed not to diss him.
Release Date and Production
Sources give different release dates. Apple Music lists the single as September 21, 2020, and Audiomack shows the same date. Last.fm lists 20 September 2020.
A May 2021 DancehallMag news report said the song was released in October 2020, during Skillibeng’s beef with fellow dancehall artist Intence. The streaming-platform dates point to September 2020.
Shazam’s credits list Johnny Wonder and Adde Instrumentals as producers. The songwriters listed are john scilipoti, Emwah Warmington and Andreas Olov Nilsson. The original track runs 2:46.
Drake’s Co-Sign and Attention From Rappers
In March 2021, Urban Islandz reported that while promoting “Lemon Peppered Wings,” his six-minute collaboration with Rick Ross, Drake tagged Skillibeng in a photo of the track playing on satellite radio. The song was getting airplay on Drake’s relaunched OVO Sound Radio on SiriusXM.
In May 2021, DancehallMag reported that rappers like Tory Lanez, Drake, Bobby Shmurda, Rich The Kid, and African star Burna Boy had all been seen repping the track on their social media.
The Nicki Minaj Remix (May 2021)
The official remix with Nicki Minaj came out on May 14, 2021 by Republic Records. It was one of the new tracks on the reissue of her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty.
Producer Johnny Wonder told The Star at the time that Nicki Minaj’s team reached out to be a part of the remix. He said having listened to the beat and the lyrics of the song, Minaj took a keen interest in Crocodile Teeth.
Nicki Swift described Minaj’s verse as one that fuses English with Jamaican patois, and sees her bragging about her man’s firearms and warning the competition that she’s back like she’s never left.
The remix did well right away. DancehallMag reported on May 17, 2021 that it topped YouTube trending in Jamaica for three consecutive days. In the U.S., it appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart, debuting at No. 100.
On May 23, 2021, DancehallMag called the song Skillibeng’s highest streaming song to date, currently amassing over 20 million views on YouTube alone. Those numbers are from that date and have not been updated here.
The Bobby Shmurda Remix and the Crocodile Teeth Album
Skillibeng then made the song the title of a full project. Reggaeville lists the album Crocodile Teeth with a release date of 10/15/2021.
The first track is a remix featuring Bobby Shmurda. Spotify also gives that remix a release date of 2021-10-15.
Why the Song Matters
“Crocodile Teeth” shows how a gun-talk dancehall song can catch on in hip-hop. The original single built buzz online.
Drake’s co-sign brought the attention of U.S. rappers, and the Minaj remix gave Skillibeng a Billboard Hot 100 entry.
The song’s title, a slang image for high-capacity rifle magazines, stayed the center of every version that followed.
