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It was not an easy game for the Kansas City Chiefs when they faced off against the Miami Dolphins last month. The temperature at Arrowhead Stadium dropped to a freezing -4F (-15.5C), causing potential frostbite. However, as the playoff game progressed, the atmosphere heated up when the song “Swag Surfin'” by Fast Life Yungstaz (FLY) played, filling the stadium with energy.
The popular rap tune, a current favorite among athletes, is expected to be heavily played on Super Bowl Sunday. It begins with a slow and bold sound, but when the beat picks up, an enthusiastic party ensues, causing the 71,492 people in the crowd to move and dance together. The sports anthem includes the lyrics, “I’m stylish, I’m confident, I’m fresh like dish soap.”
Taylor Swift was seen partying with the crowd from a luxury suite, as captured by TV cameras and shared on social media. Rapper Ea$ton, who is featured on the song “Swag Surfin’,” admits to being unable to resist moving along to the song, even if not familiar with it, after seeing the video online.
Swag Surfin’ is hip-hop’s plucky locomotive, a single that just picks up steam each year. It’s the pride and joy of FLY, the rap trio made up of the lifelong friends Myko McFly, Vee and Mook. Swag Surfin’ debuted on their album Jamboree in 2009 and cracked the Billboard Hot 100 on the way to achieving gold certification. It fits squarely alongside line dances like the Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle in the tradition of joyous Black expression.
But it’s staying power, not sales, that distinguishes Swag Surfin’. The track has mushroomed from southern club banger to wedding staple; it was performed by Beyoncé at Coachella and blasted at Barack Obama’s White House and New York fashion week. “There are a lot of artists who never have a hit at all,” says Mook. “For us to have a hit that has only gotten bigger with time, I can’t say nothing else other than we blessed.”
This is a tale of success from a previous era of technology, beginning in the outskirts of Atlanta’s hip-hop music culture in Stone Mountain, Georgia – a suburb famous for its Confederate monument that rivals Mount Rushmore. The trio, who continue to create music today, formed their group while in high school and often collaborated with a group put together by Ea$ton (formerly known as Jit-Lee) called the Band Geakz. In 2008, FLY began working on Jamboree, a time when there was pressure for rap songs to have a corresponding dance that would appeal to the YouTube algorithm. (Think Soulja Boy’s Crank That or GS Boyz’ Stanky Legg.) “But we were actively avoiding that,” Mook explains.
The song Swag Surfin’ falls under the subgenre of hip-hop known as futuristic swag, which combines elements of trap, snap music, and rock. However, it wasn’t until FLY that the sound became unique. Myko discovered the beat for Swag Surfin’ on MySpace and worked out a deal with 19-year-old producer KE on the Track (who would later produce for artists like Rick Ross, Future, and Tamar Braxton) to use the instrumental for $75. Myko remembers his friend driving him to Walmart or Publix to send KE the payment through Western Union, as per his request at the time.
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In a two-bedroom apartment belonging to Mook’s uncle, they recorded Swag Surfin’. They wrote their fun lyrics while huddled on the floor, taking turns in a makeshift recording booth in a closet. Vee’s uncle suggested adding a groovy left-to-right dip sway to the song, which was already popular in Atlanta. As soon as FLY started performing the song in local clubs in summer 2009, they knew it was a hit. Vee, who goes by “Ralph Lauren mascot” on the song, recalls, “After a few weeks, we noticed people dressing like us. It happened at the perfect time, just before everyone went back to college to spread the word.”
After being featured on physical mixtapes, Swag Surfin’ gained popularity among historically Black colleges in the south-east. The song was then picked up by school marching bands for performances at sporting events, and even predominantly white schools like Auburn incorporated it into their in-game entertainment. However, despite its success, FLY remained worried that their fame could be short-lived. They recall a time when they were in a club’s green room before a performance and heard Swag Surfin’ playing, but with someone else rapping on the track. This incident made them realize the importance of owning the beat if they wanted to continue riding the wave of success.
According to Vee, leases allow multiple people to lease a beat. This led to a situation where the group had to purchase the beat from another lessee and also from KE when they were ready to use it for radio and have a professional version made. Although the cost was not disclosed, the group admits it was worth every penny spent.
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The music video features the popular dance move, which quickly became popular in professional sports arenas. Mook gives a shoutout to Willie Gay, linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, for pushing the team’s event staff to play Swag Surfin’ during their final regular-season game to motivate them for their championship run. At the time, Swift was spotted in a luxury suite at Arrowhead Stadium, enjoying the song with a drink in hand. “Since I’ve been here, it’s always been a crucial moment in the fourth quarter, a big drive in the game for our defense,” explained Travis Kelce on his podcast, New Heights. “They play a highlight video with Swag Surfin’ and it really gets everyone pumped.”
However, during the Dolphins’ game, Swift gave her all in what became the most talked-about moment for FLY. In the conference championship game two weeks later, members of the Baltimore Ravens team performed the dance as a way to mock Swift and the Chiefs after scoring a touchdown early on. Following this incident, USA Today and other news sources have rushed to explain the meaning behind the dance for those who may have been confused as to why she wasn’t making letter shapes with her arms like in the Village People’s song. “She was really energized and having a great time,” says Ea$ton, noting how effortlessly she rode the wave of popularity.
“When Mook mimics Swift’s move, sweeping her hand over her head on beat,” he says, “it serves as a reminder of our role as trendsetters for the past 15 years.”
Source: theguardian.com
