Rowdy Rebbel: "Shmoney Dance" [ft. Bobby Shmurda]
I’m not gonna lie: it’s almost impossible to talk about “Shmoney Dance” in a critical capacity. What I can tell is you that it appears to be a distinctly New York take on drill music, which means it’s OK for people from New York to like it because it’s innately superior to and more “lyrical” than Chief Keef or King L (see the numerous “Chi-wack” references in its YouTube comments). I’ve watched the video several dozen times this week and can confirm maybe 15 words of its lyrics; for the most part, Rowdy Rebbel and Bobby Shmurda are gangsta as fuck and the inferiority of other crews is self-evident compared to their own. Oh, and Rebbel and Shmurda’s affiliates are also called “shmoneys,” which is confusing. The two of them are making gun pantomimes throughout the video and that is also confusing since Rowdy Rebbel and Bobby Shmurda are adorable names that you’d give to your 6-year old cousin in the middle of a vigorous round of noogies. Oh, and I still have no idea how to do the actual Schmoney Dance, though this Vine is helpful: of all songs introducing a new dance, “Shmoney Dance” is one of the least instructive ever made.
But in those key words I can decipher, you get the gist of what the Shmoney Dance is all about: when you do the Shmoney Dance, good things will come your way. Because you’ve already put in the work and everyone knows that. You look at the way Rebbel and Shmurda conduct themselves, the flippant manner in which they spit incomprehensible slang, and you remember the first time Cam’ron rocked pink furs or when Rick Ross jumped off a bridge onto a speedboat or Waka Flocka iced out a Muppet. It’s an irresistible merger of confidence, exuberance and self-possession that makes the hows and whys insignificant. It’s walking self-fulfilling prophecy. And so “Shmoney Dance” makes for a phenomenal meme and perfect summer jam because its spirit is truly of the season—if it feels good, do it.
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