"Buss It" is a song recorded by American rapper Erica Banks. Written by Banks and produced by Sgt. J, the song was released on May 15, 2020 through 1501 Certified Entertainment and later through Warner Records as the lead single from Banks's self-titled fourth mixtape. It became popular on the video-sharing platform TikTok in early 2021, and peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A remix featuring American rapper and singer Travis Scott was released on February 11, 2021.
Composition
"Buss It" is a dirty rap[1] song, which begins with a sample from American rapper Nelly's 2002 song "Hot in Herre" in which Nelly sings, "Checkin' your reflection and tellin' your best friend/Like, 'Girl, I think my butt gettin' big'",[2] which then transitions into the song's "trap-heavy" chorus over a repetition of the sample.[3] The Dallas Observer's Alex Gonzalez described the song as "an ass-shaking strip club anthem".[1]
Background
"Buss It" was recorded in December 2019 by Banks with producer Sgt. J.[4] Although Banks was originally hesitant to release it, stating that she "didn't like the song", she eventually released it in June 2020 after being encouraged by Sgt. J and her friends.[2]
A social media "challenge" using "Buss It" was created on video-sharing platform TikTok by user Erika Davila in early January 2021. The "Buss It" challenge begins with users wearing no makeup and everyday clothing before another clip plays which shows them in makeup "dropping it down low" and twerking. The challenge was recreated by musicians Rico Nasty, Monica, DaniLeigh, Iggy Azalea, and Chloe Bailey, as well as actors Gabrielle Union, Tracee Ellis Ross, Deepika Padukone, and Ranveer Singh, and model Jordyn Woods.[5][6][3][7][8] Writing for Harper's Bazaar, Erica Gonzales called it "the first major TikTok trend of 2021".[2] As of February 2021, the song has been used in over five and a half million videos on the platform.[9]
Commercial performance
"Buss It" debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in August 2020 at number 38, peaking at number 36.[3] The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100 five months later in January 2021 as a result of its viral popularity.[10] The song also topped both the Billboard Top Triller U.S. and Top Triller Global charts.[11] The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2021.[12]
A remix of "Buss It" featuring vocals from American rapper Travis Scott was released on February 11, 2021. A teaser for the remix was posted by Banks to her Twitter account hours before its release.[9] The remix begins with a new verse from Scott with autotuned vocals and ad-libs in which he raps about spending money on expensive items and women and references stock prices and American rapper Roddy Ricch.[20][21][22][23]
Critical reception
Billboard's Jason Lipshutz wrote that, on the remix, "Scott puts in extra work, sounding exuberant in the remix’s first half", while Rap-Up called the verse "infectious".[24][23]Uproxx's Aaron Williams wrote that "the track actually works with Travis on it, and he brings every bit as much energy as his host."[25]
