There are references that you understand immediately. And then there are those that require you to have been in the right place on the Internet, at the right time.
“I FEEL LIKE NISKA IN THE CLIP WITH SHAY” clearly belongs to the second category.
At first glance, the phrase simply refers to a collaboration between two heavyweights of French-speaking rap.
But behind it, there is a particularly sensual music video, a punchline that went viral two years later, and a running gag that never really disappeared.
you have to go back to 2019.
2019
It all starts with
“Liquide”
On July 1, 2019, Shay released the music video for “Liquide”, a track from her second album Antidote, featuring Niska.
The track itself had been released a few weeks earlier, with the album in May 2019.
The collaboration is significant: Niska is the only feature on the album Antidote, and the track was notably produced by JoATouch, with Le Motif involved in the writing and production.
But it wasn’t just the song that left a mark.
It was above all
the video.
The official video, directed by Guillaume Doubet and produced by Room 108, places Shay and Niska in a party atmosphere heavily inspired by dancehall.
Dancing, intimacy between the two artists, camera movements, extras, and a very physical vibe: the video intentionally plays on the tension between Shay and Niska.
Upon its release, several media outlets described the visuals as particularly sensual.
Generations specifically mentioned a dancehall sound system vibe and very close dancing, while the rap press quickly noted the proximity between the two artists.
And the public noticed the same thing.
The video gradually became one of the most memorable images associated with their collaboration.
On YouTube, the official video has now accumulated tens of millions of views, proof of the longevity of the track and its visuals.
It would take another
two years.