David Guettaв Hey Mama Feat Nicki -

: Following public outcry and the song's massive success, Rexha was officially added as a featured artist in June 2015. 3. The "Rosie" Sample and Ethical Debate

The Story of "Hey Mama": A Global Anthem with Dark Roots Released on March 16, 2015, stands as one of the most successful collaborations between French DJ David Guetta and rap icon Nicki Minaj . While it became a summer definitive with its "island-flavored" dancehall and trap production, the song’s legacy is a complex tapestry of chart-topping success, a controversial uncredited vocalist, and the sampling of a 1940s prison work song. 1. A Star-Studded Collaboration

: Captured by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax , the original "Rosie" was a work song used by chain gangs to keep rhythm while laboring. David GuettaВ Hey Mama Feat Nicki

: Rexha was not originally listed as a featured artist. She later explained to Billboard that the decision was made to keep the feature list short for radio appeal.

"Hey Mama" was the fourth single from Guetta’s sixth studio album, Listen . It marked the third time Guetta and Minaj teamed up, following their 2011 hits "Where Them Girls At" and "Turn Me On". : Following public outcry and the song's massive

: The track features vocals from Nicki Minaj and Bebe Rexha , with co-production by Dutch DJ Afrojack and Giorgio Tuinfort .

The song's core melody and intro are built around a sample of a 1948 recording of Black inmates at the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman Farm). While it became a summer definitive with its

: Critics and scholars have argued that using the voices of exploited prisoners for a pop song about "cooking and cleaning" for a man is ethically problematic. Some labeled it a "gross misuse of sampling," noting the stark contrast between the prisoners' suffering and the song's hedonistic lyrics. 4. Commercial Dominance