"Plain Jane" is a song by American rapper

ASAP Ferg Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg), is an American rapper from New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop collec ...

. The song was released on June 13, 2017, as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from his third studio album, ''

Still Striving ''Still Striving'' is the second mixtape by American rapper ASAP Ferg. It was released through ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music, and RCA Records on August 18, 2017. The album features guest appearances from Meek Mill, Cam'ron, Dave East, Lil Yac ...

'' (2017). It was produced by

Kirk Knight Kirlan Labarrie (born November 16, 1995), better known by his stage name Kirk Knight, is an American record producer, rapper and member of the hip hop collective Pro Era. His debut project, ''Late Knight Special ''Late Knight Special'' is the ...

, and it is a hip hop song. "Plain Jane" has peaked at number 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming his highest-charting single. The official remix for "Plain Jane" was released on December 15, 2017, with

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

Background and composition

"Plain Jane" is one of four tracks released by A$AP Ferg on June 13, 2017, via

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

for TrapLord Tuesdays. Produced by Pro Era's own Kirk Knight, the track's flow and instrumental are heavily influenced by the 1999 song "Slob on My Knob" by

Tear Da Club Up Thugs Hypnotize Minds is an American record label created by DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia in 1997, in Memphis, Tennessee. The label serves as the successor to Three 6 Mafia's previous label, Prophet Entertainment, which was co-founded by DJ Paul ...

. Ferg reflects his childhood growing up and pays homage to

ASAP Yams ASAP Mob (stylized as A$AP Mob, ASAP being an acronym for "Always Strive And Prosper") is an American hip hop collective formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York City, that consists of rappers (most of whom carry the "ASAP" moniker), record producers, ...

("Yamborghini chain, rest in peace to my superior"). He also raps about "eating

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

like a panini" ("Please believe me, I see RiRi, I'mma eat it like panini") and suggests having a foursome with his girlfriend,

Kendall Jenner Kendall Nicole Jenner (born November 3, 1995) is an American model, media personality, and socialite. She is a daughter of Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner, and rose to fame in the reality television show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians.'' Je ...

Bella Bella is a feminine given name. It is a diminutive form of names ending in -bella. ''Bella'' is related to the Italian, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and Latin words for beautiful, to the name Belle, meaning ''beautiful'' in French. It increased in ...

and

Gigi Hadid Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid ( ; born April 23, 1995) is an American model and television personality. In November 2014, she made her debut in the Top 50 Models ranking at Models.com. In 2016, she was named International Model of the Year by the ...

Music video

The official music video of the song was released on October 11, 2017. Directed by

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

director Hidji, it opens with ASAP Ferg standing in an apartment hallway tying his do-rag, with a clip of

Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established i ...

's verse on an unreleased remix of the song playing in the background. It then follows Ferg surrounded by a crew of

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the earl ...

bike riders, as they ride through

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

before going to a night club. The video features cameos from cyclists

Nigel Sylvester Nigel Sylvester (born August 23, 1987 in Queens, New York) is an American professional BMX athlete; He is best known for his progressive bicycling skills as well as his digital content featuring his unique BMX stunts and adventures around the glo ...

and RRDBlocks, who join Ferg and do tricks, as well as from

DRAM Dynamic random-access memory (dynamic RAM or DRAM) is a type of random-access semiconductor memory that stores each bit of data in a memory cell, usually consisting of a tiny capacitor and a transistor, both typically based on metal-oxid ...

and Rihanna.

Track listing

Remix

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

to the single was released on December 15, 2017, with a

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

from fellow Trinidadian-American rapper

. The remix was originally meant to be included on

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

's ''Dedication 6'' mixtape, but after playing it for Ferg, Minaj agreed to make it the official remix instead. Minaj's verse includes references to

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

Catherine Zeta Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...

, and

Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Lupita Nyong'o, several accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, and nominations for ...

. Phemza The Kween also freestyled the song. There is an unreleased remix version of the song featuring Juicy J, who shared his verse in May 2018. Minaj's remix received critical acclaim. ''Billboard'' said "Nicki Minaj brought back that hard rap we've been missing from her for years, paying homage to her New York roots and local legend Notorious B.I.G." ''XXL'' writes "the female MC delivers some hardcore rhymes and punchlines on the catchy tracks," and ''Complex'' noted that, due to Minaj, "one of the best loved songs of the year is about to get even more love".

Chart performance

Following months of hovering around the top 40, "Plain Jane" was propelled by its remix to its peak at number 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Ferg's second highest entry on the chart. The song has also charted in Canada, at number 30.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs ASAP Ferg songs Nicki Minaj songs Songs written by Nicki Minaj RCA Records singles Songs written by ASAP Ferg Songs written by DJ Paul Songs written by Juicy J