When artists sample “Bam Bam,” they hardly obscure Russell’s original track. It has been sampled endlessly and prominently in pop and hip-hop-by Lauryn Hill, by Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa, by Too $hort and Pete Rock. is my ambition.” Russell never achieved the kind of crossover household recognition of artists such as Bob Marley or Peter Tosh, but “Bam Bam” slowly and surely wriggled its way into the popular consciousness. She has a song called “Only Woman DJ With Degree,” and on “Bam Bam” she sings in a birdlike patois, “I’m a lady / I’m not a man / m.c. She is cited as the first female reggae artist to tour internationally, and her songs frequently make reference to her pioneering status. named Brigadier Jerry, Russell was nearly always the only woman working in the reggae and dancehall circles she moved in. and singer in Jamaica in the nineteen-eighties, a time when female artists in the scene were scarce. Sister Nancy, born Ophlin Russell, began her career as a dancehall d.j. Sister Nancy’s reggae classic “Bam Bam,” which has been endlessly sampled, most recently on Kanye West’s “Famous,” only grows more lustrous with age. There is no wrong time to play “Bam Bam.” Every summer belongs to “Bam Bam.” But then the “Famous” storm clouds crack, giving way to the sun-dappled relief of Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam,” a reggae classic that only grows more lustrous with age. The song roils and churns for a couple of minutes, with West slinging provocations about the agony and ecstasy of fame (and about Swift) Rihanna interjects to perform a solemn Nina Simone impersonation. West and Swift are the central figures in the world of “Famous,” but I want to talk for a moment about a tertiary character: Sister Nancy. But in terms of the number of conversations generated the award goes to Kanye West’s “Famous,” whose line about Taylor Swift created a pop-cultural domino effect that will continue for months to come-at least until Swift releases her next album. Desiigner’s “Panda” had the highest velocity for an unknown artist. This year, Rihanna’s “Work” and Drake’s “One Dance” have won the ubiquity game. Any hit can be crowned song of the summer if the right measuring stick is used.