Israeli pop stars Static & Ben El drop new song with US rapper Pitbull

Israeli pop duo Static & Ben El Tavori on Friday released a new single in collaboration with US rapper Pitbull, as part of an international contract facilitated by Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban.

The pair, who started as YouTube artists before becoming a national sensation with a series of hit songs, signed the 10-year deal in 2018 with a US record company affiliated with Saban, who last week launched a new music company called Saban Music Group and signed a $500 million-deal with record giant Universal Music Group.

The new song, called “Further Up (Na, Na, Na, Na, Na),” is part of that deal, and has garnered some 2 million views on YouTube in its first two days.

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It is accompanied by a music video produced by Israel’s Roms Studios.

Saban is mentioned in the lyrics — in the first verse, Pitbull says: “Here’s a little story about my friend Haim, gave me a call about a hit I said count me in.”

The song samples Ini Kamoze’s 1994 hit “Here Comes the Hotstepper.” Last Tuesday, Nicky Jam and Daddy Yankee also dropped a new single sampling that song, called Muévelo.