In the mid-2000s internet ecosystem, high schoolers Mimi Davila and Laura DiLorenzo became early YouTube royalty by parodying Fergie’s 2006 megahit "Fergalicious" with their viral anthem "Chongalicious"—essentially lifting the track's cadence, hook, and spelling gimmicks to pay homage to Miami chonga culture. But before anyone accuses the duo of shameless intellectual property theft, it’s worth remembering that Fergie’s team did the exact same thing first.

"Fergalicious" owes its entire pulse, rapid-fire spelling flow, and iconic hook to "Supersonic," the 1988 electro-hip-hop classic by J.J. Fad (short for "Just Jammin' Fresh and Def"). Composed of MC JB, Baby D, and Sassy C, J.J. Fad made history as the first female rap group to earn a Grammy nomination, laying down hyper-fast, rhythmic rhymes under Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records.

The Borrowed Blueprint: J.J. Fad's original fast-spelling chorus "S-U-P-E-R / S-O-N-I-C" became Fergie's "T-O-T-H-E-N-A-V-A-T-I-O-N," lifting the exact rhythm and delivery of the 1988 track.

While listeners might assume Fergie just quietly stole the vibe, producer will.i.am actually went out of his way to clear the interpolations and secure official songwriting credits for J.J. Fad's members, specifically aiming to channel "Supersonic" to frame Fergie as a fierce, retro female emcee. However, the choice still sparked drama: "Supersonic" co-producer Arabian Prince later launched a legal fight against Ruthless Records, claiming he was left out of the lucrative royalty cut when will.i.am bought the rights to resurrect J.J. Fad's cadence for 2000s pop radio. So while the Chonga Girls spoofed Fergie, Fergie was merely selling a sanitized, million-dollar repackaging of late-80s West Coast hip-hop.