Songoftheday 4/1/21 - Ayo my whole clique 'bout it 'bout it, we take yours while you pout about it...

 

 

"Money, Power & Respect" - The Lox featuring DMX & Lil' Kim

from the album Money, Power & Respect (1998)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 11

 

Today's song of the day comes from hip-hop group the Lox, who had landed their first lead-artist top-40 pop hit in the beginning of 1998 with "If You Think I'm Jiggy". The trio of Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek released the title track from Money, Power & Respect, which features DMX (who will soon have his own top-40 hit) and Lil' Kim (who already has been there a couple times). Written by the three, they expound on the priorities in their baller world, with Lil' Kim handling what would be considered the "chorus", and DMX bringing in the final verse, all over a smart sample of jazz/disco musician Dexter Wansel's "New Beginning". They all ride the reimagined churning groove competently, even if the material isn't really that groundbreaking, but it made for their biggest hit as a lead artist...

"Money, Power & Respect" became the Lox's second and so far last top-40 pop hit in May of 1998. The song was their biggest R&B hit as well (save their guesting on Puff Daddy's "It's All About The Benjamins"), peaking at #8, while spending a week at #1 on their Rap Singles list. Internationally, the single was a minor hit in New Zealand at #45. Not long after this, Sheek would appear on DMX's first top-40 hit "Get At Me Dog".

After this album, the Lox fought to break free from being under Bad Boy Records' (and ultimately Sean Combs') wing, finally heading to Ruff Ryders Records, which was gaining steam in the aftermath of the Death Row collapse in the harder section of hip-hop world. They came back in 2000 with their sophomore effort, We Are The Streets, which made the top five on the Billboard 200 (#5) and R&B Albums (#2) charts, going on to sell over a million copies. However, possibly because of not having the Puff Daddy promotion machine behind them, and a not-so-radio friendly sound, the lead single "Wild Out" stalled all the way down at #64 on the R&B chart, not even making a pass on the pop Hot 100. The second release, "Ryde Or Die, Chick", which at least made the top-40 at R&B at #27, hit the pop list at #73, which is still underwhelming with then-hot Eve guesting and Timbaland producing. A third single, "Recognize", also with Eve, snuck on to the R&B chart at #94. 

After this relative disappointment, the three split up, releasing solo work with varying success. Both Jadakiss and Styles will be in this series in the future, while all three scored at least one top ten album in the 2000s.  The Lox reunited for two EPs and two more studio albums, the most recent being Living Off Experience released in 2020, which got to #154 on the Billboard 200 tally. 

(3/10)

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and here's the Lox, Lil' Kim, and DMX on the Sinbad Vibe show in 1998...

Up tomorrow: R&B newcomer is self-centered.