It's All about the Benjamins
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| “It's All about the Benjamins” | |||||
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| Single by Puff Daddy featuring Lil Kim, The LOX & The Notorious B.I.G. from the album No Way Out |
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| Released | June 30, 1998 | ||||
| Format | CD | ||||
| Recorded | 1996 | ||||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | ||||
| Length | 4:37 | ||||
| Label | Bad Boy Records | ||||
| Producer | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen | ||||
| Puff Daddy singles chronology | |||||
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"It's All About the Benjamins" is best known as the fourth single released from the Puff Daddy album No Way Out. The song is about living rich and the importance of having money. "Benjamins" are slang for $100 bills (USD), a reference to Benjamin Franklin's image on the bills. The song created a pop-culture phrase and influenced the title for the film All about the Benjamins.
The song originated from a mixtape debuted by DJ Clue. This version of the song only featured Puff Daddy and the rap act The L.O.X. (excluding Styles P). The song was later added to Puffy's debut album, No Way Out, in a remix, "It's All about the Benjamins (Remix)", which added two new verses by Lil Kim and Notorious B.I.G. This version of the song also omitted the word "Hebrew" out of Jadakiss' verse, however the word was left in on the first pressing, subsequent pressings removed the word. Additionally, when it was released on the Bad Boy's Greatest Hits Vol. I album, it retained the word. This single made it to No. 2 on the Billboard charts and its video won a "Viewer's Choice" award at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards show. Due to the rarity of the obscure mixtape version, the remix featured on No Way Out is often considered the song's definitive version to avoid confusion.
The song samples two pieces of music. The first sample heard up to the end of Lil Kim's verse is taken from the song "I Did It For Love" by the Love Unlimited. The verse performed by Notorious B.I.G. contains a sample from the Jackson 5 song "It's Great to Be Here." This latter sample is exclusive to the No Way Out remix. After the final verse, the song reverts to the first sample and ends shortly after.
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[edit] Remixes
Puffy also released a rock version of the song, "It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix)". This collaboration, also known as "Shot-Caller Rock Remix" and "Rock Remix I", featured Perfect, Fuzzbubble, Rob Zombie and Dave Grohl on drums. This remix added guitar riffs and live drums, as well as a more "in your face" approach to the song's chorus. This version had its own music video, directed by Spike Jonze, which was nominated for "Best Video Of The Year" on MTV Video Music Awards in 1998.
In 1999, Puffy performed this remix with a live band at Giants Stadium for the NetAid benefit concert. This performance featured Slash on guitar as well as Lil' Cease and Lil' Kim on vocals.
There is also a slightly different alternative to this remix called, "It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix II)." This lesser known version adds Size 14 to the song's already long collaboration line-up.
Both rock remixes of the song have yet to be released uncensored.
[edit] In popular culture
"Weird Al" Yankovic performed a lyrical adaptation of the rock remix of "It's All About the Benjamins". His version, "It's All About the Pentiums" features himself bragging about computers.
Lazy Sunday, a digital short rap music video from Saturday Night Live also contained lyrics that were a parody, "it's all about the Hamiltons", referring to $10 bills.
[edit] Formats and track listings
- Been Around the World (Single)
- Been Around the World (Radio Edit)
- It's All about the Benjamins (Shot-Caller Rock Remix)
- Been Around the World (Maxi-single)
- Been Around the World (Radio Edit)
- It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix I)
- It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix II)
- It's All about the Benjamins (Album Version)
- Single (U.K. and Canada only)
- It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix I)
- It's All about the Benjamins (Album Version)
- It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix II)
- It's All about the Benjamins (DJ Ming & FS Drum N' Base Mix)
[edit] Chart position
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
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| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks | 1 |
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