Twenty-three years ago, The LOX connected with Lil Kim and DMX to weigh the benefits of “Money, Power, & Respect.”
In honor of the milestone anniversary, it feels appropriate to highlight the project’s title track, which features the heavyweight presence of DMX (who was in the midst of enjoying a legendary year) and Lil Kim, a longtime friend and collaborator of Bad Boy legend Notorious B.I.G. Off the bat, hip-hop heads will likely recognize the iconic instrumental, one that calls back to a distinct and beloved era, when the golden age was slowly transitioning into the shiny new millennium. Lyrically, each party holds it down as you’d expect, with each young New York rapper showcasing the chemistry that would later come to define the Double R.
Check out this classic tune below, and show some love to one of the game’s greatest groups of all time.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Only time could tell how the clock ticks
I’m really loved here but I’m still a hostage
Two personalities check the posture
Smoke out the mouth clear out the nostrils
Think of death, the life seem scary
I’m passin’ graveyards seein’ people Hail Mary
– SP