Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Got Your Money” remains an instantly recognizable anthem from 1999, a year where musical landscapes were shifting dramatically. While many artists at the time were embracing futuristic sounds and Y2K anxieties, ODB, with his signature chaotic style, took a different route, drawing inspiration from the past. His unique approach, particularly evident in “Got Your Money,” reveals a fascinating blend of humor, cultural references, and a provocative persona.
The Blaxploitation Vibe of “Got Your Money”
In an era filled with millennium-bug concerns and artists like Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes exploring futuristic aesthetics, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, or Dirty as he was often known, surprisingly looked backwards. As fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Monk noted, ODB’s humor on his album N—a Please was deeply rooted in the comedy of legends like Blowfly and Richard Pryor. This influence extended beyond just humor; it permeated his music. The iconic “Odb Got Your Money” track samples Rudy Ray Moore, specifically his routine “N—a Please,” and the music video boldly incorporates footage from Moore’s classic blaxploitation film Dolemite. Even the album art for N—a Please showcased Dirty in full 70s regalia, complete with a Donna Summer wig and a Rick James tracksuit, solidifying this retro inspiration.
Alt text: Ol’ Dirty Bastard album cover featuring the artist wearing a 1970s style outfit with a wig and tracksuit, highlighting the blaxploitation era influence on his music and style.
This reliance on Dolemite and the blaxploitation genre might have been partly due to ODB’s circumstances in 1999, as he spent a significant portion of that year incarcerated. However, the blaxploitation influence is crucial to understanding the unsettling and cartoonish “pimp” character he embodied in “Got Your Money” and throughout that period. He channeled some of blaxploitation’s most prominent and controversial themes: the complex relationships between sex workers, those who seek to control them, and law enforcement. Blaxploitation films in the 70s were themselves a point of contention, seen by some as perpetuating harmful racial stereotypes, while others viewed them as a rebellious counterpoint to mainstream, sanitized portrayals of Black life. The 1990s witnessed a resurgence of interest in blaxploitation, fueled by Wu-Tang Clan’s nostalgic nods and Quentin Tarantino’s cinematic homages. Both, in their distinct ways, brought back elements of blaxploitation’s raw energy – Wu-Tang through kung-fu film parallels and Tarantino via direct references in films like Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.
Re-evaluating “Got Your Money” Through a Modern Lens
Back in 1999, the nuances of pimping and its disturbing connection to sex trafficking were not widely understood, at least not by everyone. Years later, with greater maturity and awareness, the subtext of the gender dynamics presented in “Got Your Money” becomes clearer and more troubling. The song, once simply a catchy and ubiquitous hit, now carries a weightier context. It subtly contributed to the cultural normalization of exploitative relationships, a realization that can be unsettling when revisiting a song once enjoyed without a full understanding of its implications. While many may still lack the precise language to retroactively critique the problematic aspects of a song they once loved, the discomfort remains.
Alt text: Music video still of Ol’ Dirty Bastard in “Got Your Money” portraying a cartoonish pimp character, reflecting blaxploitation film tropes and themes.
The reach of “Got Your Money” extends far beyond its initial release. Samples of the song, both vocal and musical, have appeared in tracks by artists like Vic Mensa and The Chemical Brothers. It has also been featured in films and commercials, further amplifying its cultural footprint. Research into ODB’s life reveals a more complex and troubled figure than many fans may have realized at the time. His personal struggles, including alleged abusive behavior towards his wife and family, as documented in The Dirty Version, add another layer of complexity to his legacy. This information forces a difficult consideration: how to reconcile admiration for an artist’s work with the knowledge of their personal failings. It places ODB within a larger conversation about artists whose misdeeds cast a shadow over their art, a constant push and pull between appreciation and condemnation.
Looking back at 1999, it’s clear that many fans navigated this very complexity: loving artists without full awareness of their flaws, or perhaps loving them even despite those flaws. It was a different era, yet the questions it raises about art, artists, and audience responsibility remain relevant. In Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s own words, “Recognize I’m a fool and you love me!” – a statement that encapsulates the complicated relationship fans often have with flawed but compelling artists like ODB and their enduringly popular, yet now critically re-examined, songs like “Got Your Money.”
