“Gimme the Loot” by The Notorious B.I.G.
Biggie Smalls grew up in an environment where violent robberies – like stickups, chain and earring snatchings – were common occurrences. And it is such a reality he is speaking to on this song. More specifically he portrays himself as an armed robber himself who perpetrates such crimes. And the title stands for the demand he gives to his stickup victims, i.e. ‘give me your money’. Moreover, whereas this may not be one of the rap legend’s most-popular songs, it still serves as a notable display of his lyric skills. For instance, he actually portrays two different, albeit related, characters throughout.
Facts about “Gimme the Loot”
“Gimme the Loot” was produced by regular Biggie collaborator Easy Mo Bee. And interesting to note that at the time he doubted the track’s commercial viability due to the aggressiveness of the lyrics.
There is an extensive official writing team behind this song consisting of some of the biggest names in hip-hop from that era. This is because “Gimme the Loot” samples a few tracks of other popular artists. First is the “Scenario (Remix)” (1992) cypher by a A Tribe Called Quest and co. Via that song, Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest are credited as well as Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown and Dinco D of the Leaders of the New School.
“Gimme the Loot” also samples Onyx’s 1992 hit “Throw Ya Gunz”. And via that track, Onyx’s Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr, Sonny Seeza and Chyskillz are also credited.
Then we have another hip-hop classic, “Just to Get a Rep” (1991) by Gangstarr, which Biggie sampled. As such, Gangstarr’s Guru (1961-2010) and DJ Premier are also credited. And the final two co-writers would be Easy Mo Bee and The Notorious B.I.G. himself.
Moreover the song samples two other tracks, James Brown’s “Coldblooded” (1974) and Ice Cube’s “What They Hittin’ Foe?” (1990).
“Gimme the Loot” was released on 13 September 1994 as part of Biggie’s classic debut project, “Ready to Die”.
The song was published by Bad Boy Records in conjunction with Arista Records.
According to Nas, Biggie wanted him to be featured on a remix of “Gimme the Loot”.
This is one of three songs from “Ready to Die” which resulted in P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records having to pay in excess of $1,000,000 for illegal sampling.
