It's All about the Benjamins
Encyclopedia
"It's All About the Benjamins" is the fourth single released from the Puff Daddy
album No Way Out. The song is about living one's lifestyle as if one were rich, and the importance of being seen to have money. "Benjamins" are slang for $100 bills (USD), a reference to Benjamin Franklin
's image on the bills. The songs main guitar hook is sampled
from the 1977 song I Did It For Love performed by the Love Unlimited
written by Linda Laurie
.
's Holiday Holdup mixtape
. This version of the song only featured Puff Daddy and the rap act The LOX
(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. Lil Kim also provided the song with a chorus which the original version lacked. This version of the song also omitted the word "Hebrews" 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 #62 on the Hot 100 Airplay
chart 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
" performed by the Love Unlimited
written by Linda Laurie
. 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.
In 2008, it was ranked number 32 on VH1
's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
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 Tommy Stinson
, 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 were released as edited versions, the explicit versions were never released or created.
performed a parody of the rock remix of "It's All About the Benjamins". His version, "It's All About the Pentiums
", features himself boasting about the superiority of his computer hardware.
In 1999 the satirical newspaper The Onion
published a "point/counterpoint", with "Mack Master Dwayne", described as a "playa", arguing that "It's All About The Benjamins"; while "Professor E. Worthington Jackson", in his response titled "Actually, The Benjamins Are Only A Small Part Of A Larger Set of Concerns", states, "Cash monetary holdings such as Grants and Benjamins are, quite simply, not a good way to safeguard your profit potential in the long run."
Kanye West
referenced the track in the song "Breathe In Breathe Out" on his 2004 debut album The College Dropout
with the lyrics "and it's still about the Benjamins".
The 2005 Saturday Night Live
"digital short" rap music video "Lazy Sunday
", contained the lyrics "it's all about the Hamiltons
, baby", referring to $10 bills
.
Taco Bell
referenced the song in their 2009 commercial "It's All About the Roosevelts", referring to Franklin D. Roosevelt
's image on the dime, and Taco Bell's value meals.
Been Around the World (Maxi-single)
Single (U.K. and Canada only)
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
album No Way Out. The song is about living one's lifestyle as if one were rich, and the importance of being seen to have money. "Benjamins" are slang for $100 bills (USD), a reference to Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
's image on the bills. The songs main guitar hook is sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from the 1977 song I Did It For Love performed by the Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American R&B/soul singer Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings. Formed in 1969, the group included Barry White’s future wife, Glodean James, her sister, Linda James, and...
written by Linda Laurie
Linda Laurie
Linda Laurie was an American singer and songwriter, best known for the novelty record "Ambrose ", which went to #52 on the Billboard chart while she was still a high school student in 1959....
.
History
The song debuted in 1996 on DJ ClueDJ Clue
Ernesto Shaw better known as DJ Clue?, is a mixtape DJ.-Biography:For more than 10 years, DJ Clue has proven that he is more than just a beat-thumper. His accomplishments show how a turntable genius precisely puts together different songs to make a concoction of beats and melodies that rule the...
's Holiday Holdup mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
. This version of the song only featured Puff Daddy and the rap act The LOX
The LOX
The Lox are an American hip hop group composed of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P. They were originally signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records before joining Ruff Ryders Entertainment, and are now a part of their own label, D-Block Records-Early career:...
(excluding Styles P
Styles P
David Styles better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. He is prominently known as a member of Hip Hop group The LOX and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a solo...
). 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. Lil Kim also provided the song with a chorus which the original version lacked. This version of the song also omitted the word "Hebrews" out of Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
' 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 #62 on the Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
chart and its video won a Viewer's Choice
MTV Video Music Award - Viewer's Choice
The MTV Video Music Award for Viewer's Choice was first awarded at the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. The Viewer's Choice award nominees were the originally the same as the Video of the Year nominees, something which continued until 1994...
award at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
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
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
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
I Did It for Love
"I Did It for Love" is a song by Korean pop singer BoA featuring American singer-songwriter and record producer Sean Garrett. The song is her second single for her debut eponymous English album, BoA. The track was written and produced by Garrett, Melvin K. Watson Jr. and Matthew I. Irby...
" performed by the Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American R&B/soul singer Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings. Formed in 1969, the group included Barry White’s future wife, Glodean James, her sister, Linda James, and...
written by Linda Laurie
Linda Laurie
Linda Laurie was an American singer and songwriter, best known for the novelty record "Ambrose ", which went to #52 on the Billboard chart while she was still a high school student in 1959....
. 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.
In 2008, it was ranked number 32 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
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 Tommy Stinson
Tommy Stinson
Thomas "Tommy" Eugene Stinson is an American musician best known for his work as the bassist for The Replacements and Guns N' Roses as well as the post-Replacements groups Bash & Pop, where he performed guitar duties, and Perfect...
, Fuzzbubble
Fuzzbubble
Fuzzbubble was a 1990s power pop band from Long Island, New York. The band was formed by Jim Bacchi, guitarist with One Groovy Coconut along with vocalist Mark DiCarlo. Drummer Jason Camiolo and bassist Brett Rothfeld filled out the band....
, Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
and Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
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
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
, 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
NetAid
NetAid is an anti-poverty initiative. It started as a joint venture between the United Nations Development Programme and Cisco Systems. It became an independent nonprofit organization in 2001. In 2007, NetAid became a part of Mercy Corps...
benefit concert. This performance featured Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
on guitar as well as Lil' Cease
Lil' Cease
James Lloyd, is an American rapper and member of hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A..Cease's first album release was Conspiracy with the Junior M.A.F.I.A in 1995....
and Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
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
Size 14
Size 14 was a pop punk band in the late 90's based out of Hollywood that gained some notoriety with the novelty song "Claire Danes Poster". They released one self titled album on Volcano Entertainment in 1997 and influenced later bands such as Nerf Herder, Bowling for Soup and others...
to the song's already long collaboration line-up.
Both rock remixes of the song were released as edited versions, the explicit versions were never released or created.
In popular culture
In 1999, "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
performed a parody of the rock remix of "It's All About the Benjamins". His version, "It's All About the Pentiums
It's All About the Pentiums
"It's All About the Pentiums" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "It's All about the Benjamins " by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and focuses on the narrator's obsession with his computer's hardware.-Track listing:...
", features himself boasting about the superiority of his computer hardware.
In 1999 the satirical newspaper The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
published a "point/counterpoint", with "Mack Master Dwayne", described as a "playa", arguing that "It's All About The Benjamins"; while "Professor E. Worthington Jackson", in his response titled "Actually, The Benjamins Are Only A Small Part Of A Larger Set of Concerns", states, "Cash monetary holdings such as Grants and Benjamins are, quite simply, not a good way to safeguard your profit potential in the long run."
Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
referenced the track in the song "Breathe In Breathe Out" on his 2004 debut album The College Dropout
The College Dropout
The College Dropout is the debut album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released February 10, 2004, on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999. Prior to the album's release, West had worked on rapper Jay-Z's The Blueprint , which showcased his...
with the lyrics "and it's still about the Benjamins".
The 2005 Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
"digital short" rap music video "Lazy Sunday
Lazy Sunday
"Lazy Sunday" is a song and short video by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on December 17, 2005, broadcast on Saturday Night Live as the second Digital Short...
", contained the lyrics "it's all about the Hamiltons
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, baby", referring to $10 bills
United States ten-dollar bill
The United States ten-dollar bill is a denomination of United States currency. The first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, is currently featured on the obverse of the bill, while the U.S. Treasury is featured on the reverse. The United States ten-dollar bill ($10) is a...
.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
referenced the song in their 2009 commercial "It's All About the Roosevelts", referring to Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's image on the dime, and Taco Bell's value meals.
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)
Chart positions
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 1 |