Mo Money Mo Problems
Encyclopedia
"Mo Money Mo Problems" is a single
by Notorious B.I.G., the second single from his album Life After Death
. Released posthumously, the single topped the Billboard Hot 100
for two weeks in 1997, replacing "I'll Be Missing You
" from the chart, Puff Daddy
's song about Notorious B.I.G's death. The song is Notorious B.I.G.'s second posthumous number one single (and sixth overall in Hot 100 history) making him the only artist in Hot 100 History to have 2 #1 singles posthumously. It was the sixth song to hit #1 posthumously for a credited artist. The song was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
.
The song features guest vocals from Mase
and Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs
. The instrumental contains a sample of the Diana Ross
song "I'm Coming Out
", including backing vocals of "I'm, coming, out". The refrain
of the song was sung by Kelly Price
. Based on airplay and chart success the song is considered one of the most popular singles in hip hop history. It remains a radio favorite to this day.
for two weeks giving Biggie his second number 1 hit in the US. The song hit number 1 after he had died. It was preceded by "I'll Be Missing You
" by Puff Daddy featuring 112
and Faith Evans
(meaning that Puff Daddy spent 13 weeks in a row at the top of the Hot 100) and was succeeded by "Honey
" by Mariah Carey
. The single reached #6 in the UK charts.
directed by Hype Williams
featured Mase and Combs in futuristic locations, including a tunnel lined with fluorescent lamp
s and a stark white chamber with pressurized air blowing out of the floor, allowing the two to float in midair. This video is also famous for the red shiny jackets that are worn by Combs and Mase. The "air chamber" also had a video screen showing, at first, images of Kelly Price lip-synching
to the sample of Diana Ross' voice and singing the song's chorus. During the final verse, which the Notorious B.I.G. performed, Mase and Puffy looked on as the video screen showed archival footage of B.I.G. performing, it ran at a speed so that the footage seemed to sync with B.I.G.'s vocals; since the rapper had died just prior to the release of Life After Death, and well before the filming of the video, this was the only way to have him appear in the video. The video features appearances from Sheek Louch
of The LOX
, Riddick Bowe
, Stevie J
, and Nashiem Myrick.
Song produced by Steven "Stevie J." Jordan and Sean Combs. The video also has a short story, which is about how Combs was competing in a golf tournament and gained help from the spirit
of The Notorious B.I.G, who helps him win the tournament. This was a reaction to the newly popular success of Tiger Woods
.
MuchMoreMusic
ranked "Mo Money Mo Problems" #31 on Listeds "40 Most Memorable Videos Pt. 1 & 2" for its flashy wardrobe, and use of syncing old footage with the lyrics. VH1
ranked the song #63 as one of the "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s".
, Minnesota Vikings
defensive tackle, is featured in an NFL promotional commercial, singing this song.
Rapper Ludacris
references this song in his song "Large Amounts".
Rapper Jay-Z
references this song in his song "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)".
In The Office episode "Branch Wars
", Michael Scott references the song when speaking to his black co-worker Stanley.
Alternative hip-hop band Chiddy Bang
references this song in their song "Opposite of Adults
".
Alternative band Linkin Park
references the song in the second verse of their song "When they Come for me" on the album A Thousand Suns
.
A 'beat juggle' remix
of this song is featured in the 2010 video game DJ Hero 2
.
In Fallout: New Vegas, the D.J. makes a reference saying: Mo' jave, Mo' problems.
Canadian hip-hop/r&b artist Drake
refrences the song, or at least the phrase in his song 'The Ride' off of his sophmore album Take Care
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by Notorious B.I.G., the second single from his album Life After Death
Life After Death
Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released March 25, 1997 on Bad Boy Records. A double album, it was released posthumously following his death on March 9, 1997 and serves as his final studio album...
. Released posthumously, the single topped the Billboard Hot 100
Hot 100 number-one hits of 1994 (USA)
This is a list of the U.S.A. Billboard magazine Hot 100 number-ones of 1994. The longest running number-one single of 1994 is "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men, which logged 14 weeks at number-one, tying the song with "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston for the most weeks at number-one...
for two weeks in 1997, replacing "I'll Be Missing You
I'll Be Missing You
"I'll Be Missing You" is a Grammy Award-winning song and hit single recorded by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records artist Christopher "Notorious B.I.G" Wallace who was murdered on March 9, 1997...
" from the chart, Puff Daddy
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...
's song about Notorious B.I.G's death. The song is Notorious B.I.G.'s second posthumous number one single (and sixth overall in Hot 100 history) making him the only artist in Hot 100 History to have 2 #1 singles posthumously. It was the sixth song to hit #1 posthumously for a credited artist. The song was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....
.
The song features guest vocals from Mase
Mase
Mason Durell Betha , better known by stage name Mase who was previously known as Murda Ma$e, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and inspirational speaker...
and Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs
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...
. The instrumental contains a sample of the Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
song "I'm Coming Out
I'm Coming Out
"I'm Coming Out" is a hit single released by Motown singer Diana Ross in 1980, written and produced by Chic members Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers for her album diana .-Background:...
", including backing vocals of "I'm, coming, out". The refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
of the song was sung by Kelly Price
Kelly Price
Kelly Price is an American R&B and soul singer, formerly on the Def Soul label.-Life and music career:Kelly Cherelle Price was born in Queens, New York. She was first discovered by Mariah Carey in February 1992 and subsequently introduced to Sony Columbia's then CEO Tommy Mottola...
. Based on airplay and chart success the song is considered one of the most popular singles in hip hop history. It remains a radio favorite to this day.
Chart performance
"Mo Money Mo Problems" was able to top the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
for two weeks giving Biggie his second number 1 hit in the US. The song hit number 1 after he had died. It was preceded by "I'll Be Missing You
I'll Be Missing You
"I'll Be Missing You" is a Grammy Award-winning song and hit single recorded by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records artist Christopher "Notorious B.I.G" Wallace who was murdered on March 9, 1997...
" by Puff Daddy featuring 112
112 (band)
112 is an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. Formerly artists on Diddy's Bad Boy Records, the group signed to the Def Soul roster in 2002. They had great success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hits such as "Only You", "Anywhere" and "Peaches & Cream"...
and Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
(meaning that Puff Daddy spent 13 weeks in a row at the top of the Hot 100) and was succeeded by "Honey
Honey (Mariah Carey song)
"Honey" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly. It was released as the lead single from the album on August 26, 1997 by Columbia Records. The song was written by Carey, Puff Daddy, Q-Tip and Stevie J, all of whom served as the song's producers...
" by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
. The single reached #6 in the UK charts.
Music video
The videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
directed by Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
featured Mase and Combs in futuristic locations, including a tunnel lined with fluorescent lamp
Fluorescent lamp
A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful...
s and a stark white chamber with pressurized air blowing out of the floor, allowing the two to float in midair. This video is also famous for the red shiny jackets that are worn by Combs and Mase. The "air chamber" also had a video screen showing, at first, images of Kelly Price lip-synching
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
to the sample of Diana Ross' voice and singing the song's chorus. During the final verse, which the Notorious B.I.G. performed, Mase and Puffy looked on as the video screen showed archival footage of B.I.G. performing, it ran at a speed so that the footage seemed to sync with B.I.G.'s vocals; since the rapper had died just prior to the release of Life After Death, and well before the filming of the video, this was the only way to have him appear in the video. The video features appearances from Sheek Louch
Sheek Louch
Sean Divine Jacobs, better known as Sheek Louch , is an African American rapper and member of The LOX , along with Styles P and Jadakiss.-Personal life and career:...
of 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:...
, Riddick Bowe
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe is a retired American boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion and a former undisputed heavyweight champion...
, Stevie J
Stevie J
--MSGOLDBERG1 23:09, 23 November 2011 Stevie J. is an American musician, singer, record producer and songwriter. This upstate New Yorker is the leader of the Bad Boy Entertainment Hitmen roster of in-house producers and writers during the 90s and thus worked often with the label's owner Sean...
, and Nashiem Myrick.
Song produced by Steven "Stevie J." Jordan and Sean Combs. The video also has a short story, which is about how Combs was competing in a golf tournament and gained help from the spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
of The Notorious B.I.G, who helps him win the tournament. This was a reaction to the newly popular success of Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
.
MuchMoreMusic
MuchMoreMusic
MuchMore is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media, based at 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario....
ranked "Mo Money Mo Problems" #31 on Listeds "40 Most Memorable Videos Pt. 1 & 2" for its flashy wardrobe, and use of syncing old footage with the lyrics. 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...
ranked the song #63 as one of the "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s".
Cultural references
John RandleJohn Randle
John Anthony Randle played defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. On February 6, 2010 he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Born in Mumford, Texas, Randle was raised poor, and worked odd jobs when he was young. His brother Ervin Randle played as...
, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
defensive tackle, is featured in an NFL promotional commercial, singing this song.
Rapper Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
references this song in his song "Large Amounts".
Rapper Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
references this song in his song "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)".
In The Office episode "Branch Wars
Branch Wars
"Branch Wars" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's sixty-third episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Joss Whedon, the episode originally aired in the United States on November 1, 2007 on NBC...
", Michael Scott references the song when speaking to his black co-worker Stanley.
Alternative hip-hop band Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. The duo was introduced through former band member Zachary Sewall in late 2008 during their freshman year at Drexel University, in...
references this song in their song "Opposite of Adults
Opposite of Adults
"Opposite of Adults" is a 2010 single from American band Chiddy Bang. It was released in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2010 and samples "Kids" by MGMT. It was released in the United States on April 20, 2010. It was released online to blogs under the name "Kids" approximately one year prior to...
".
Alternative band Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
references the song in the second verse of their song "When they Come for me" on the album A Thousand Suns
A Thousand Suns
A Thousand Suns is the fourth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was first released on September 14, 2010. The album was written by the band and co-produced by Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, who previously worked together to produce Minutes to Midnight...
.
A 'beat juggle' remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of this song is featured in the 2010 video game DJ Hero 2
DJ Hero 2
DJ Hero 2 is a rhythm video game and a sequel to DJ Hero, a spinoff of the Guitar Hero series. DJ Hero 2 uses a special turntable-controller, the same as introduced in DJ Hero, to simulate turntablism, the act of creating a new musical work from one or more previously recorded songs using record...
.
In Fallout: New Vegas, the D.J. makes a reference saying: Mo' jave, Mo' problems.
Canadian hip-hop/r&b artist Drake
Drake
- People :* Drake ** Notably Sir Francis Drake , an English sea captain and politician of the Elizabethan era* Drake * Drake , stage name of Aubrey Drake Graham, Canadian recording artist and actor- Places :...
refrences the song, or at least the phrase in his song 'The Ride' off of his sophmore album Take Care
Take Care
Take Care is the second studio album by Canadian recording artist Drake, released November 15, 2011, on Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records. It is the follow-up to his 2010 debut album Thank Me Later. Production for the album took place during 2010 to 2011 and was handled by Noah "40"...
CD Single
- "Mo Money Mo Problems" Produced by Steven "Stevie J." Jordan and Sean Combs(Radio Mix) (4:12)
- "Lovin You Tonight" (Radio Mix) (5:07)
- "Mo Money Mo Problems" (Instrumental) (4:12)
- "Mo Money Mo Problems" (Razor-N-Go Club mix, short version) (4:09)
- "Mo Money Mo Problems" (Razor-N-Go Club mix, long version) (10:33)
Peak positions
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990-1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 85 |