Video will appear as you scroll through the story
Pharrell Williams · S3 E2
Got Your Money
ODB, Pharrell, and the dirtiest hit of 1999
A studio in New York, 1999. Ol' Dirty Bastard hears a Neptunes beat for the first time and does something nobody expects: he sings.
Ol' Dirty Bastard ft. Kelis, Got Your Money (1999). ODB at peak charisma over a Neptunes beat. The collision of Virginia Beach precision and Brooklyn chaos, and his biggest crossover hit.
Got Your Money, Ol' Dirty Bastard ft. Kelis (1999)
The beat is built on a bouncing synth loop and finger-snapping drums that sound nothing like Wu-Tang's dark, gritty production. The Neptunes strip everything back: no heavy 808s, no moody samples, just bright and playful space daring ODB to match its energy. He responds by crooning in a loose, almost weightless melodic style that predates the sing-rap wave by a decade.
The Wildcard of Wu-Tang
Russell Tyrone Jones, born in Brooklyn, is the most unpredictable member of the Wu-Tang Clan. His 1995 debut "Return to the 36 Chambers" runs on chaos: stream-of-consciousness verses, gospel wails, and a complete rejection of polish. When Elektra Records pairs him with The Neptunes for his second album, two opposite creative forces collide.
TAP TO REVEAL: Why does ODB sing instead of rap on this track?
What chart position did "Got Your Money" reach on the Billboard Hot 100?
Got Your Money: The Facts
Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Ol' Dirty Bastard
ODB's signature track from his 1995 debut "Return to the 36 Chambers." Raw, unhinged, and completely singular. Listen to this back-to-back with "Got Your Money" and you hear what The Neptunes did: they didn't tame Dirty, they gave him a new playground.
The Neptunes have conquered underground R&B and hardcore hip-hop in a single year. Now Jay-Z calls from New York, and what Pharrell builds in eight minutes will make Def Jam throw out their entire album plan.
0 XP earned this session