"P.I.M.P." is a song by American rapper

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, from his debut studio album ''

Get Rich or Die Tryin' ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing w ...

'' (2003). The song features production from

Mr. Porter Denaun Porter (born December 7, 1974), also known by the stage names Mr. Porter, Kon Artis, and more recently simply Denaun, is an American rapper and music producer. He was a member of Detroit hip hop group D12 until its disbandment in 2018. ...

of D12 and was mixed by

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

. A remixed version of the song, featuring fellow rappers

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

Lloyd Banks Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After ...

and

Young Buck David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He heads his own record label, Cashville, and was a member of the former hip hop group G-Unit. Early life Brown was born in Nashville, Te ...

, was released as the album's fourth official single on August 12, 2003, although the remix was not initially part of the track listing; it was later added as a bonus track to some digital editions of the album. Upon its release, "P.I.M.P." was a significant commercial success, especially in the United States, where it peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the Top 10 of many national charts worldwide. The song was later certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

for sales of 500,000+ copies.

Content

Musically, the song is based on a highly

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...

prominent production from

from D12, and although it is predominantly a rap song, features elements of other genres, especially reggae, or music similar to that of the Caribbean. Lyrically, the song glorifies 50 Cent's supposed involvement in the '

pimp Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...

' lifestyle.

Music video

The music video features the four rappers rapping with

topless Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness. Expose ...

women. The video comes in two slightly different versions: one with the topless women and a "clean" version without. On July 15, 2003, the video debuted on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

'' at number nine and stayed on the chart for fifty days. At the 2004

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

, it was nominated for

Best Rap Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video was first given out in 1989, and it was one of the four original genre categories added at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. This award was last given out in 2006, as MTV did not bring it back in 2008 like ...

, but lost to Jay-Z's "

99 Problems "99 Problems" is the third single released by American rapper Jay-Z in 2004 from '' The Black Album''. It was released on April 27, 2004. The chorus hook "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one" is taken from the Ice-T single "99 Problems" ...

". The video had 50 Cent trying to audition to become a member of the P.I.M.P.

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Uni ...

that is led by Snoop Dogg's character. When asked why they should let him join the P.I.M.P. Legion of Doom as he doesn't have a Cadillac and/or a perm, 50 Cent ends up winning their favor by showing off his Magic Stick.

Samples and covers

In 2008, the

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is a German funk music ensemble founded by members of the Mighty Mocambos. History Bandleader Björn Wagner played in funk group The Mocambos and lived in Trinidad and Tobago for a time, where he studied steel drums an ...

released a cover version of "P.I.M.P." from their album ''Look-A Py Py''. This was such a faithful version that many people incorrectly said that it was the source of the steel drum tune used in the 50 Cent single. This, of course, is not possible since the Bacao single was released five years after 50 Cent had released "P.I.M.P.". Additional covers of the song included those on ''Hip Hop Baby'' (a 2004 compilation album of kid-friendly tunes from the group Tunes for Baby That Won't Drive You Crazy), and "P.I.N.T.", a parody version by British rapper 50 Pence (from his 2004 album, ''50 Pence Presents'').

Legal controversy

In June 2016, producer Brandon Parrott sued almost everyone involved with the 50 Cent record ''Get Rich or Die Tryin, claiming that he was tricked into licensing the use of a beat from his track "BAMBA". Aftermath Records & Universal requested that the case be dismissed on the grounds that Parrott had already been compensated in an earlier settlement. Judge S. James Otero dismissed the complaint without leave to amend in November 2016.

Track listing

* UK CD single # "P.I.M.P." – 4:09 # "P.I.M.P. (Remix)" (featuring

and

) – 4:47 # "8 More Miles" (featuring

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released ...

) – 3:08 # "P.I.M.P." – The Video (Director's cut) – 4:10

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

50 Cent's official website
* {{Authority control Songs about procurers 2003 singles 50 Cent songs G-Unit songs Snoop Dogg songs Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Songs written by 50 Cent Lloyd Banks songs Young Buck songs Songs written by Denaun Porter Shady Records singles Aftermath Entertainment singles Interscope Records singles 2003 songs