Throwback Thursday: Lil’ Kim – “Not Tonight (Ladies’ Night Remix)” [featuring Da Brat, Left Eye, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez]
In June 1997, Lil’ Kim assembled some of the leading women in rap to give us a bop we would never forget and an iconic pop-cultural moment.
With an assist from Angie Martinez, Left Eye, Da Brat and Missy Elliott, Kim remixed “Not Tonight,” a track from her debut LP, Hard Core. The song — which appears on the Nothing to Lose soundtrack — bears zero similarities to its original, which was produced by and features ad libs from JD (back when he used to call himself “JM”).
The decision to call this song a remix remains a mystery, but what matters is that every single woman on the track FLOATED. And as if the song wasn’t iconic enough on its own, Lil’ Kim recruited a who’s who of women in hip-hop and R&B for the music video, which is set on an island where the men are for entertainment purposes only. Ladies’ night, indeed.
The video includes everyone from Queen Latifah to Changing Faces to Maia Campbell to a then-unknown Blaque. And lest we forget Mary J. Blige, who looked like she was having the most fun that day.
“Not Tonight (Ladies’ Night Remix)” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is widely considered to be Lil’ Kim’s signature hit. Bang this in your whips.
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