Renowned hip hop producer Jermaine Dupri claims that his successful record “Money Ain’t a Thing,” which he co-wrote with Jay-Z in 1998, coined the slang term “make it rain.”
The phrase has been used for a long time in the urban culture especially in strip clubs. Customers may make it rain by throwing money into the air and seeing it land on the ground.
The Atlanta native expressed his opinion on The Estelle Show, claiming that he did that move in the 1990s.
“Talib Kweli talks about the first time that he ever came to Atlanta,” Dupri explained. “He went to Magic City with me and Janet (Jackson). They’re throwing the money in the air and people seeing that, ‘Make it rain.’ I actually was the person who created this because I did this first in the ‘Money Ain’t A Thing’ video, me and Jay Z are in the car throwing money throughout the whole video.”
“Make it rain” is not mentioned in the song or the music video, despite the fact that the two hip-hop moguls toss cash in the air.
Jermaine Dupri Says He Did It First!
“That became my thing with that song, that became my thing going into these strip clubs,” stated the So So Def boss.
“And I remember going to the club throwing the money. The first time I ever threw the money in the air, I probably threw a thousand dollars on the floor. And the girl at the strip club said, ‘You want me to get down on the floor and get my money?’ She didn’t understand what was happening.
“I tried this a couple of places where I was out throwing money and people weren’t… It wasn’t a thing for them, they didn’t understand what was happening. And this is just my confirmation of me saying, ‘I know that I was the first person doing this.’”
Lil Wayne and Fat Joe collaborated in 2006 on the track “Make It Rain.” Actually, Dictionary.com attributes the term’s widespread use to the two rappers.
Do you feel Jermaine Dupri is the one that mainstreamed the term “make it rain?” Sound off below!
Image Credit: Prince Williams / Contributor | Getty Images
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