Redman made serious bank on his Christina Aguilera collab.
More than two decades after “Dirrty” was released, Redman shed more light on the song’s long-lasting impact—especially on his bank account.
The East Coast rapper spoke about the track during a sit-down on Red Bull’s Spiral series, during which he was asked to reveal the “biggest publishing check” he’s ever received.
“Christina is, like, one of my favorite collabs because I did a song called ‘Let’s Get Dirty’ featuring DJ Kool—what up, Uncle Kool?” he began. “And she liked that, so he made an R&B/pop version of that record. So I got on the record and after that, that shit took off … And plus my publishing check?! Oh my God! My publishing check, n***a?! I couldn’t believe I got that much money for one verse. It was like over $250K my first check.”
“Dirrty” premiered on Sept. 3, 2002, and received the video treatment several weeks later. The track topped multiple charts, went platinum in the U.S., and was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 2003 Grammys. In support of the record, Redman joined Christina on tour—a move that gave him a new perspective on the music business.
“We was everywhere, bro. She brought me on tour, we was overseas. That album [Stripped] was one of her biggest albums. We was everywhere and I got to actually see how a pop artist shakes and moves through this industry,” he continued, “and it’s another level than hip-hop.”
