Jay-Z (feat. UGK) – "Big Pimpin'" (2000)

First time they fuss

I’m breezin’

There’s a memorable moment in episode two of season three of the wildly popular Hulu series, The Bear, when Jimmy “Cicero” Kalinowski greets Teddy Fak by saying “Hey, Teddy,” and Teddy replies with “’Sup, pimp?”

I used to greet people like Jimmy Cicero greets people – “Hey, [name].”  But effectively immediately, “‘Sup, pimp?” is the new official greeting of 2 or 3 lines.

I know that Jimmy Cicero – he’s the guy who put up the money for The Bear restaurant – is a serious dude.  (I get a very strong vibe that you definitely do not want to eff with him.) 

And I realize that Teddy Fak – like his brother Neil – is a dumb jerkoff whose role on the show is to provide comic relief.

But I like “’Sup, pimp?” much better than “Hey, [name],” so I’m going with the dumb jerkoff.

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“Big Pimpin’” is one of my favorite Jay-Z tracks due in large part to the distinctive instrumental sample taken from a 1957 Egyptian record titled “Khosara Khosara.”

The litigation over the use of that sample wasn’t finally resolved – in Jay-Z’s favor – until 18 years after “Big Pimpin’” was released.  (The mills of the American legal system grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.)

When Jay-Z was asked why he didn’t check out whether or not his producer had the legal rights to use the “Khosara Khosara” sample, he said, “That’s not what I do.  I make music.”

Click here to watch the official music video to “Big Pimpin’.”

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