Back in 1994, I heard a song called “4 My Click” on a pirate radio station, then later I saw the accompanying music video on Yo! MTV Raps. Like many other mid-90s Hip-Hop tracks, “4 My Click” was catchy and credible in equal measures, yes it contained a very straight forward verse (“It’s for my click nigga, nothing but my click and…”) but against a G-Funk-esque whine it sounded distinctive especially when compared to other more typical East Coast joints out at the time…

This song was of course created by the short-lived trio from Queens called Cash Money Click, a group which was made up of members Chris Black, Nemesis, and a pre-fame Ja Rule. DJ Irv (who later became known as Irv Gotti and went on to form Murder Inc. and The Murderers) produced the song. It also featured the extremely underrated and often overlooked Mic Geronimo on the hook.

I was, as it turned out, one of the few people who purchased this single, and unfortunately Cash Money Click never really reached the level of fame and recognition that I hoped at the time. A self-titled album was set to be released on the same label as this single (Blunt Recordings/TVT Records) but it never materialised despite label mate Geronimo dropping a street-acclaimed album of his own.

There were also a handful of other singles released by Cash Money Click, including “Get Tha Fortune” and “She Swallowed It” (see below) both of which were played on pirate radio but rarely aired on mainstream channels. This general lack of enthusiasm for the group is what, I assume, prevented the album from being released, even though it was said to be complete.

Chris Black was later sentenced to five years in prison (which surely scuppered any further plans for the group) and with their first album shelved, it was of course Ja Rule and Irv Gotti that would become famous for rapping and producing respectively. Nemesis later renamed himself 0-1 and featured on Ja Rule’s debut album and Ja went on to become a household name during the early 2000s. Probably because of Rule’s success, there were plans for the clique to reunite, rename themselves “Cash Murda Click” or “CMC” and release an album titled Est. Since 1993 but that never dropped either. Judging by the direction Ja took his music during the noughties (in a very radio friendly direction) Cash Money Click recording their second album during that particular decade may not have been something that memorable or unique. Listening to their unreleased songs from the mid-90s Blunt era however (that have made it online since the group’s demise) their original LP could have been something very enjoyable.

People seem to have forgotten about the group today, especially since the late 1990s when New Orleans’ Cash Money Records took control of this namesake. With Ja Rule being remembered more for Ashanti-featuring Hip-Pop (and the Fyre Festival debacle) his more credible contribution to the genre the Cash Money Click has been relegated to the dusty underground. If one of the members of the group or Irv have the rights to their debut LP’s original master tape, they should definitely released it online as I’m sure it would garner interest from all those golden era Hip-Hop heads out there. Back in 1994, Ja Rule, Nemesis, and Chris Black had something, a chemistry and style that gave their band a special and unforgettable sound. It’s just unfortunate that the public didn’t recognise it.

Get Tha Fortune, Fuck Tha Fame.