Sunday Music: Thinkin’ About Why You Treat Me Like I Got 5 On It

When Timex Social Club locked into the rhythm of “thinkin’ about ya” the angels must have started singing along.

The elements are there. The angular arpeggio. The understated but underfoot bass.

Jay King, from Timex Social Club, took the hook with him to his next act, Club Nouveau. They (substantially) updated and uploaded it into the jam, “Why You Treat Me So Bad” in 1987.

Undeniable. Now you have an emotional, intense, dancefloor groove for the ages. Did I say emotional? Because this one is downright traumatizing for a jam of this magnitude.

But the song doesn’t stop there.

It ends up with all levels of rappers. It ends up with Ashanti and J. Lo. You can dig for them all if you want, and you can’t really miss with this sample.

Out of all the repurposings though, Luniz are the one (ok, two) I’ll always go back to.

If you’ve ever been a step above broke and put up money with your friends for anything, you understand this song.

Yes, they’re buying drugs, but even if you were just buying a pizza together, you get the feeling of “I got five on it.” As in 5 bucks towards it. As in, “I can’t buy this myself, but I will contribute if you will.”

It’s a social order thing. It’s as much an invitation to the dancefloor as it is an invitation to just have a good time. No matter how traumatizing or trauma inducing the rest of life is.

If your friends want to get down, you can all get down.

The Luniz single for “I Got 5 On It” is a classic party anthem from the mid-90s.

And for those that know, the remix is even crazier.

ps. The Spielbergs get an honorary shoutout too. I featured their “Five On It” on a 2019 playlist.