It’s fair to say that anyone not born in the 1970’s or that grew up in 80’s would have heard of the O-Jays. You might have heard a few of their songs here and there largely because they fit in a lot of films in key scenes, but apart from that a lot of people just don’t know. The song has been featured mainly in scenes that deal with, what else, money. It’s been a popular addition to films and TV shows for the past few decades and is still heard now and again when people get the song stuck in their head.
As far as films go, Love of the Money is a popular and widely used track.
5. New Jack City
This film opens with the track, and it’s probably the most light-hearted moment of the entire film. When Ice T goes undercover to bust an up and coming gangster, played by Wesley Snipes, he eventually winds up having to take on a partner in a mission that becomes a colossal cluster bomb that threatens his life and those of his fellow officers as the gang and the cops eventually have a massive shootout with huge ramifications. In the end it looks like Snipes is about to go free, but thankfully the meddlesome old man in the neighborhood just can’t let things go.
4. Driven
Sometimes the old dogs know what they’re doing and should be listened to. Stallone plays the mentor role in this almost forgotten film from 2001. Â It’s not often you see Sly in a car racing film, in fact you don’t even see him in that many car scenes to begin with, but he comes through in this film to provide a performance that’s at least touching and in some ways shows the maturity he’s gained since his early days.
3. For Richer, For Poorer
In a film where money is one of the absolute biggest problems of the leading stars, it’s fitting that the track be placed in the beginning. This clip might not show it, but it’s there. Tim Allen and Kirstie Allie are two high on the hog socialites that despite being married can’t stand one another. Once they have virtually nothing however they start to realize just what was important in the first place, and what brought them together.
2. The Honeymooners
Any film with Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps is bound to be at least somewhat funny. While a lot of fans were kind of surprised by the new Honeymooners film it has to be said that comedy has taken a different turn throughout the decades. That’s why this film likely needed an update, as the type of humor used in the show’s first airing needed to be altered just a bit to be more fan-friendly.
1. All About the Benjamins
When it’s all about the money you’d best have some love for the money. Mike Epps and Ice Cube are absolutely golden together. Their on screen chemistry is kind of the same in each movie they star in, but it still works to a degree that Ice Cube is the man and Mike Epps is the man trying to stick to the plan.
So now that you’ve heard them in a few films, do you have a better idea of who the O-Jay’s are? Let me know if you can think of any other films they might have been featured in.
