Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Valee and Z Money. Like the men before them, the two Chicago rappers have the type of undeniable chemistry that warrants a buddy cop franchise — tentative name: Two 16s. Consider their latest video, “Still Got Money” the perfect audition tape.
On record and in song, the two artists crackle with laid-back energy. It’s like watching the world’s most exciting turtle race, except the reptiles, are decked in Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Not much happens in the “Still Got Money” video. Valee and Z Money merely glide back and forth as the other raps, but it’s the fluidity of their cadence, mellow nature of their voices and never-ending swaying that makes the entire venture mesmerizing.
In a November interview with Rolling Stone, Valee explained his thoughts on his “Two 16s” flow — also a Z Money song — becoming the most imitated in 2018. “There’s probably someone that can do it well, but I haven’t heard it yet. That’s probably the part that I don’t want to hear. I like the fact that I hear it being imitated. They won’t say anything clever enough, so that makes it OK.”