“Power Powder Respect” by 50 Cent (ft. Lil Durk & Jeremih)

It doesn’t take rocket science for anyone familiar with 50 Cent’s multi-faceted artistry to figure out what a song entitled “Power Powder Respect” is about. This is especially true when you take into account that he actually brought forth a popular television show entitled Power. This show is in fact focused on a cocaine dynasty run by an individual who took personal respect very seriously.

Well actually Power, despite the original series concluding in 2020, has thus far resulted in a couple of spinoffs. On such spinoffs is Power Book IV: Force . And it is this particular show that this song was specifically created for. So, we already know what time it is before even taking a gander at the lyrics.

So in the chorus for instance, when Jeremih goes about asserting that he “want(s) that money and power and powder”, that’s another way of saying, most simply put, that he desires to be a rich drug dealer.

Coke, which the term “powder” is meant to point to, is a substance of which it is well known is illegal. Furthermore, the trading in it is a very dangerous enterprise. So that is why factors like “power” and “respect” are important in this equation, because without such it’s virtually impossible to make it as a coke don.

So with that in mind, whereas Fiddy commences his verse by noting that he’s well paid, the primary focus of his passage is actually centered on the idea that if provoked, the vocalist will shoot you.

Lil Durk steps in

Meanwhile Lil Durk takes a different approach to these well-worn rap tropes. His emphasis is more on surviving the street not through assault and intimidation but rather being on top of the game from more of a legal/intellectual standpoint.

Well, he does acknowledge that “street n–gas are never going to win’. So yes, some of the homeys have been slapped with major bids, which necessitates dedicating ample funds to lawyer fees. But overall, Durk presents himself as someone who is wise in the game due to knowledge and experience acquired from growing up in a certified ‘hood like Chi-town or the “Windy City”, as he refers to it.

Takeaway

So ultimately yes, this song does for the most part operate along the traditional money/crime/violence dynamic that rap music is known for. But it is Durk’s contribution which makes that standard in this case a bit unique.

“Power Powder Respect”

The three vocalists are also the official co-writers of this song, along with Terrence Wayne Murphy Jr. and Bongo.

“Power Powder Respect” was officially released on 12 January 2022. It is a part of “Power Book IV: Force (Soundtrack from the Starz Original Series)”.

This song marks elder statesman 50 Cent’s first collaboration with Durk. However, Fiddy and Jeremih have teamed up in the past. Their collaboration apparently dates back to the latter’s 2010 track “Down on Me”.

According to 50 Cent, creating the song “was a lot of fun”.

The Power Show

Power Book IV: Force is the third series thus far which is part of the fictional Power universe. Power is a TV series which 50 Cent, who was already at the time an A list rapper with a notable filmography, co-created and also co-starred in. It ran from 2014 to 2020. During its run, it proved to be one of the most-popular shows on television at the time.  And Power Book IV focuses on “Tommy Egan”, a character portrayed by actor Joseph Sikora.