Not Tonight

The Ladies-First Powerhouse of "Not Tonight" by Lil' Kim

It is the summer of 1997, and hip-hop is at a strange crossroads. The genre has lost two of its brightest stars in less than a year, the mood in the culture is heavy, and yet the charts are hungry for something joyful and brash. Into that moment rolls a remix so loaded with star power that it doubles as a statement of intent: women belong at the front of the line, not the margins. "Not Tonight" is that statement, delivered with a wink and a strut, and it arrived exactly when listeners needed a reason to turn the volume back up.

Lil' Kim at the Center of a Movement

Lil' Kim had arrived the year before as a fearless solo voice, sharp-tongued and impossible to ignore. She had built a persona that refused to shrink to fit anyone else's expectations, and that boldness made her a magnet for attention and debate alike. By 1997 she was positioned as one of the defining female figures in a male-dominated genre, and the "Ladies Night" remix of "Not Tonight" turned that position into a full-blown coalition. She assembled a roster that read like a who's who of women in late-90s rap and R&B, and the result felt bigger than any single career. It was a show of force as much as a song, a reminder that the women of the era could command the spotlight on their own terms.

A Remix Built Like an All-Star Game

The track pulls together Da Brat, Left Eye, Missy Elliott, and Angie Martinez alongside Kim, each one bringing a distinct flavor to the verses. Da Brat brought her rapid-fire bravado, Left Eye her unmistakable melodic edge, Missy her playful inventiveness, and Angie her radio-honed cool, so that no two passages sounded alike. The version that climbed the charts also tied into the soundtrack for the film Nothing to Lose, giving it a promotional push beyond the usual single rollout. The production is bright and bouncy, built for windows-down summer rotation, and the parade of personalities keeps it from ever sitting still. Every verse hands the baton to a new voice, and the energy never flags.

A Strong Climb on the Hot 100

The song's chart run was no slow burn. "Not Tonight" debuted at number 33 on July 12, 1997, dipped briefly, then surged, leaping all the way to number 6 on August 9, 1997, which stands as its peak. That jump from 27 to 6 in a single week signaled real momentum behind it, the kind of leap that only happens when a record genuinely catches fire across radio and sales at once. The single went on to spend a healthy 21 weeks on the Hot 100, a long stay that confirmed it was no novelty but a genuine summer staple. It became one of the defining party records of its season.

A Legacy of Female Solidarity in Rap

What makes the record matter beyond its chart numbers is what it represented. Posse cuts were common in the era, but one anchored entirely by women, celebrating their independence and refusal to be taken for granted, was rarer and more pointed. It flipped the usual dynamic of the all-star collaboration, putting women not as guests but as the entire main event. The song has since become a touchstone for the late-90s wave of women who reshaped hip-hop, and its enduring pull is visible in the roughly 47 million YouTube views it has gathered over the years. It stands as a snapshot of a moment when female artists claimed the center of the genre and dared anyone to push them back.

Cue it up and feel the swagger of an era when five women could take over the radio together. Press play and let the ladies run it.

"Not Tonight" — Lil' Kim's singular moment on the 1990s charts.