Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

The idea with the act The Adventures of Stevie V was to work with different musicians, dancers and people in the music industry. Stevie Vincent a.k.a. Stevie V had previously worked with lyricist Mick Walsh and they wrote the lyrics for "Dirty Cash". He told in a 2025 interview, "I said, 'I want to do a track that's not about love. I want to do something a bit hardcore.' And I said, 'Like, money.' He [Walsh] being the sort of lyricist that he was took it away and came back with this {{'}}money talks, money talks{{'}}, which I thought was brilliant. However I wanted a bit more to it. Experimenting with rhythms of lyrics if you like. And that's where {{'}}the dirty cash I want you, dirty cash I need you{{'}} that's where that came."{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4ucQjAF6Ok|title=Adventures of Stevie V 'Dirty Cash (Money Talks)': The Making Of A Hip-House Hit|publisher=DJ Mag via YouTube|date=16 February 2025|access-date=29 March 2025}} At the time, Vincent worked as an electronic engineer and had recently put his studio together, using equipment such as a Roland D110, an Akai sampler and a C1000 microphone. The female singer on "Dirty Cash", Melody Washington, was a music teacher from Georgia, living in the UK and teaching for the US Air Force. She met Stevie V while she was playing in one of his friend's band. He was captivated by her voice, "She had one of those real warm voices and she could deliver a real straightforward lyric without being too fussy." Washington was quite religious and therefore wasn't sure if she wanted to be involved in a song with such risqué lyrics.

A friend and DJ passed by as Vincent was doing one of the final mixes of the track, and heard it. The friend thought it was amazing and asked for a copy. He had label Mercury Records calling Vincent 24 hours later and signing him. "Dirty Cash" was released on 4 December 1989, but only reached number 100 on the UK Singles Chart on 16 December.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/adventures-of-stevie-v-dirty-cash/|title=Dirty Cash - Adventures Of Of Stevie V|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=29 March 2025}} Vincent was told that he risked being cleared out by the label after this. However, in January the following year, the label called him, telling him that they had received so many request for the song that they had to relook the whole situation. In April 1990, it was re-released, becoming the labels biggest song of the year. As "Dirty Cash" reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart, the Adventures of Stevie V performed it on the Top of the Pops. Vincent told, "If you're a footballer, you want to play at Wembley. But as a musician, it's about getting on Top of the Pops." The demand for the track was huge and then it was released in the US.

In 1997, 2014 and 2024, "Dirty Cash" was released in new remixes. After British DJ and record producer PAWSA released his remix in 2024, which peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, Stevie V said, "I'd heard PAWSA's production and I thought it was fabulous. Really pleasantly surprised they managed to get it together and put it out, you know, and it's wonderful that it's doing as well as it is, for it to be where it is again 30 years later. It's just incredible. Especially if you look at dance music, you don't expect to have longevity much more. 30 years."

"Dirty Cash" was successful on the charts of several continents, particularly in Europe, North-America and Oceania. In Europe, the song reached number-one in the Netherlands for two weeks, and was a top-10 hit also in Belgium (3), Ireland (10) and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked at number two in its eighth week on the UK Singles Chart, on 6 May 1990.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19900506/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 06 May 1990 - 12 May 1990|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=15 September 2020}} It was held off the top spot by Adamski's "Killer" and stayed within the UK chart for 16 weeks in 1990. "Dirty Cash" also was a top 20-hit in Austria (13), West Germany (20) and Switzerland (16). On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number seven on 19 May, after four weeks on the chart.{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-05-19.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=7|issue=20|date=19 May 1990|page=IV|access-date=10 February 2021}}

Outside Europe, the single reached number-one on both the US Billboard Dance Club Songs and 12-inch Singles Sales charts and the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart, as well as reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/1990-08-11/|title=Dance Club Songs|magazine=Billboard|date=11 August 1990|access-date=25 July 2023}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1990-09-29/|title=Billboard Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|date=29 September 1990|access-date=25 July 2023}} In Oceania, it charted in Australia and New Zealand, peaking at numbers 18 and 34, respectively.

"Dirty Cash" received a silver certification in the UK after 200,000 singles were sold there.

David Taylor-Wilson from Bay Area Reporter stated that the song "has all the ingredients for a solid dance hit, with a style somewhat reminiscent of Soul II Soul."{{cite magazine|first= David |last= Taylor-Wilson |title= The Heat of the Beat |magazine= Bay Area Reporter |date= 9 August 1990 |page= 36 |access-date= 25 April 2020 |url= https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=BAR19900809.1.36}} Bill Coleman from Billboard described it as a "seductive house track with an underground sensibility sports a tasty vocal hook and top of the chart potential."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-06-23.pdf|first=Bill|last=Coleman|title=Billboard: Single Reviews|magazine=Billboard|date=23 June 1990|page=71|access-date=25 January 2018}} Another Billboard editor, Larry Flick, named it "a scathing, house-fueled ode to capitalism".{{cite magazine|first= Larry |last= Flick |title= Dance Trax: Stevie V.'s Further Adventures In The Music Biz |magazine= Billboard |date= 17 July 1993 |page= 20 |access-date= 8 October 2020 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1993/BB-1993-07-17.pdf |author-link= Larry Flick}} Ernest Hardy from Cashbox called it "a biting-yet-melancholy melding of dance, rap, and R&B that contrasts a hard rap with caressing female vocals." He concluded, "It's one of the year's best singles, and one of the most misunderstood."{{cite magazine|first= Ernest |last= Hardy |title= Rhythm & Blues: Interview |magazine= Cashbox |date= 27 October 1990 |page= 24 |access-date= 27 October 2020 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/90s/1990/CB-1990-10-27.pdf}} Dave Sholin from the San Francisco-based Gavin Report remarked that the British-based writer/producer had spent six weeks Top Ten in the UK with the track, "selling a quarter million copies in the process—no easy task in that market." He praised it as a "exceptional entry."{{cite magazine|first= Dave |last= Sholin |title= Gavin Picks > Singles |magazine= Gavin Report |issue= 1813 |date= 29 June 1990 |page= 52 |access-date= 17 April 2018 |url= http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Gavin-Report/90/90/Gavin-1990-06-29.pdf}}

Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "This is top-rate hiphouse. There is a killer beat, a brilliant chorus, a funky sax, all bound together with a liberal dash of humour. Perhaps more importantly though, it all sounds refreshing and new."{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-05-12.pdf |title= A Brief Spin Around The European Dance Floor |magazine= Music & Media |volume= 7 |issue= 19 |date= 12 May 1990 |page= S6 |access-date= 3 November 2020}} The Network Forty wrote that the track is "almost a mood piece" and noted that it "has a soulful vocal approach backed by a Euro-dance production somewhat reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Network-40/90/Network-40-1990-07-06.pdf|title=Top 40: Music Meeting|magazine=The Network Forty|date=6 July 1990|page=22|access-date=22 February 2018}} Miranda Sawyer from Smash Hits labeled it as "hip-house at its most brilliantly scuzzy. A bump and grind bass and Adamski-like fiddly bit drives this heavy rap and hookline scudding along. Top." Stewart Walker from Toledo Blade remarked in his album review, that Stevie V. "blends aspects of both musical forms well [hip-hop and house music] to produce a polished sound" that is best illustrated on "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)".{{cite magazine|first=Stewart|last=Walker|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ikdPAAAAIBAJ|title=RECORDINGS|magazine=Toledo Blade|date=13 January 1991|access-date=17 March 2020}}

There was produced a music video to promote the single. Stevie V. told in a interview about the video, "Budget was like three grand for a video, which is laughable, really. We wore our own clothes. Yeah, we had to pay for all of that ourselves. It's a good video, the interesting thing is that that was a three grand to make the video. They spent $9,000 to re-edit it for the American market."

{{Track listing

| headline = 7-inch single, UK (1989)

| title1 = Dirty Cash

| note1 = Radio Edit

| length1 =

| title2 = Dirty Cash

| note2 = Hard Cash Mix

| length2 =

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 12-inch single, UK (1989)

| title1 = Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

| note1 = Dime And Dollar Mix

| length1 = 7:23

| title2 = Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

| note2 = Hard Cash Mix

| length2 = 7:25

| title3 = Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

| note3 = Dirty Rap

| length3 = 3:56

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = CD single, UK (1989)

| title1 = Dirty Cash

| note1 = Radio Edit

| length1 = 3:50

| title2 = Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

| note2 = Dime & Dollar Mix

| length2 = 5:52

| title3 = Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

| note3 = Hard Cash Mix

| length3 = 6:19

| title4 = Dirty Cash

| note4 = Dirty Rap

| length4 = 3:57

}}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certification for "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|relyear=2012|certyear=2024|title=Dirty Cash|artist=Adventures Of Stevie V|type=single|award=Silver|id=20557-7005-1|access-date=18 November 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

A remix of "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)" was released in late 2009, mixed by Funk K called "Dirty Cash 2009". "Dirty Cash" was covered by Liberty X, and featured on their 2005 album, X.

"Dirtee Cash", a song recorded by the grime artist Dizzee Rascal, based on "Dirty Cash", was released as the fourth single from Dizzee Rascal's fourth studio album, Tongue N' Cheek in September 2009 and peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart. At the 2010 BRIT Awards, Florence Welch, from Florence and The Machine was joined by Dizzee Rascal to perform a mash-up of her version of "You Got the Love" and his "Dirtee Cash". The mash-up, entitled ""You Got the Dirtee Love"", was released on 17 February 2010, one day after the BRITs performance.

A new version of the track produced by London-based producer PAWSA was released in November 2024 and peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/pawsaadventures-of-stevie-v-dirty-cash-money-talks/|title=Dirty Cash (Money Talks) - PAWSA/Adventures of Stevie V|website=officialcharts.com|access-date=31 January 2025}}

• List of number-one dance singles of 1990 (U.S.)

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Category:1989 songs

Category:1989 debut singles

Category:1990 singles

Category:1997 singles

Category:British house music songs

Category:Hip house songs

Category:Number-one singles in the Netherlands

Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles

Category:Mercury Records singles