ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons characterizes Rick Rubin as an eccentric producer, stating that Rubin found their recording sessions interesting enough to replay three hours later.
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ZZ Top's 2012 single "I Gotsta Get Paid" was a unique blend of blues rock and hip-hop influences, and it marked a significant point in the band's career. The song, which hails from their 15th album, La Futura, was produced by Rick Rubin.
The inspiration for "I Gotsta Get Paid" can be traced back to the 1996 hip-hop anthem "25 Lighters" by DJ DMD, Fat Pat, and Lil' Keke. According to Billy Gibbons, the guitarist and lead vocalist of ZZ Top, the title was a ghetto slang term used by crack dealers to refer to the process of disassembling and repacking cigarette lighters for resale.
The transformation of "25 Lighters" into "I Gotsta Get Paid" was classified as a derivative work, which is different from a cover song. This process took place while Rick Rubin was absent from the studio, with the band drawing inspiration from the sound of Lightnin' Hopkins during the recording of the song.
Gibbons spoke about the making of La Futura in 2018, mentioning that playing is the name of the game when working with Rubin, and ZZ Top enjoys playing. However, some artists complain about working with Rubin because he asks for songs to be played again and again. Despite these challenges, Rubin was willing to produce "I Gotsta Get Paid," and upon hearing the final product, he declared it sounded like something from another planet and loved what ZZ Top did with it.
The making of La Futura took four years from the day they joined forces with Rubin to its release. Since then, the album hasn't seen another release, but ZZ Top has continued to tour after Dusty Hill's death in 2021, with Elwood Francis on bass. If La Futura turns out to be ZZ Top's final album, it will be remembered mainly for the song "I Gotsta Get Paid."
In the mid-'90s, AC/DC fell out with Rubin when he produced their album Ballbreaker. Despite this history, Rubin was able to work with ZZ Top to create a unique and memorable song that bridged the gap between blues rock and hip-hop. "I Gotsta Get Paid" remains a testament to ZZ Top's ability to innovate and push boundaries, even after decades in the music industry.
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