Economic Success
The ThingLink below demonstrates the various terms that were coded for in my research. Each term is labeled with the number of times each word was used to describe money. This specific digital media showcases the male rap artists’ terms associated with money as mentioned below.
The presence of money throughout the rap songs was highly evident. There were descriptions of desire for money, references to figures associated with bills, descriptions of how they were attaining money, mentions of giving money, and specific monetary value to describe the number of wealthy rap artists were acquiring. The priority of money in rap songs is not specific to gender. Both male and female rap artists comment on the motivator money provides when wanting to overcome poverty or have a better life in general. Ms. Jade, Nominee for the 2003 award says, “Expedition never slippin on a money mission. Shit is real when you ain’t even got no pot to piss in. That’s why I’m on the come up, for the come up” (Young, C. 2003. The Come Up. Beat Club Records). The lyrics highlight the desire for money and how it works as a motivator to overcome her struggles. The reference to “money mission” demonstrates the motivation factor money plays for her circumstances as a way to overcome the struggle of not having “a pot to piss in,” meaning owning anything let alone a place to use the restroom. This motivator is also echoed by other female rap artists. Lil Kim, Nominee for 2001, says, “Goodness gracious, the papers! Where the cash at? Where the stash at?” (Jones, K. Custom Made (Give it to you). Atlantic Formats). The lyrics she is using for this verse suggest urgency with the inclusion of punctuation and the expressive saying of “Goodness Gracious.” These factors work together to highlight the importance and the motivation money plays for rap artists.
The ThingLink below serves as an example of my coding of lyrics to highlight themes of money as motivation: (Ms. Jade, The Come up 2002, Nominee 2003)
Money then becomes a core symbol of wealth that is associated with the American Dream. To be deemed successful, the symbol of wealth, in this case, physical cash, needs to be associated with the rap artists. The symbol of money represents the goal of “making it” in a difficult economy (Cloonan and Williamson 2023; Foster 2014; Shapiro 2023). Therefore, it reinforces the capitalistic desire to make a wage where an individual can attain money that allows for class mobility and financial freedom. 50 cent, winner for 2003, highlights this mentality, “I’m fully focused, man, my money on my mind” (Jackson, C. 2003. In da Club. G unit records). The mention of money being on his mind not only acts as a motivator but also highlights the main priority money holds over his actions. It reflects the institutional goal of wealth, reinforcing the American dream regardless of approach. This is similarly echoed by Kendrick Lamar, the 2013 winner, “All my life I want money and power. Respect my mind or die from lead shower” (Lamar, K. 2013. Backseat freestyle. Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records). Both male rap artists emphasize the desire for money and how it plays into a main motivator for them. The lyrics directly suggest how straightforward the goals are for him, and how important it is for him to attain them. Both female and male rap artists focus on the importance of money as it represents a status of achievement, and the driving force to achieve the goal of the American Dream. Although rap artists are not attaining wealth in a traditional sense (Cloonan and Williamson 2023; Foster 2014; Shapiro 2023) the goal being economic freedom remains consistent, highlighting an innovative approach according to Merton.
The ThingLink below serves as an example of my coding of lyrics to highlight themes of money: (Kendrick Lamar, Backseat Freestyle 2012, 2013 Nominee)
For female rap artists, the term “money” was used 21 times among all 39 songs. In comparison the term “paper” is the second most used term with 8 times among 39 songs when describing money. However, for male rap artists the term “money” was used 22 times among 40. While “money” is a straightforward term that is associated with wealth, there were various terms that were used to describe money in colloquial language. The term “paper” also being the second most used term with 7 times among 40 songs. The way rap artists describe money varies, but the consistency between the direct term of money and the colloquial term “paper” remains consistent for both genders. This is important to note because it characterizes how they are talking about money and how it remains consistent across both male and female rap artists.
The ThingLink below demonstrates the various terms that were coded for in my research. Each term is labeled with the number of times each word was used to describe money. This specific digital media showcases the female rap artists’ terms associated with money as mentioned above.