While drinking, listening to music, and doing the usual pre-Saturday night crunk activities the other night, I started thinking more in depth about the current paradox many rappers have set up for themselves, in that they currently rap about two things: getting money, and throwing money away.
Getting money is a universally accepted goal for most Americans, but I'd venture to say that rappers take the concept to a heightened sense of importance, in that getting money is a goal in and of itself (and in any way possible); whereas the majority of Americans want to get money, but spend more time worrying about the ways in which it is realistically (and legitimately) possible.
So we have lots of rap references to “getting money.” For example, 50 Cent's song “I Get Money” (with the classic hook, “I get money, money is got (I, I get it)”); Paul Wall's album “Get Money, Stay True”; 2Pac's song “I'm Gettin' Money”; Biggie's song “Gettin' Money”; Yung Joc's “Gettin to Da Money”; the list goes on. You've got “new money,” “young money,” “blood money,” “cash money”, and of course, Chamillionaire.
Throwing away money, on the other hand, is universally frowned upon by most Americans, yet is an important status symbol for many rappers. “Making it rain,” a common rap term still most closely associated with lavishing strippers in paper money, has taken on a broader context to include the act of randomly throwing out money for anyone to pick up. Lil' Wayne, who was featured on Fat Joe's hit single “Make It Rain,” was even sued for throwing out large amounts of cash into a concert crowd in Baltimore (don't imagine the irony of that for too long or your bank account may freeze in confusion).
So you've got rap references like “club goin crazy, we throwin out stacks” (from Young Buck's song “Money in the Bank”…one can only assume the club's ventilation system was set to “vacuum this money into Young Buck's checking account” mode), “throw this money” (from USDA's song “Throw This Money”), “it ain't nothing do 100 in the Maybach, throwin' money out the roof mother fuck them brake pads” (from Rick Ross's song “Speedin'”), and of course, “making it rain on dem hoes,” courtesy of every rapper everywhere.
So rappers, I ask you, if you are so concerned with getting money at any cost (an oxymoron in itself), shouldn't you also focus on keeping it all, or at least rap about doing more with it than what amounts to throwing it up in the air at random, perhaps giving it right back to those who paid you in the first place?
A wise man once said, “You can't have your cake and eat it too, even if you throw it up later.” Because you may think you're getting fat and happy, but you're actually just getting skinny and hungry. And believe me, money tastes just as good going down the second time in someone else's mouth.