“Double Up” by Nipsey Hussle (ft. Dom Kennedy & Belly)

This track is dominated by Nipsey Hussle and Dom Kennedy, with Belly basically playing the role of a hype man. And “Double Up”, specifically Nipsey’s solo verse, utilizes a lot of slang. As such, a much clearer understanding of its main theme can derived from the song’s music video.

The slang term “double up” basically means to double your cash. In other words, if you ‘turn 7 to a 14’ like Nipsey has done, then you’ve doubled up. It basically refers to making 100% profit. And Nipsey is saying that he more or less has done so via the “dope game”.

He attributes his success in the drug trade to his hard background, such as being born in the 1980s (when crack cocaine first hit the streets of Los Angeles, Hussle’s hometown) on top of alluding to his mother possibly being a user of the drug herself. What his verse boils down to is an appreciative recollection of the time he spent as a drug dealer. But as implied by the music video, he used this street money to eventually become a wealthy, mainstream businessman.

Meanwhile Dom Kennedy comes in referencing his own success and the fact that he has been able to achieve his childhood dreams. He also alludes to the same type of gang lifestyle that is highlighted in Nipsey’s verse. And you can see that Dom has also ‘doubled up’. For instance, he’s drinking champagne and chillin’ in his whip with the beat thumping. 

Also, during his frequent visits to the bank, the branch managers themselves come to greet him. And conclusively, he lets the world know that the pool party in the music video is not just for show, for even “when the cameras cut” he is still engaged in such a lifestyle.

The Chorus

Most simply interpreted, the title/chorus of this song refers to flipping money, i.e. doubling an investment. More specifically, all things considered, Nipsey is likely referring to achieving that goal through drug dealing and accordingly, beyond ‘doubling up’, also making “three or four times” the initial amount of funds put into the venture.

When he goes on to state that he “ain’t telling no lies”, that’s an allusion to the fact that, as generally understood, Hussle was a real-life drug dealer. In other words, the streets being what they are, many rappers have dabbled in that profession, and being a big timer in the drug game is considered an ideology in mainstream rap music. But it is widely believed that Hussle was someone who, instead of falsely boasting such, actually made a significant amount of money therein. He had genuine street cred as compared to most other popular rappers and that particular line appears to be reasserting that fact.

“Double up (Yeah)
Three or four times, I ain’t tellin’ no lies, I just run it up
Never let a hard time humble us
Double up
I ain’t tellin’ no lies, I just (Yeah)
I ain’t tellin’ no lies, I just
Five, four, three, two
That’s time I got to you
That money, my dreams come true
My life in diamonds, who knew?
Who knew?

Honestly, the latter part of the chorus is not as easy to understand. But one plausible theory concerning what Nipsey was getting at via the phrase “five, four, three, two, that’s the time I got to you” is him hinting that the nature of the chorus is an advisory one. And as for his life now being “in diamonds”, as presented, that acknowledgement is likely meant to speak to the fact that he has made it rich, despite coming from where such an accomplishment is not at all common.

Music Video

An official music video to this track was created, and it stars US actress Lauren London, who dated the rapper when he was alive. The video also features another popular African American actor named Jackie Long.

Release Date of “Double Up”

“Double Up”, alongside its album (“Victory Lap”), was commercially released on February 16 of 2018.

This song, which was not released as a single, was put out by All Money In Records in conjunction with Atlantic Records.

Writing and Production

The California-born rapper, who lost his life in March 2019 through gunshot injuries, wrote this track alongside its featured artists, Dom Kennedy and Belly. Songwriting contributions also came from the following other artists:

• Michael Ray Cox Jr.
• Rance
• David Camon
• John Groover
• Axl Folie
• Alexander Chigbue
• Teddy Walton

The production of “Double Up” was also handled by multiple record producers including three of its writers – Walton, Rance and Folie. The track’s other producers are:

• IAMNOBODI
• Mike & Keys
• My Guy Mars

Accolades

This was not one of the very prominent songs from the late rapper. However, it still found moderate success in the US, peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 65. Furthermore, it earned a 3x Platinum Certification from the RIAA.

The “Victory Lap” Album

Hussle’s only studio project, “Victory Lap”, was accompanied by three singles, which were all released prior to the official launching of the album. “Rap Ni–as”, the project’s lead single, hit the airwaves on December 1 of 2017.

On January 19 of 2018 the rapper and his team dropped the album’s second single, “Last Time That I Checc’d”. The final single, “Dedication”, which features rapper Kendrick Lamar, was issued on February 13, the same year.

 “Victory Lap” was indeed a big success for Hussle, especially in his home nation, where it ranked at number 2 on the Billboard 200. In the UK, the album also experienced some success. Here, it managed to peak at number 56 on the region’s official albums’ chart.