Meaning of “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars

“24K Magic” is a party song centered around a character who, as Bruno Mars puts it, is a dangerous man who’s got a bunch of money in his pocket ready to blow. The theme of the song is basically a guy and his boys going out to party, wearing expensive designer clothes and encouraging others, both male and female, to engage in the act.

In an interview Mars had with New-Zealand-born radio DJ Zane Lowe on the radio station Beats 1, Mars said the song was inspired by hip-hop music from the 90s West Coast of America. He went on to cite works of West Cost hip-hop legends like Dr. Dre and Suga Free as inspirations. According to Mars, the 90s was not only a truly fantastic time to party but also a great time “to be flashy” and exhibit one’s dancing skills on the dance floor.

Facts about “24K Magic”

• “24K Magic” was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence and C. Brody Brown.
• The production of “24K Magic” was handled by the production teams The Stereotypes and the Shampoo Press & Curl.
• The song was released on October 7th, 2016 as the first single from Mars’ third studio album of the same name (24K Magic). The album sold several millions of copies all over the world and won three Grammys, including the Grammy for the Album of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. It is worth noting that the production team Shampoo Press & Curl that co-produced the song is made up of the song’s three writers (Mars, Brown and Lawrence).
• Mars announced the title of the song for the first time to his fans on October 3rd, 2016 via the social networking platform Instagram. The song was released 4 days later.
• The song’s music video, which was co-directed by Bruno Mars himself, was shot in Las Vegas.
• Many have compared the song’s talk box intro to 2Pac’s 1995 hit song “California Love”.
• The song was a smash hit the world over, peaking at number 1 in several countries across the globe, including Argentina, Canada and France. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 4 whereas on the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 5.

Did “24K Magic” win a Grammy Award?

Yes, it did. “24K Magic” was nominated for the Record of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. It went on to beat the likes of “Redbone” by Childish Gambino, “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar and “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber to win the Grammy for the Record of the Year.

Which musical acts have sampled “24K Magic”?

One of the most notable songs that have sampled “24K Magic” is the 2017 hit song “Loyalty” by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. Just like “24K Magic”, “Loyalty” also won a Grammy at the 60th Grammy Annual Grammy Awards.

Did “24K Magic” sample the 1982 song “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five?

Technically speaking, it did not sample that 1982 hit song. However, the song’s synthesizer riff bears great resemblance to the one found in “The Message”.

Which genre does this song fall under?

The song belongs to the following genres: disco, funk and R&B.