Meaning of “Act Up” by City Girls

To say someone is acting up is basically when that person steps out of line and conducts him or herself in a way that can lead to violent conflict. And in this track, City Girls (JT and Yung Miami) are daring anyone – male and female alike – to challenge them in such a way, promising that they will respond accordingly.

Right off from the first verse, the City Girls let you know what type of life they’re living. For instance, they’re out to take advantage of dumb, rich dudes. They’re also willing to invest their own money in increasing the size of their booties. Moreover they have a tight group of homegirls and shun “fake” ladies, i.e. those who are showy yet wear imitation clothes and counterfeit jewellery.

Later, the rappers are each given their own respective verses. Yung Miami’s centers on her willingness to take advantage of men, even if they belong to another woman, using her attractiveness. However, one prerequisite is dude has to be paid. If not, then he may face Yung’s wrath when he comes around.

JT’s verse follows a similar theme. She’s not trying to get involved with no broke dude. And if a rich one comes along, she will exploit him intimately until he also joins the ranks of the poor. She also points out that her attraction to well-off men is not a result of simply being impressed by displays of their wealth. Rather they also have to be willing to spend “big bucks” to make her happy. JT then ends her section on one of the main topics discussed throughout the track, which is the unfaithfulness of other girls’ men since they are more vested in the City Girls than their own relationships.

Facts about “Act Up”

• Writer(s): This track was written by JT (one half of City Girls), Lil Yachty and EarlThePearll.
• Producer(s): The producer of “Act Up” is EarlThePearll (who also co-wrote the track).
• Album/EP: This is the seventh track off of the City Girls’ 2018 album titled Girls Code.
• Release Date: Its release date was 16 November 2018.
• Record Label: The labels behind this track are Quality Control Music, Motown and Capitol Records.
• Interesting Stuff: “Act Up” and indeed the whole Girl Code album was released without the physical presence of half of the City Girls, JT, since she had been incarcerated during its release. Actually she was incarcerated in early July 2018 on charges stemming from the use of fraudulent credit cards. She is scheduled to be released from prison on 21 March 2020.