“Money” by Young Thug (ft. Juice WRLD & Nicki Minaj)
“Money” is one of two bonus tracks, along with “Sake of My Kids”, that were added onto Young Thug’s third-studio album, “Business Is Business”, on 27 June 2023. The labels behind this project are those which have always held Thugga down, which are 300 Entertainment and his own YSL Records.
Young Thug has teamed up with Nicki Minaj and the late Juice WRLD on a number of occasions in the past. However, it has also been pointed out that this is the first time Juice and Nicki have appeared on a track together. And the three vocalists are credited as the writers of this song along with its producer, Charlie Heat.
The Lyrics of “Money”
“Business Is Business” features a slew of guest star appearances, a reality that speaks to the type of support Young Thug has from his hip-hop superstar peers as he concurrently sits in prison, awaiting his fate.
But besides for a reference made by Nicki Minaj, these lyrics don’t speak or allude to his incarceration. Instead, as established in the intro, “Money” is indeed an ode to its namesake and furthermore capitalism in general.
With that in mind, you may already have a good idea of what we’re met with here, which is wealth-based braggadocio, the likes of which the vocalists at hand are known to regularly engage in. For example, in the chorus we have Young Thug noting how he purchases “Cartier bangles”, i.e. very-expensive wrist pieces, for ‘all his broads’, as in his romantic interests. He also boasts of having a “lotta… cash” on hand, rockin’ “Tropicana diamonds”, so on and so forth.
Interesting to note though is that he closes out the chorus by mentioning the late Kurt Cobain within a context that is not readily understandable. Cobain is perhaps the most-notable American musician of the last 30 years to have committed suicide. And with that in mind, coupled with the possibility that Thugga may soon be slapped with a major prison sentence, perhaps he is trying to send some type of related message, though hopefully not.
“Monte Carlo, big sharks on my ankles (Monte Carlo)
I drape out all my broads, Cartier bangles (Cartier bangles)
I go military boys with the angles (Grrah-grrah-grrah, phew-phew)
Gotta upgrade the stars, outer space for me (Yeah)
‘Lotta blue cash in a rubber band (A lotta blue cash in the rubber)
Mount it—, she in Barbie land (She in Barbie land)
Tropicana diamonds, rock ’em by the tens (By the tens)
I’m just drinkin’ Act’, Kurt Cobain (Uh)”
Meanwhile, by this point it may be safe to say that Juice WRLD (1998-2019), the young yet prominent hip-hop musician who died nearly four years ago, may never completely disappear from the music industry.
And whereas some fans still appreciate his vocals poppin’ up on the reg, the downside is that he’s not around to drop fresh lyrics. For instance, even though this song is supposed to be about money, his verse, which would have been recorded before he died, centers mostly on gunplay, i.e. threatening his opps.
But there’s also one line in the chorus, where Thugga references “military boys with the angles”, which reads like it may be based on that same idea.
Nicki however, who is still very much active in the game, uses her verse to speak more to the times. For instance, she directly instructs whoever has the power to do so to “free Thug”, i.e. let the main vocalist out of jail, where he has now been situated for over a year.
But as a mainstream rapper and as with Juice’s earlier segment, Minaj does allude to her wealth. But also as with WRLD, her segment isn’t mainly about money. Instead, as is her standard, the Harajuku Barbie focuses on her sex appeal, sexual prowess and the fact that so many other ladies are copying her style.
Finally, before the song concludes, Young Thug also gets an actual verse of his own. And he does a good job of sticking to the main topic at hand, i.e. his wealth, throughout, presenting himself as someone who has “been a boss since [he was] a goddamn kid”, i.e. being born with an entrepreneurial spirit, if you will.
