“Racks in The Middle” by Nipsey Hussle (Ft. Hit-Boy And Roddy Rich)

This title of this song is based on a line that is repeated throughout, especially in the choruses, which is “riding around in the V-12 with the racks in the middle”. Nipsey Hussle himself has stated that “V-12 is a reference to the hood” as in the neighborhood he grew up in or more generally all inner-city African-American communities. But the meaning of “racks” is never specified. In terms of its popular slang definition, “racks” refers to stacks of money. And this is likely what Nipsey is referring to, as the music video to the track definitely sees him living it up.

In a sense, this song is inspirational, as one of the themes it is based on is the hard work and drive that has led Nipsey Hussle down the road to becoming a multi-million dollar success story. But it also chronicles his time on the come up as in his street-based history growing up in Los Angeles, with Nipsey being a known gang member.

As such, the chorus finds Hussle chillin’ in the ‘hood with his racks. He acknowledges his homeys who are locked down and prays to God for their expedient release. As alluded to earlier, he acknowledges the rough background he ascended from and somewhat prophetically acknowledges the killers regularly in his vicinity. And the lyrics throughout the song’s three verses for the most part stick to these same themes.

What is most-noticeable about the song however is Hussle’s impressive lyricism, his ability to present overused subjects in rap music in a way that is still compelling, with this skill set recently resulting in his being nominated for a Grammy.