Money

Album: released as a single (2018)
Charted: 35 13
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Cardi B's first solo release since breaking through with her Invasion of Privacy album finds her talking about her love of money, which she now has in abundance.

    I was born to flex
    Diamonds on my neck
    I like boardin' jets, I like mornin' sex
    But nothing in this world that I like more than checks


    Cardi's success is enabling her to maintain a luxurious lifestyle, something that comes naturally to the MC.
  • In July 2018, Cardi gave birth to her first child, Kulture. The Bronx MC reflects on being a mother as she considers the need to provide for her daughter.

    I got a baby, I need some money, yeah
    I need cheese for my egg


    While Cardi is here for the dollar bills there is one thing that is more important to her. She stresses in the last chorus:

    Nothing in this world that I like more than Kulture

    The Bronx MC's daughter always outweighs a check.
  • The song's stomping instrumentation was supplied by J. White Did It, the producer behind the beats for Cardi B's chart-topping singles "Bodak Yellow" and "I Like It." J. White Did It's beat dates back to the same sessions that produced Invasion of Privacy. The producer was surprised when Cardi decided to revisit his soundscape after the album's release and lay down some vocals from it. He recalled how they met in the middle over the production.

    "She wanted a raw sound," he told Genius. "I wanted it to have a few more elements to it, so towards the end of the track it definitely picks up a bit more, where at the beginning it's definitely raw."
  • The piano serves as the lynchpin for J. White's beat. "I love just intense-sounding sounds, so this piano is what I started with," he recalled to Genius. "This is suspense. Like, I'm coming. It feels like some shark in the water. That piano just… it sets the tone for the mood."

    From there, White added handclaps, hi-hats and the all-important 808 pattern. "I feel like the 808 is the heart and soul of every hip-hop record," he explained. "I space my 808s out because I just don't feel like riding in my car and hearing 'boom boom boom' the whole time. I want the song to breathe, and I feel like as producers, we have to learn that the voice is the main instrument."
  • Cardi performed this at the Grammy Awards in 2019 in an extravagant performance centered around a grand piano. Cardi's Invasion Of Privacy album took the award for Best Rap Album at the ceremony, making her the first female solo act to take that award.
  • This won Best Hip Hop at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.