Motiv8

Album: KOD (2018)
Charted: 15
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Like the KOD track "ATM," "Motiv8" finds J. Cole focusing on his relationship with money. In this instance, it's about the motivation to accumulate cash.

    Too many times I swallowed my pride
    Get money
    I'm crackin' a smile, I'm dyin' inside
    My demons are close, I'm tryin' to hide


    The addiction to chasing money ties in with the theme running throughout KOD of the various coping mechanisms we use as an escape from our traumas.
  • The song features a recurring sample of Lil Kim's hook from Junior Mafia's 1994 track "Get Money."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Joe Jackson

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

Scott Stapp

Scott StappSongwriter Interviews

The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.