Financial Independence Hip-Hop Playlist
*Click Spotify playlist above to contribute to the Financial Independence Hip-Hop playlist! This is a live project created with song suggestions from other personal finance bloggers. Post the song you added to the playlist in the comments section. Near the end of the post, I will include a money playlist created by a best selling author I reached out to!
Have you ever wondered what hip-hop songs personal finance bloggers or a best selling author of a personal finance book listens to? For this project, my mission was to travel across the personal finance blogosphere to find out the answer to this question! I e-mailed a bunch of them asking something like this, ‘What are your favorite hip-hop songs that get you pumped to knock out debt like Deebo knocked out Red in Friday or contain some lyrics about money.” Most of the bloggers I reached out to thought this project was an awesome idea and I will tell you who they are and what songs they suggested later in the post! First, I will discuss the rapper who, in my opinion, can get us pumped up the most to destroy our debt.
Special Guest at FinCon 2017
Who made a song about paying back their loans with their first advance from their record label deal? If you guessed Dee-1, then you would be correct! If you guessed someone else, please Spotify, Google, and/or Wikipedia his body of work now before reading the rest of this peerless post! Dee-1 or Sling Shot David is someone who is a perfect fit for this list; he is a rapper who is financially conscious. So financially conscious that he was a special guest at FinCon 2017 in Dallas. Take a look at the video of him performing his hit song Sallie Mae Back below. He even starts crowd surfing around the 3:29 mark! Sallie Mae Back and his song was on my initial list of FI Hip-Hop songs.
*I did not attend FinCon in 2017 but I had a wonderful FinCon experience last year!
My List
Sallie Mae Back by Dee-1 As Seen Above
Notable Lyric: Started paying them loans back one at A time
Got them down down down
Down down down down down till i payed them all off
Peace sign
No Car Note by Dee-1
Notable Lyric: “I love my 98 Honda/ Think I’m finna let it go? Nope Nope”
Just Clock In by Dee-1 ft. Kourtney Heart
Notable Lyric:”I’m not gonna call in sick, cuz you’d expect me to come back/I might just call in dead; maybe you’ll get the point after that”
*I also chose Legacy and Story of O.J. by Jay-Z but I could not add them to the playlist because they are only available on Tidal.*
Special Shout Out
The first blogger I reached out to was J. Money, the founder of Rockstarfinance.com and owner of Budgets Are Sexy. He recently sold Rockstarfinance.com to John from ESI Money so that he could spend more time with his family. Congratulations, J! And thanks again for featuring my article From Broke Phi Broke to Financially Woke on Rockstar last Thursday.
Alexander Hamilton
Notable Lyric: The ten-dollar founding father without a father
Got a lot farther by working a lot harder
By being a lot smarter By being a self-starter
By fourteen, they placed him in charge of a trading charter
For the Love of Money by The O’Jay’s
Notable Lyric: Listen to me why’all, do things, do things, do bad things with it
You want to do things, do things, do things, good things with it
Talk about cash money, money
Talk about cash money- dollar bills, why’all
“Of course, J. Money picked the song I already had on the top of my list!”-Lee of Homelyeconomics.com
Shame on you for stealing her song, J! Erin from Brokemillennial.com had this song at the top of her list, too! To take a look at Lee’s list titled 10 Songs About Money, click here! She has a reggae gem called Money in My Pocket on her list that I fell in love with. Also, she suggested I add Baby Huey’s Hard Times because it has been sampled by a lot of hip-hop artists!
Songs Suggested By Lee of Homely Economics
Money in My Pocket
Notable Lyric: Money in my pocket but I just can’t get no love, oh no
Money in my pocket but I just can’t get no love
The love I had in mind
Was very, very hard to find, oh
Baby Huey’s Hard Times
Notable Lyric: I’m sick and tired
I’m sick and tired of payin’ dues baby
And I’m sick and tired of havin’ so many hard, hard times baby
And from my party house, from my party house
More Contributions
*Songs with * by them contain some curse words*
*Save Dat Money by Lil Dicky-
Suggested by Bo Amusa from Young Income
Notable Lyric: Ay, where the dough at baby
And the banger but you know I ain’t tryna blow that baby
Ay, we gon’ save that money
*It’s All About the Benjamins by Puff Daddy Ft. The Notorious B.I.G., The LOX & Lil’ Kim – It’s All About the Benjamins
Suggested by Bola Sokunbi of Clever Girl Finance!
Notable Lyric: It’s all about the Benjamins baby
Now, what y’all wanna do?
It’s all about the Benjamins baby
No Scrubs by TLC
Suggested by Jasmine Golden of Surviving Cents
Notable Lyric: Oh yes son, I’m talking to you
Wanna get me with no money
Oh no, I don’t want no
No scrub, no scrub
Bills, Bills, Bills by Destiny Child’s
Suggested by Jasmine Golden of Surviving Cents and Danielle Desir of The Thought Card
Notable Lyric: And now you ask to use my car
Drive it all day and don’t fill up the tank
And you have the audacity to even come and step to me
Ask to hold some money from me until
You get your check next week
Rich Girl by Hall and Oates
Suggested by Derek Sall of Life and My Finances
Notable lyric: You’re a rich girl, and you’ve gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
You can rely on the old man’s money
You can rely on the old man’s money
Billionaire by Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars
Suggested by Miss Monique of If I Was A Wealthy Girl and Jason of Winning Personal Finance
Notable Lyric: Get it, hehe, I’d probably visit where Katrina hit
And damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did
Yeah can’t forget about me stupid
Everywhere I go Imma have my own theme music
Miss Independent by Neyo
Suggested by Miss Monique of If I Was A Wealthy Girl
Notable Lyric: And she move like a boss
Do what a boss
Do, she got me thinking about getting involved
That’s the kinda girl I need
Rich Girl by Louchie Lou & Michie One
Suggested by Miss Monique of If I Was A Wealthy Girl
Notable Lyric: Money can buy you a house to live in
Money can buy nice pretty things but
No money couldna couldna buy you no lifes and lovins
Broke by Lecrae
Suggested by Reid of Wealth Rehab
Notable Lyric: Being broke in this thing don’t sit right
Do it for my folk, tryna get by
I came through the struggle with my head high
You being broke think you know what it feel like
I said being broke made me rich
The Food by Common Ft. Kanye West
Suggested by Alanna of Financialdemics
Notable Lyric: Cause I had to give (dough, dough, dough)
I’m up all night gettin’ my money right
Best Day of My Life by American Authors
*Not exactly hip-hop but a cool song!*
Suggested by Colin Ashby of Rebel With A Plan
Notable Lyric: I’m never gonna look back
Woah, never gonna give it up
No, just don’t wake me now
Champion by Kanye West
Suggested by Ricky Charpentier of Money Hero Blog
Notable Lyric: And I ain’t sayin’ we was from the projects
But every time I want it, layaway or a deposit
My Dad’ll say “when you see clothes close ya eyelids”
We was sorta like Will Smith and his son
In the movie I ain’t talkin’ ’bout the rich ones
Started From the Bottom by Drake *Explicit*
Suggested by Ricky Charpentier of Money Hero Blog
Notable Lyric: Living at my mama’s house we’d argue every month
*****, I was trying to get it on my own
Working all night, traffic on the way home
And my uncle calling me like “Where ya at?
I gave you the keys told ya bring it right back”
*****, I just think its funny how it goes
Now I’m on the road, half a million for a show
Shining DJ Khaled, Beyonce, and Jay-Z
Suggested by Ricky Charpentier of Money Hero Blog
Notable Lyric: Money don’t make me happy (make me happy)
And a fella can’t make me fancy (make me fancy)
We smilin’ for a whole ‘nother reason (whole ‘nother reason)
It’s all smiles through all four seasons
Broke Millennial Book Release Party Playlist!
When I reached out to Erin from BrokeMillennial.com and author of Broke Millennial, I honestly thought she would not respond. To my surprise, she responded relatively quickly and informed me that she had created a Spotify playlist for her book release party, which can be found below! Thanks a million for sharing the playlist with me, Erin! I cannot wait to read your book.
Songs Taken from Erin’s Playlist
I Need A Dollar by Aloe Black
Notable Lyric: I had a job but the boss man let me go
He said
I’m sorry but I won’t be needing your help no more
I said
Please mister boss man I need this job more than you know
But he gave me my last paycheck and he sent me on out the door
*Sounds like Aloe should have save up some FU Money!
Money Make Her Smile by Bruno Mars
Notable Lyric: Oh it’s not complicated so this won’t take a while
You see music make her dance and money money money make her smile
Millionaire by Cash Cash and Digital Farm Animals Ft. Nelly
Notable Lyric: I feel like a millionaire
I feel like a millionaire
Whenever she comes around
Whenever I hear that sound
We Need Some Money by Chuck Brown
Notable Lyric: Mastercard, and Visa, American Express
I ain’t got nothing against no credit cards, but the cash is the best
Now Mastercard, and Visa, American Express
I ain’t got nothing against no credit cards, but the cash is the best
*Dave Ramsey says cash is king!*
Rich Girl by Gwen Stefani, Eve
Notable Lyric: If I was a rich girl (na, na)
See, I’d have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl
No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end
Cause I’d have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl
Make the Money by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Notable Lyric: Make the money, don’t let the money make you
Change the game, don’t let the game change you
I’ll forever remain faithful
All my people stay true, I say
Broke Jason Derulo, Stevie Wonder, Keith Urban
Notable Lyric: Mo’ money, mo’ problems
So I’d rather be broke
(Static)
Ah, mmm, gotta get this damn TV fixed…
Money Talks by Rick James
Notable Lyric: People need to eat
To put shoes
on their little baby’s feet
That’s money talkin’, yeah
Random Podcast Recommendation
Juan from Finance Clever did not have a song to recommend but he recommended the podcast Choose FI. I told him I have been listening to it for a month now and I recommended he check out the Journey to Launch podcast!
Credits
I would like to thank all of the personal finance bloggers who contributed songs and suggestions for this blog post. All of you are awesome!
J. Money
Jasmine Golden
Lee
Miss Monique
Danielle Desir
Reid
Ricky Charpentier
Derek Sall
Jason
Colin Ashby
Juan
Kay
Bo Amusa
Bola Onada Sokunbi
Christine
- What song(s) would you add to the playlist?
Please share the playlist on your favorite social media platform!
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Author: Jerry
Jerry is a Business Insider Contributing Writer who is obsessed with personal finance. He believes you can improve your financial situation by applying principles taught by the financial independence community to your financial life.
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Epic post. Thanks for including me.
Thanks, Jason. I am glad you like it! Your contribution is greatly appreciated
What a fun list!!! Thanks for letting me be a part of the fun.
You are welcome, Monique! Thanks for contributing!
Great list!!! As you know I’d say anything from the 4:44 album 🙂
Yes! I love that album but it wasn’t on spotify so I couldn’t add it to my playlist 🙁
Dollar Dollar Bills ya’ll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194
Thanks for your contribution!