It's Monday morning, and you're reading this. Clearly you need to get off your ass and get money. We empathize. We're here to help.
After a killer weekend, it can be tough to gear up for the big week ahead, which is why we've compiled a list of songs that will help motivate you to get paid. Luckily for us, 'getting the money' is a very common topic in rap music. Unfortunately, that means it was really hard to narrow down the list of 100+ songs that qualify. Selections from legends like Rakim and new comers like D.R.A.M. help to keep the list varied both in styles and eras.
So we'll give you a pass as you click through these ten 'get money' anthems, but after that you need to, in the words of Outkast, "get up, get out, and get some!"
D.R.A.M. featuring Donnie Trumpet - $
The hook is simple and to the point: "This be that shit that make a nigga get off his ass and get money." We hear you D.R.A.M., now motivate these cats to get after it! "$" is the perfect Monday morning wake-up song because it's both relatively relaxing, but will also inspire you to get after your dreams. His words will resonate for anyone who follows a passion that their parents may not understand.
Key Lines:
"My momma mad I ain't working / I feel worthless but when I'm on stage and workin' I am perfect"
Outkast featuring Goodie Mob - Git Up, Get Out
Cee-Lo's chorus may sound like your mom nagging you, but to keep it a hundred, parents usually have a pretty good point behind their nagging.
If his chorus doesn't inspire you, a very rare Cee-Lo rap verse should remind you that you can do anything! By the time Three Stacks hits the mic you should be lacing your kicks up ready to tackle the day's challenges.
Key Lines:
"You need to git up, git out and git something
Don't let the days of your life pass by
You need to git up, git out and git something
Don't spend all your time trying to get high"
Rihanna - Bitch Better Have My Money
Have you ever been paid late by an employer? We pretty much all have at some point or another, and it's a shame that the consequential conversations always lean on the slightly awkward side of things.
But Rihanna has a little gift for you, in the form of a track that will motivate you to get what's rightfully yours. You worked hard for that money; it's yours! Throw this on, but make sure to be much kinder when you word the concept to your employer.
Key Lines:
"Y'all should know me well enough
Bitch better have my money!
Please don't call me on my bluff
Pay me what you owe me"
Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G., The LOX & Lil' Kim - It's All About the Benjamins (Remix)
Occasionally you need a reminder as to why you're waking up on a Monday morning. You're probably groggy from a long weekend of having fun, and work probably seems trivial moments after your alarm clock goes off. That's when you throw it back to 1997 and allow the Bad Boy family to light a fire under your ass.
Key Lines:
"Now, what y'all want to do?
Want to be ballers, shot callers, brawlers?"
Big K.R.I.T. - Wake Up
Rihanna and Puffy may be a bit much for you when you first rise out of bed. If that's the case, this K.R.I.T. song should do the trick. The vibe is lowkey, but the words will get you riding high.
Key Lines:
"Thank God for the day, thank God for the morning
Won't take this here for granted no good Lord I gots to get on it
With every breath I take, or move I make, I gots to keep wanting
A better life for me, and all of mine, no time for that yawning
In the bed waiting, procrastinating, I gots to be hungry
Too old for games that don't mean a thing, can't play with my homies"
Wiz Khalifa featuring Cam'Ron - The Bluff
You know what they say: fake it 'til you make it. This one is for all the cats out there who want to wake up on Monday morning and head to their job feeling like they're already rich. Wiz Khalifa and Cam'ron bless a beat that feels like velvet with raps that smell like vacation.
Key Lines:
"Still walkin' all up on your airplane with all my gang members
Smellin' like, money and champagne, part of my campaign
I'm fuckin' rich my nigga, some things I can't change"
Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M.
One of the most popular acronyms in rap history doubles as one of the most motivating choruses ever. If you're trying to get the money, you need to understand that it is ruling everything around you. Raekwon, Method Man, and Inspectah Deck are here to remind you what makes the world go 'round, and it certainly isn't sleeping in on Monday morning.
Key Lines:
"Figured out I went the wrong route
So I got with a sick-ass clique and went all out
Catching keys from across seas
Rolling in MPV's every week we made forty G's"
Kendrick Lamar featuring Jay Rock - Money Trees
Like the Big K.R.I.T. song on this list, "Money Trees" will ease you into your morning. It's a chill track, and while the majority of the subject matter actually revolves around being broke, Kendrick and Jay Rock use it as a motive for better livin'.
Key Lines:
"Dreams of living life like rappers do
Bump that new E-40 after school
You know big balling with my homies
Earl Stevens had us thinking rational"
Clipse - Grindin'
Rise and grind! If you prefer to wake up with a thumpin' banger that could also be suited for the club, Clipse got your back. Produced by the Neptunes, this one will have you dancing out of your room and into grind mode.
Key Lines:
"Excuse me if my wealth got me full of myself
Cocky, something that I just can't help
'Specially when them 20's is spinning like windmills
And the ice 32 below minus the wind chill
Filthy, the word that best defines me
I'm just grinding man, y'all never mind me"
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
We had to end this thing with another all-time classic. "Paid In Full" is one of the first hip hop songs that really motivated some young guns to go get the paper. Rakim's lyrics are placed perfectly over Eric B.'s beat, and this one shouldn't only motivate you to get paid, but to be the best at whatever it is you do. That's what Rakim is: the best at what he does.
Key Lines:
"But now I learned to earn cause I’m righteous
I feel great so maybe I might just search for a 9 to 5
If I strive then maybe I’ll stay alive"