Songs About Prosperity
What images or thoughts spring to mind when you think of the word “prosperity?” Perhaps thoughts of lavish houses and exotic sports cars spring to mind. Maybe you picture a world where no one goes without food or clothing. In either case, it’s a word that conjures up images of flashy expenditures and waste.
Others, though, give a deeper ethereal significance to material success. Some people may equate success with a sense of inner calm, serenity, joy, and gratitude for one’s life and possessions.
No matter your perspective, I bet you are going to enjoy our list of songs about prosperity
5 Songs About Prosperity
1. “I’m Upset” by Drake
Drake, a famous Canadian rapper and performer, has a song called “I’m Upset.” Drake vents his wrath and fury about two main issues in the song. One group are the so-called “gold diggers” who solely seek him out to part him with his money. The rapper uses the term “gold digger” to describe the ladies he has met who have used false claims of love as a means to obtain financial support from him.
Drake discusses a specific woman whose debts he is obligated to pay at the end of every month and offers her whatever she wants as a means of resolving the problem of women giving him phony love and wanting his money. The identity of this female character is unknown.
The threat of his foes is the second major theme of the song. He complains about how many rappers in the industry disrespect him and how they actively seek out beef with him to promote themselves.
Drake mentions a price being put on his head in the song. He says that his adversaries have placed a $30,000, $100,000, and $500,000 bounty on his head. Drake claims in the song that the first two bounties offered ($50,000 and $100,000) are insufficient for someone of his stature.
For this reason, he finds them deeply insulting. When discussing the final prize amount of $500,000, though, the rapper says he can “accept” the sum because it makes him feel like “someone tried their best.” However, he cautions whoever is going to be his guest that they should only do so if they are prepared to “waste half a million.”
However, it’s unclear if the rapper is making a figurative or literal reference to the bounty. Our best hopes are on the latter! If the latter, then Drake is probably alluding to the lowball offers he receives. However, if taken at its value, Drake’s words suggest that his adversaries are actively plotting his death.
2. “Saint-Tropez” by Post Malone
First on our list of songs about prosperity is “Saint-tropez” by Post Malone. Post Malone flaunts his lavish lifestyle in his song “Saint-Tropez.” It’s a familiar topic in hip-hop, but Malone treats it with humor. His reasoning for removing the song from the CD was that many of the other songs dealt with darker themes. The cherry, joyous “Saint-Tropez” was likely included as an attempt to redress the album’s overall tone.
The majority of his joy is based on his financial situation. He does this by referring to the expensive brands he likes. He also brags about his penchant for splurging on pricey jewelry, even for his female companions. The name of the song is a nod to an affluent French resort town. In other words, it’s supposed to imply that the singer has a lot of money.
Posty’s happiness, though, stems not so much from the fact that he has been compensated. Instead, he’s celebrating the fact that he had to work hard to get where he is now.
3. “Scared Money” by YG (ft. J. Cole and Moneybagg Yo)
The title and chorus of this song, “Scared Money,” are taken from the urban proverb, “scared money doesn’t make money.” In plain English, this means that you shouldn’t count on making a lot of money unless you’re willing to take some calculated risks with it.
This song, however, is not about giving investment advice to its listeners or anything similar to that in the lyrics. Instead, what we have here is merely the type of wealth-based braggadocio that might be reasonably expected from the rappers in question.
In addition, women receive what may be called preferential treatment, particularly in the realm of young adult fiction. What he is stating in his lyrics is analogous to a pimp boasting about how well he treats his clients.
The chorus, meanwhile, is telling the males that they shouldn’t brag about being “lighted” or “poppin'” like the musicians in question unless their wife is extremely attractive.
Thus, perhaps the argument YG is making is that men shouldn’t be scared to spend money to attract a very attractive woman. Don’t take it seriously, okay? Like a pimp, this singer seems more concerned with getting money out of ladies than keeping them.
4. “Lemonade” by Internet Money
The song is about the perks of their success, including a lavish lifestyle. They celebrate their success by boasting about their wealth, material things, wild social lives, and drug use.
Pre-chorus and verse lyrics make allusions to the prescription medicines Xanax and Adderall, while suicide doors stand in for the high-end automobiles they drive and the term “bag” is an obvious allusion to the large sums of cash that they own or occasionally carry.
Don also refers to Belgian designer Raf Simons, saying that he feels more confident in his sexual prowess when he dresses in the designer’s creations.
The rappers brag throughout the song about their wealth, popularity, and rise to prominence, and they promise not to testify against each other or their pals if they are ever arrested. They recount separate occasions when they were held and promise not to betray one another.
5. “Started from the Bottom” by Drake
Last on our list of songs about prosperity is “started from the bottom” by Drake. The term “Started from the Bottom” suggests an up-and-coming artist, and this is especially true in the hip-hop genre. Rap songs about such subjects are, as those more familiar with the genre would attest, extremely common.
But Drake started his reasoning for not releasing the song: it’s an honest reflection of his humble beginnings. Or, as his following explanation implies, many people think he came from a wealthy family, which helped him rise to fame quickly and easily.
Drake, however, felt the need to set the record straight and say that FAR FROM IT, he and his family had to work incredibly hard for him to get where he is today.
The chorus, however, does not convey a sense of slogging through a tough job. However, we may argue that this is implicit, given that Drizzy had to start from scratch to become as successful as he was today.
While the hook does emphasize Drake’s low beginnings, it also makes it clear that he is bringing his “whole f-king squad” with him to the top. As an alternative way of looking at it, he didn’t abandon the people who had contributed to his success after his explosion. On the contrary, he plans to see to it that they, like himself, are well cared for.
After all this, it’s clear that “Started From the Bottom” by Drake is an excellent composition. Indeed, there is no other style of mainstream music where machismo is as much of a prerequisite as rap. A rapper’s experience as a drug dealer, gang banger, or other violent criminal is often cited as part of his argument that he is formidable.
Drake, however, did not have the advantage of a “hood upbringing” when it came to his ideology. But he reassures the rap world that his rise to fame is genuine. Even though he didn’t come from a poor family, his life story is nonetheless one of “rags to riches,” as evidenced by the fact that he was able to buy his uncle’s car.
