Songs About Careers
You wake up, brush your teeth, take a bath, and hit the road. That’s the routine of people out there on these streets, working 9 to 5 to pay the rent and have a life. Our careers can be stressful, but as Nasty C once said in one of his freestyle, “gotta look at it from the right perspective.” Enough talk though, let’s look at the perspective of these artists.
7 Songs About Careers
1. “Work from Home” ` Fifth Harmony
This song is almost certainly going to be the first song that comes to anyone’s mind when they are asked to mention songs about Careers.
The main message of this song is for the narrator’s partner to stop putting in so much time at work and focus instead on their relationship with them. The narrator suggests that the couple’s private time together serves as a respite from their hectic lives. They see it as a form of work, albeit one that can be done in the privacy of their own homes using only their bodies.
The author stays on topic and employs a variety of terms to describe the couple’s current relationship status, all of which are related to the workshop theme. It would appear that this partner works night shifts, leaving them alone at a time when they could use some company the most.
Weary of this pattern, the author decides to send her partner nude pictures while he is at work, or worse, to persuade him not to go to work at all. In defense of their relationship, she claims that her partner should make more of an effort and not let his job get in the way of their passion for one another.
2. “I Gotsta Get Paid” by ZZ Top
If you’re familiar with street slang at all, you know that “gotsta” is a contraction of “got” and “to.” Therefore, the full title of this song would be “I got to get paid” rather than “I gotsta get paid.”
And, well, I guess we should just get down to brass tacks. Despite having a different title than the original work, this is a cover of a rap song, as is revealed further into the post.
The phrase “25 lighters,” which serves as a kind of catchphrase for the song, is a slang term for, most broadly put, that the vocalist(s) is a crack dealer, which the original artists may very well have been. So, we can say that ZZ Top has taken a career in selling crack.
In any case, we can safely assume that ZZ Top is not endorsing or recommending that its fans adopt such a way of life. Given the song’s title, it’s safe to assume that the “25 lighters” refer to the singer’s desire to be compensated monetarily.
3. “Street Runner” by Rod Wave
This is one of the songs about carrers that reflects on a lot of things. When Rod Wave calls himself a “street runner,” he’s referring to the fact that he’s actively seeking out opportunities to advance his career.
His current preoccupation is with achieving success. The singer has an extreme level of care when it comes to running his business. Furthermore, hustling seems to run in his family.
To add insult to injury, there will always be naysayers in the neighborhood. Consequently, Rod must “keep (his) strap,” i.e., his firearm, at all times and similarly “watch (his) back” frequently. There isn’t much room for anything else besides making moves and keeping himself safe.
To put it another way, he never stays in one place for long. Even though he currently resides in Florida, he is actively looking into real estate in Michigan. That doesn’t mean he relishes his present way of life, by the way. “Chasing cake,” or making money, is “all that’s on (his) brain” because he fears returning to poverty.
4. “Pay Your Way In Pain” by St. Vincent
You can probably guess from the song’s title (“Pay Your Way In Pain”) that the main theme is the difficulty of overcoming life’s challenges. In particular, St. Vincent has established numerous themes in the larger project on which this song appears, including tales of struggle to make it in New York City (with the singer being a recognized resident of the Big Apple herself).
And that’s how the song sounds, as if it were transmitted by a woman who’s struggling in the city on multiple fronts, especially financially but also socially.
5. “Recession Proof” by Yo Gotti
Lyrically, “Recession Proof” by Yo Gotti is one of the best songs about careers. On “Recession Proof,” Yo Gotti flaunts his unfathomable fortune. However, the global economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is the specific context in which he is acting.
Yo, on the other hand, is doing better than ever while most of his fellow rappers are struggling to make ends meet. He says there are two main reasons why this is so.
The first is that the aforementioned creatives have a penchant for wastefully squandering their wealth. And second, Gotti is “recession-proof” because he is a genuine hustler. His point is that he maintains his high standards of performance despite the ups and downs of the economy. The rapper implies throughout that he was also a successful drug dealer before (or perhaps at the same time as) his music career.
6. “Dedication” by Nipsey Hussle Ft. Kendrick Lamar
Nipsey Hussle and his Los Angeles partner Kendrick Lamar credit “dedication” as the key ingredient in their recipe for success. Put another way, they credit “dedication, hard work, and patience” for their success and, inferentially, encourage their listeners to follow suit.
In the first verse, Nipsey reflects on the hard work and dedication it took to get where he is today. For instance, there was a time when he lacked the resources to fully unleash his “genius.” However, he did not “fade” because of them. Instead, he chose to keep plugging away at his job until he earned the money he was due. If he is unable to achieve this objective through honest means, he will most likely turn to criminal behavior.
K-Dot similarly enters the scene, detailing the challenges he overcame thanks to his “out of the box” way of thinking. Like you, he has dedicated his entire existence to reaching the pinnacle of success.
One of the most important things he has learned from his experiences is that even the most seemingly insignificant setback can be the catalyst for a remarkable recovery.
Kendrick Lamar says that he knows Nipsey is a gang member, but that he still wanted to collaborate with him on a song because Nipsey is a “man first.” He professes his undying admiration for Nipsey and encourages his audience, especially his fellow African-Americans, to continue working hard toward their goals.
7. “Nice for What” by Drake
Last on our list of songs about careers is “Nice for What” by Drake. Drake is a Canadian hip-hop artist, and his song “Nice for What” is a radio hit. The song’s lyrics effectively advocate for women’s equality. Drake raps in this song about the struggles women face when trying to establish their careers and earn respect in the world.
The lyrics give due recognition to the many hardships women face in today’s society. Women’s relationship problems and being single mothers are also highlighted to show that the hustle isn’t enough on its own.
Drake uses this song to show his respect for and awareness of the world’s women and the extraordinary challenges they face. He then urges them to keep smiling and working hard despite the hardships they’ve faced.
