50 Songs About Money
Anyone who maintains that they do not need money must either be a trust-fund baby or a liar. You need money to pay bills, have certain types of fun, and more. While no one is debating its importance over humanity, it has diverse meanings to various people. It can portray power and superiority. Having cash can create opportunities. Some believe it can buy happiness, while others disagree, depending on what happiness means to them.
These money complexities are evident in several musicians’ art, which carries over 50 of the best songs about money. This list features hip-hop, rock, pop songs, and more. Spin these tracks in your home, car, or anywhere.
50 Songs About Money
C.R.E.A.M is an acronym that stands for Cash Rules Everything Around Me. It is more of a hard dose of reality than just a statement. This is one of my favorite rap songs about money. The lyrical group Wu-Tang Clan created an all-time classic with this one.
This song relates love to success. It describes a world where big cigars and deluxe hotels can get you someone stunning in your arms.
Coasting through life is dangerous. Hall said you can rely on old man’s money to a wealthy intending lover who was too occupied in burning Dad’s cash to be engaged in a meaningful relationship.
Prince sings on this soul groove that you must balance your spiritual checkbook instead of worrying about your bank account. This song painted money as something that results in greed and war.
Danny is Loggins’s brother, whom he sings from his perspective about having money, settling down, and starting a family. In the song, the narrator tells his wife that she brings tears of joy to his eyes as he rises in the morning. But at some point, he will have to cease crying and look for money.
Kanye, alongside Jamie, makes a case for women sticking with their broke men with the hope of them making it one day. Jamie Foxx won an oscar by making a Ray Charles impression in the song. This song was a banger and is still played constantly in bars and lounges.
Lil Wayne celebrates getting cash with a unique absurdist glee on this 2008 hit. He calls himself Mr. Make-it-rain-on-the-hoes and then notifies everyone in the club to come along with an umbrella to shade them from the rains of dollars and jewels falling from the VIP section.
Of course, the larger the number, the more the comma. Future has that lesson put down in this 2014 hit song, celebrating the delight of additions to cars, drugs, and guns.
This song talks about the troubles that accompany making bank. Biggie talked about having feds on his back, tapping his phones, and living a large life before his life was cut short. Biggie had some of the best rap lyrics about money on this track
Next up on this list of songs about money is this classic. This 1983 synth-rock is an ode to a woman exerting significant energy for tips. She advises that one should be good to waitresses and bathroom attendants, as they deserve respect.
This one begins like all distinguished schemes. Neil sings I’ve got the brain; let’s make some money. It is unclear whether he was referring to legitimate deals or committing crimes, but Neil infused this pop jam with adequate style, wits, and irony.
Everyone could grasp the irony of a future billionaire Paul McCartney singing that he doesn’t care much about money. But he sounded like he entirely meant it.
This song is a perfect example of how people will descend to outrageous depths in their money search and how that can quickly go wrong. It depicts the aftermath of greed, betrayal, and a tale of seduction.
Lamar explains how he feels about money as the perfect place for shade on this unique track. He recalls the days of being involved in burglaries to live the dream life of every rapper. This smash was featured on Good Kid, Mad City, one of the best albums to come out in 2012.
Gangsta Boo questions intending suitors and alerts women about opportunistic men who may take advantage of them. She believes there is no romance without finance, come-correct, or do not bother coming at all.
Rakim tells a tale of how he evolved from a streetwise kid to a righteous rapper. While he recounts how he briefly considered 9-to-5 gigs as an alternative, he concludes that nothing beats the satisfaction of recording music to make money and shake up NYC. This song features some of the best lyrics about money that you can hear in a rap song.
nThis cautionary tale talks about a poor kid that intends to provide for his family during an epidemic. He delved into drug dealing, but the outcome made him question if it was worth it.
This is one of my favorite songs about money. This track shows love to the hustlers, talking about the daily quest for money. It explains the mindset of hustling as a key to living in the hood.
Biggie tells a tale about how a woman he trusted was only getting in his bed for his money. Lil Kim counters by recounting the conniving men in her life. She empowers the money-over-men mentality that you can find in women rappers today. This is another one of the best rap songs about money of all time. It made it to #17 on the Billboard charts.
Lil Wayne makes a case for money over bitches, using the chorus from the previously mentioned Get Money. He then focuses on his finances that he can never get enough money, no matter how much.
Carti describes broke boys as faux hustlers. He also mentions the types of squares he disapproves of.
Next on the list is this track from Grammy award-winning artist Cyndi Lauper. This song became a hit after Lauper released a cover in her debut album. It talks about a woman who promised everlasting love to her lover but left him for a richer guy.
A fly girl like me needs security; she sings. The song continues you need a J-O-B to be with me. It is a relatable anthem due to the condition of the London property market.
Of course, you cannot afford to owe Rihanna. This track depicts the pop icon as an angry creditor calling shot-shot-shots as she recovers the money someone owes her.
This 90s vintage track is all about being a pimp. It is a classic reminder of the corruptible nature of money.
Here is a diehard screw you” to men that do not pay their way. It is a timeless jam that makes you want to flick your hair with your paycheck with you.
This club classic is a staunch ode to the attraction of ill-gotten money. It talks about wanting to get rich quickly, all the things involved, and the consequences that accompany it.
No list of songs about money can be complete without this classic ballad. The idea of the song unfolds over the next seven minutes. The O’Jays warn us that people will rob their brothers for the love of money.
The song was initially written for a 1932 musical, Americana, and it later became the soundtrack for the great depression. The lyrics are from the perspective of a beggar who the system has ejected.
This classic lays out the necessity of money as a commodity that is more valuable than most emotions. Your loving thrill me, but your love doesn’t pay my bills. This song became Motown Records’ first hit in June 1960.
Here is an R&B storytelling song. It describes the idea of asking partners for rent money as bad as he or she already intends to ditch you for a richer one. The moral is to get a partner with money of their own.
This song is based on the rule that those who have get more. It balances the utter frivolity of the rich and the absolute rejection of the poor and makes it into an intriguing polemic.
In this soulful classic, Ray describes how a beast can be reduced to a beggar and discovers that everyone is in the same boat as him.
This R&B hit narrates the story of an unlucky soul that doesn’t have money and other requirements to get the girl of his dreams and later wound up and left to rot in jail.
This track suggests that money is more important than love. It is a brave stance that a man searching for rich women is one of the considerable general-role reversals.
This tells you to get that money in any way, but do that cautiously.
It narrates the story of a man who is not so smart but has money, so he doesn’t have to be.
Nas uses philosophical musings to encourage listeners to find wealth within themselves, not money in the regular sense.
Here is a catchy song of what McCoy and Bruno envision you to be a Billionaire. They sing on having a show like Oprah, covering Forbes magazine, and playing basketball with the president.
The Nappy Roots don’t casually mention the concept of money in this song. The band discussed it from the beginning till the end.
Blacc’s soulful voice sings this song with obvious despair under a funky beat, especially while talking about how his boss fired him. If I share my story, would you share a dollar with me?
Here is another one that should be on every list of songs about money. Kemp sings about letting loose on payday. This upbeat track makes you feel good as soon as you hear the song lyrics “just got paid.”
James Taylor describes the influence of money on its owners. you can bring your enemies to their knees, he sings.
The song recounts his evolution from the street to one of the wealthiest and most famous musicians, with his wide range of expensive vehicles and trips.
Here is an R&B funk that addresses money as a tool capable of controlling every aspect of life.
This song portrays a man that one he loves constantly drains him of his money. It not only depicts the power of money but also the power of love.
Macklemore acknowledges the money he makes and the fame he enjoys but argues that they were not the principal reason he started rapping. The duo created a song that most can relate to Make money, don’t let it make you.
This song addresses an adult’s duties and merits, and earning enough money to obtain a diaper for children.
This classic R&B, inspired by a romantic comedy, helps us recall that money is not everything regarding love. This was one of the best Pop songs released in 2000.
The indie-pop songwriter paints the world of old money and describes that access to wealth is never enough to make everyone whole.
Bonus
Dead Presidents II – Jay-Z
I couldn’t leave this classic track from Jay-Z off the list. It was on Reasonable Doubt, considered one of the best rap albums of all time. Listen to Jay’s verses on this track and see if it doesn’t motivate you just a little bit.
Which one of these songs about money is your favorite?
Jason Butler is the owner of My Money Chronicles, a website where he discusses personal finance, side hustles, travel, and more. Jason is from Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Savannah State University with his BA in Marketing. Jason has been featured in Forbes, Discover, and Investopedia.
