He's in the money

By Jesse Grab
“We’re in the money. We’re in the money. We’ve got a lot of what it takes to get along.” These were the lines sung in the chorus of Al Dubin and Harry Warren’s 1931 hit, “The Gold Digger’s Song.”
The song became quite popular during the peak of the Depression and its flashy message is echoed in the voices of successful rappers today. What is it that makes people without money pay to hear people with money brag about it?
Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., qualifies as being “in the money.” His most recent album, “Tha Carter III,” elevated him to a whole new level of success. Released in May 2008, the album has already gone triple platinum in just nine months and Lil Wayne, a.k.a. Weezy’s voice growls out of car speakers from Atlanta to Boise.
“If you love rap music, you love Weezy,” said avid fan Steve Robinson, standing in his bedroom in front of an enormous poster of a Lil Wayne magazine cover.
The Lil Wayne story began in the same setting as many of his songs, New Orleans. Raised in the destitute Hollygrove neighborhood, Dwayne Michael Carter did not have much handed to him.
As an 11-year old aspiring rapper, Carter would show up at local label, Cash Money Records daily and leave frequent freestyle raps on voicemail recordings. The executives, including Carter’s future mentor Brian “Birdman” Williams, saw skills but they also saw a drive to succeed that kept Carter asking for a deal.
“He came from nothing and we’re just lucky Cash Money was there to promote his name right,” said Robinson.
To this day, Wayne functions with the same persistence. By flooding the airwaves with mix-tapes, free downloads, and cameos on tracks by a wide range of artists, Wayne has created a following. His album Tha Carter III’s sales numbers illustrate that artists give, they are likely to receive later.
This business strategy is representative of a “gift economy.” This is based on the concept of giving and giving without any promise of immediate return. Eventually the return for all Carter gave came in album sales.
Kathleen Segerson, a UConn economics professor, sees this permeation of the industry to be great advertising.
“You could certainly imagine that he is trying to familiarize people with a product,” said Segerson. “You are investing upfront and effectively advertising your product to people.”
But good marketing is not the sole reason Carter’s so good at what he does. In examining Lil Wayne’s vice-like grip on popular music, one must look at Carter’s musical content as well as the present cultural climate.
“I think that people listen to him because his message isn’t always whining about the economy or bragging,” said Boston’s DJ Ghot Dad. “It’s good party music and people want to party and forget how broke they are.”
Lil Wayne’s most popular content is about sex and money. Two of the four singles off Tha Carter III focus on riches. In “A Millie,” Carter says the word money ten times and millionaire six times.
“I think it’s actually inspiring,” said Catherine Dagon, 23, a fan. “I’m not jealous that the guy’s getting money and his songs make it seem all the more appealing. It’s a good thing to inspire people to get money right now.”
Boston-based hip-hop writer, V.J. Tursi, believes Lil Wayne’s respectability lies in his lyrics.
“He’s a genius because he makes stupid songs with brilliant metaphors,” says Tursi. “He caught the ears of the masses because he can rap about sex, drugs, and bling without making people feel their brains are rotting away.”
Though his clever rap keeps fans on their toes Tursi believes that in the end, there is a simple force behind Lil Wayne’s success.
“In economic recession people gravitate towards escapism,” said Tursi. “His songs are for partying and people want to party right now.