Plastic Bankroll

D.R.A.M. “Cash Machine”

The “my life is pretty great now that I’ve got a lot of money!!!” song is a staple of hip-hop, and a lot of rappers can sound like they’re crossing something off a to-do list when they make theirs, but D.R.A.M. really goes at the trope with gusto on “Cash Machine.” There’s so much joy in the sound of this – the bright notes of the piano hook, the cheeriness when he breaks into sing-song, the zippiness of his punchlines – that some of the more mean-spirited lines are softened a bit by context. Is this fundamentally a song about a guy lording it over other people for making more money and leaning into petty grudges? Yes, of course. Is this one of the best feel-good rap tracks of the year? Also yes!

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Lil Yachty featuring Skippa Da Flippa “Good Day”

“Good Day” is another “YES I AM FINALLY RICH!” moment-of-triumph song, but as much as Lil Yachty is expressing jubilation in his lyrics, there’s a vague melancholy in his voice that kinda tilts the song in an unexpected direction. Is that a note of doubt? A lingering paranoia? A fear that this is only a passing moment of reprieve from economic hardship? Is Lil Yachty just one of those dudes who can’t help but sound like a sad robot when he gets AutoTuned? I feel for the guy and genuinely want his good day to last.

Buy it from Amazon.