Pay | 5ive Songs

1. St. Vincent, “Pay Your Way in Pain”

Daddy’s Home • Loma Vista• 2021

Annie Clark, aka Grammy winning singer/songwriter St. Vincent, drops her first new album of the 20s with Daddy’s Home.  Leading the charge is single and album opener “Pay Your Way in Pain”.  As always, Clark never fails to disappoint. “Pay Your Way in Pain” was written by Clark and Jack Antonoff.  Furthermore, both musicians produce the unique sounding record.

“Pay Your Way in Pain” commences with sort of this cabaret sound –throwback in quality. Soon enough, it transforms into this adventurous joint with a blend of funk and electronic cues.  This quirky number is definitely alternative through and through. If nothing else, St. Vincent delivers an ear catching record that doesn’t conform in any way, shape, or fashion.  I love the playful ways that she uses her voice here. The songwriting is also intriguing, telling a compelling story, characteristic of the artist’s music of the past. Specifically, the character seems to be facing plenty of pain as the adversity is through the roof from lack of money, being judged, becoming homeless – it’s a lot! “Pay Your Way in Pain” is quirky as albeit and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. Rae Sremmurd, “Safe Sex Pay Checks”

SremmLife • Eardruma / Interscope • 2015

“Safe sex, and paychecks / That’s what it’s all about, don’t forget about / Safe sex, and paychecks.” Wow, I’m not quite sure how to respond, Rae Sremmurd.  Basically, as Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee tell it, life is about having safe sex (condoms required) and making money.  The result, hence, from their 2015 debut album, SremmLife, is “Safe Sex Pay Checks.”  Honestly, you can’t make this shit up.  

Give Rae Sremmurd credit for “wrapping it up” and endorsing condom use. Durex, LifeStyles, Trojan, and ‘rubbers’ companies worldwide had to be thrilled!  Safe sex, no babies / Everybody go crazy, get wasted.” The shock value isn’t so much that two young men want to make bank and bang – many have similar aspirations.  That said, it’s still incredibly irresponsible, oversimplified, and lacks any sense of profundity. But hey, some are totally invested into the “nightlife shit” Swae Lee references.

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3. Maroon 5, “Payphone”

Ft. Wiz Khalifa

Overexposed • Interscope • 2012

Grammy-winning pop collective Maroon 5 fully embraced modern pop on their fourth studio album, Overexposed.  The 2012 album is definitely a far cry from those Songs About Jane which arrived a decade (!) earlier.  Even with the evolution and tweaks to their sound, Adam Levine and company still manage to deliver their fair share of hits, including “Payphone” featuring Wiz Khalifa.

“I’m at a pay phone, trying to go home/ All of my change I spent on you,” Adam Levine sings on the chorus, which appears at the top of the record.  He continues, bluntly, “All those fairytales are full of shit / One more fucking love song I’ll be sick.” Woo! “Payphone” is an overt and unapologetic pop cut, which at the time, found M5 extending upon the success of “Moves Like Jagger”. Levine’s vocals are thinner on the verses compared to the chorus, but still manage to get the job done. As for Wiz’s rap, it’s okay but the success of this cut certainly wasn’t contingent on those bars – FACTS.

4. Lil Baby & 42 Dugg, “We Paid”

My Turn (Deluxe) • Quality Control• 2020

42 Dugg certainly sets the tone for “We Paid” on the intro: “Can’t be fucked with.” Indeed, that seems to be the case on this standout from My Turn (Deluxe). “Young turnt nigga, can’t wife no bitch / Excuse my French, don’t like no bitch.” Yikes!

Of course, My Turn arrives courtesy of Grammy-nominated rapper Lil Baby, who also holds his own on this totally “unfuckwittable”  joint.  He rides the Section 8-produced beat like a champ.  He asserts at one point, “I put on drip, I believe I can fly / Niggas know that I’m rich, but they know not to try.”  After an extraordinary year in 2020, I have no doubt that Lil Baby truly got P-A-I-D like “Big Bank”!

5. Akon, “I’m So Paid”

Ft. Jeezy & Lil Wayne

Freedom • UMG Recordings • 2008

“Number one hustla get money / Why you wanna count my money / I’m a hustla and I don’t need them! / One of them y’all see! I’m so paid.” Akon had a good run – for three albums.  Sure, he’s released more albums than that over the course of his career, but his biggest claims to fame have been Trouble, Konvicted, and Freedom.  Focusing on Freedom, the distinct voiced artist gave us a pretty sweet gem with “I’m So Paid”, featuring rap verses from both Jeezy and Lil Wayne.

“I’m So Paid” is exactly what you expect it to be.  Balling, flexing, toughness, and unapologetic lyrics and rhymes. Akon sings with incredible ease here but also packs a punch with his performance.  Likewise, Jeezy is ever a ‘G’, while Weezy asserts at one point, “How do I feel? Bitch, I feel undefeated.” Cocky and confident, consider “I’m So Paid” one of the last big bangers of the most lucrative part of Akon’s career.