As you can probably tell, I’ve referenced hip-hop over and over . What is it about hip-hop and rap music that makes it appealing to so many? It’s one simple word: lifestyle.

Exhibit A is Rich Gang’s 2014 song not coincidentally called “Lifestyle.” The song talks about making money, life on the road, and the grind on the path to success. The message is that rap game brings success and freedom from all the struggles of day-to-day life. The bling, the cars, and the women are an outcome of the success.

To be even more explicit about it, turn to Pusha T’s song “No Regrets.” In talking about how about his path to success that involved selling drugs, he raps “Nowadays I sell hope, what you rather I sell dope?/What I sell is lifestyle, naked b****es on sailboats.” His success now makes him a role model to many, and his music is meant to show them that people can rise out of their circumstances. Pusha T also talks about women being attracted to his rich lifestyle in “Bugatti.”

Another theme in hip-hop is confidence. Everyone from upcoming YouTube Rappers to established artists like Big Sean talk about being the greatest. The aspirational nature of hip-hop leads to these grand declarations. So even if one doesn’t strive for gold chains and 24-inch rims, rap music serves as a motivation for reaching goals. Whether that be excelling in a 9-to-5, entrepreneurship, or having enough money to be comfortable, achieving a dream lifestyle is worth striving for.

Link of the Week

I came across this article in the Huffington Post about the changing financial habits of millennials. The article discussed Wealthfront, a company that manages a lot of millennial money. This article was well written and most likely drove traffic and money to Wealthfront, and companies would certainly pay for that kind of writing. For those who can write in a way that can drive revenue, there is opportunity and money to be made. As the cliché goes, “the closer to the water you are, the more likely you are to get wet.”