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Eminem surprised rap fans this week by dropping his new album ‘Kamikaze’. For cryptocurrency enthusiasts there was an extra point of interest in the new album, since one of the tracks, “Not Alike”, namechecks Bitcoin. If awareness is the first step in driving adoption then Bitcoin can do a lot worse than a shout out on the real Slim Shady’s latest opus. He’s by no means the first artist to reference Bitcoin though as the following playlist shows.
Also read: New Satoshi Challenger Tells All — But Is He Legit?
Pop Stars and Cryptocurrency Make Strange Bedfellows
Pop stars and cryptocurrency have had a mixed relationship. While A-listers like Kanye, Kim Kardashian, and Katy Perry have all made mention of Bitcoin, others have dabbled with more dubious cryptos; think of the DJ Khaled-backed Centra, whose founders faced the full force of the SEC. Meanwhile, Akon plans to build a whole city in Senegal which only accepts his own crypto – Akoin. While the business acumen of popular musicians is often dubious, popular culture is a great driver of awareness. The following tracks all mention cryptocurrency, some overtly and others in passing. They provide a snapshot of pop culture and demonstrate the strides that Bitcoin has made in infiltrating mainstream society.
Eminem – Not Alike
Following the poor reception of his last LP, “Revival”, Eminem is back, mad as hell and at his lyrical best. The reference to bitcoin in “Not Alike” is clear but metaphorical, especially when you consider that track collaborator Royce Da 59, who drops the line, is often referred to as Nickel Nine.
‘Member everybody used to bite Nickel
Now everybody doin’ bitcoin
Remy – Bitcoin Billionaire
Possibly one of the funniest songs ever released about cryptocurrency, “Bitcoin Billionaire” by Reason TV sums it all up with the immortal lines:
A money like my last girl
Completely virtual
In the end Remy’s billionaire ends up broke after a solar flare kills his bitcoin savings. It’s happened to us all.
Coindaddy – Alt Season
Unlike many of the artists on this list, Coindaddy (aka Arya Bahmanyar) actually makes a regular living from cryptocurrency. Coindaddy is therefore the real deal when it comes to cryptocurrency. When it comes to music however, that status is more debatable.
Imma go and short some bitcoin
Every day and every night
Cos it’s a bearish market
And there ain’t nothin in sight
Ytcracker – Bitcoin Baron
Ytracker brings us the most electronic track on this list with some free-flowing rhymes and a great beat. This one is a tune.
I’m a bitcoin baron, I’m scaring the status quo
Got that crypto dough in that dat file to blow
And the algorithm gon’ get em until prism
Send us all to prison and that’s a nerdy living
The Bitcoin Dip – We Miss You
The Bitcoin Dip’s “We Miss You” is a cover of Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” which is a cover of The Police’s “I’ll Be Watching You”. Got that? It’s a musical number which has been forked almost as many times as bitcoin itself.
Lil Windex – Bitcoin Ca$h
Possibly the most popular rapper named after a cleaning product, Lil Windex is a Canadian wordsmith particularly infatuated with Bitcoin Cash.
Cryptocurrency Girls – The Moon and Cryptocurrency and Me
Trust Japan to take things one step beyond. The Cryptocurrency Girls are an 8-strong girl group where each member takes on the persona of a particular cryptocurrency. It’s very Japanese.
Laura Saggers – 10,000 Bitcoins
A Bitcoin song that wants to be Regina Spektor but sounds more like Chas n’ Dave, “10,00 Bitcoins” by Laura Saggers isn’t the strongest of efforts, but earns inclusion as an antidote to all the testosterone-charged tracks on this playlist.
Mayday & Murs – Bitcoin Beezy
“I got 50 bitcoin worth about a hundred grand,” sings Mayday & Murs. If they had the presence of mind to hodl, those 50 BTC are now worth a cool $360,000.
Ricegum – Bitcoin
Youtube star Ricegum has also thrown his hat into the Bitcoin ring. You may not have heard of Ricegum, but the star has over 10 million subscribers, so he’s doing something right. The less said about the song the better.
On this evidence, Bitcoin songs are unlikely to be topping the charts anytime soon. Still, fans of the cryptocurrency can take solace from the fact that on the only chart that matters – the Top 100 by Market Cap – Bitcoin’s been number one for nine years straight.
What other songs can you think of that reference Bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock.
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