Released: 2019 • Features: Travis Scott, Gunna
“Hot” by Young Thug is a larger-than-life exploration of wealth, success, and the high life in the hip-hop world. Featuring Travis Scott and Gunna, the track boasts of a lavish lifestyle, achievements, and significant influence as it alludes to the heat the artists bring to the music industry, and the hot streak they’re on in terms of success.
The song kicks off with Young Thug setting the scene with catchy repetitions of “Hot, hot, hot, hot,” which just isn’t about the temperature, it’s about being on a hot streak – in other words, they’re on fire in the rap game. He boasts about turning up the city, increasing his wealth, and creating history in the rap industry.
He refers to his enemies trying to diss him, dissing him publicly as ending up on Fox News, a television network. The “chopsticks” line refers to semi-automatic weapons, not the utensils. ‘Follies’ is referring to a popular strip club in Atlanta, and the reference about running it like Nike means he’s in control, a nod to Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan.
When he mentions “Shenenehs and Birkins,” he’s actually giving a shout-out to Martin Lawrence’s iconic character Sheneneh from his television show “Martin,” and contrasting it with the high-end luxury fashion brand Hermès Birkin handbags. This duality showcases the range in Young Thug’s life experiences and cultural influences.
Further on, the lyrics “Upgraded my wrist, put baguettes in that Sky” is about him upgrading his watch by putting baguette-cut diamonds in a Rolex Sky-Dweller, showcasing his opulent lifestyle.
Travis Scott’s verse continues to underscore success and luxury, with a shout-out to his own record label, Cactus Jack Records, when he says, “I told her, ‘Baby, this not the remix, this a part of the sequel'”. He’s using this line to say his success isn’t a one-time thing, but part of his ongoing journey.
Gunna’s verse is filled with references to expensive jewelry and fashion – Cartier being a luxury brand known for watches, glasses, and jewelry. He peppers his verse with phrases like “Cash, money, checks, cash” and “Addy, Birkin, brand new extendos” to drive home the point about their affluence.
He connects the extravagant lifestyle with the traditional ‘gangsta’ image by mentioning ‘extendo’, hip-hop slang for an extended magazine for a firearm.
The track ends on a triumphant note, with Young Thug repeating the “Hot, hot, hot, hot” line, emphasizing the ongoing winning streak he, Gunna, and Travis Scott are on, and how they’re not planning to let the temperature drop anytime soon.
