Released: 2018 • Features: Young Stoner Life, Gunna, Lil Baby
“Chanel” by Young Thug, featuring Young Stoner Life, Gunna, and Lil Baby is essentially a celebration of financial success, and a lavish lifestyle of luxury, underscored by a promise to provide anything for their significant other. It highlights the importance of material wealth in their world and a willingness to share and enjoy their hard-earned prosperity with the women in their lives.
The song is rich in references to high fashion brands, signifying the status, success, and opulence these artists enjoy and share. Brands like Chanel, Fendi, Birkin, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Christian Louboutin (referred to as ‘Loubs’) symbolize this wealthy lifestyle. Young Thug, Gunna, and Lil Baby aren’t just talking about having money; they are exemplifying it through the brands they sport and the lifestyle they live.
“She want Chanel, go get it” is not just the hook; it’s the centerpiece, suggesting that whoever the ‘she’ is, be it a girlfriend or just a figure of speech, they provide for her unabashedly. The lyrics “I put my kids on her titty, anything she want she can get it” are a more explicit illustration of the intimate connection between the rapper and the woman in question, indicating a deeper level of commitment.
The verse “Ice my watch, I’m not wasting my time / Gunna dripping with Uzi and Slime” uses ‘slime’ as a term of affection among friends. ‘Dripping’ is a popular slang term in hip-hop that refers to being over-the-top or having an excess of something— often wealth, style, or swagger.
Gunna’s verse contains the line, “Real dope boy, ain’t charging no card” playing off the term ‘dope boy’, which in hip-hop culture, often refers to someone involved in the drug trade—an occupation many rappers reminisce about as their past life before fame.
Lil Baby’s verse also touches on this, using “Big bankroll, I ain’t toting no wallet / I don’t withdraw, nickname deposit” to express that he carries substantial amounts of cash, hinting at his affluent lifestyle. The line “T-Pain, Plies, I call her my shawty, my shawty” is a nod to T-Pain and Plies’ song ‘Shawty’, symbolizing his woman as a romantic partner.
Overall, “Chanel (Go Get It)” uses luxury brands as metaphors to depict an enriched lifestyle, one that’s been achieved through success and hustle. There’s an undeniable theme of flaunting, but there’s also gratitude and a willingness to share the success with others. As the saying goes, it’s not bragging if it’s true, and Young Thug, together with Young Stoner Life, Gunna, and Lil Baby, have certainly earned their bragging rights.
