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Rappers Really Love Bill Gates: 50 Songs That Mention Hip-Hop’s Favourite Billionaire

When Beyonce sang, “I might just be a black Bill Gates in the making” on her recent single FormationGates himself responded to the shout-out, saying that he was surprised that the pop superstar would reference the Microsoft billionaire. Speaking to Wired, he said, “Yeah, I hadn’t realised that she did that until somebody in the office actually sent me a copy of the lyrics and I said, ‘Are you serious? This is kind of a strange set of words here.'”

He continued, “I’m not sure she said those words at the Super Bowl, though, did she?… I guess it’s nice that people consider me successful. I actually haven’t met Beyoncé. I guess I should do a Bing search and see if there are more uses of my name that I don’t know about.”

The truth is that it’s not really that strange or surprising at all, and if Gates did search his name on Bing, he might be quite surprised. In fact, Beyonce is far from the first artist to name drop the billionaire. After hearing his name pop up once more in ScHoolboy Q‘s new track Groovy Tonyit came to mind that he gets referenced fairly often. Wealth and success are obviously a core theme for a great deal of hip-hop tracks, and while it’s no secret that Lil Wayne and Rick Ross both have songs actually called Bill Gates, it turns out that this is just the tip of a gargantuan iceberg – there are a LOT of hip-hop tracks which specifically reference Gates, typically as a symbol of money and success, or something to aspire to.

It’s really interesting and genuinely quite baffling, although Nas‘ 1999 track New World perhaps explains it best: “we respect his cake, and cake mean his stock, net gross.” While other billionaires and entrepreneurs are occasionally mentioned, they don’t receive even slightly the amount of the overwhelming recognition that Gates has.

This discovery was too amazing to keep to myself. Some of the references make a lot less sense than others, but for better or for worse, here is a chronologically ordered list of fifty hip-hop tracks which name drop Bill Gates – and there’s plenty, plenty more where these came from. To note, it’s not just US rappers who’ve name dropped Gates – this list also includes Australian rappers Briggs, 360, Seth Sentry and Allday.

Interestingly, a number of these also reference Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey, perhaps the second and third most referenced billionaires in hip-hop.

  1. Ice Cube, Maniac In The Braniac (ft. Mack 10) (1998)
    “What’s the plan? Everything thought out, everything bought out, like Bill Gates
  2. Nas, New World (1999)
    “Bill Clinton’s the new JFK, without the hole in his dome, the new Don Trump is Bill Gates, not because his occupation, it’s cause we respect his cake, and cake mean his stock, net gross”
  3. Outkast, Red Velvet (2000)
    Bill Gates don’t dangle diamonds in the face of peasons when he Microsft’n in the place”
  4. Ghostface Killah, Mighty Healthy (2000)
    “You goddamn right I fuck fans, king me, check checkmate props like the microchip founder, neck to neck stock with Bill Gates now”
  5. Nelly, Country Grammar (2000)
    “Now I’m knocking like Jehovah, let me in now, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, let me in now”
  6. Snoop Dogg, From Tha Chuuuch To Tha Place (ft. Pharrell) (2002)
    “From the Long Beach Chronicles to the Wall Street Journal, they all know the G with the Cutlass Coupe, ask Bill Gates, “Yeah I know the homie, Snoop”
  7. GZA, Fame (2002)
    “Glenn Close enough to quickly duck the tapes, Richard Gere ripped while he was climbin’ Bill Gates
  8. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Lintballz (ft. Brooklyn Zoo, Sunz of Man & Popa Chief) (2002)
    “Yeah, so now you be knowin’ (annihilate), get some papers like Bill Gates
  9. Missy Elliott, Intro/Go To The Floor (2002)
    “So all that hatin’ and animosity between folks, you need to kill it with a skillet, you don’t see Bill Gates and Donald Trump arguing with each other ‘cos both of them got paper, and they got better shit to do – get more paper”
  10. LL Cool J, Shake It Baby (2004)
    “Picture Bill Gates on the block dodgin’ hollows”
  11. Master P, I’m Alright (2005)
    “I get my money from the block n*gga the ghetto Bill Gates
  12. Lil Kim, Last Day (2005)
    “With my name and my pictures, right next to Oprah, in negotiations with Bill Gates and his broker”
  13. Ludacris, Warning (Intro) (2006)
    “Me gettin’ served is like Bill Gates and Oprah goin’ broke”
  14. Nas, Who Killed It? (2006)
    “I said, ‘it’s gettin’ late, come on, give it to me straight, who’s ya sponsor lady?’ She says, ‘Bill Gates.'”
  15. Puff Daddy, We Gon’ Make It (ft. Jack Knight) (2006)
    “I spend absurd money, private bird money, that Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Bloomberg money”
  16. Flavor Flav, Flavor-Man (2006)
    “I’ma go get money from Bill Gates, get rich, so I can build me a psych-loft, so I can go psycho with my Micro-soft, Flavor Windows is the new invention, colourful windows to get the attention, Flavor Flav is eatin’ with Bill Gates, Bill, had to have a certain flavour, to have the highest bank rates in the world”
  17. Mobb Deep, Click Click (2006)
    “I need that Bill Gates money, that’s fifty-one billion, six hundred ki’s, that’s fifty-one million”
  18. Kool Keith, Cornfield (2006)
    “Fuck you n*ggas got, y’all thinkin’ they Bill Gates, t’all know the studi okeep it at bill rates”
  19. The Game, Letter To The King (ft. Nas) (2008)
    “If Dr King marched today would Bill Gates march? I know Obama would but would Hillary take part?”
  20. 360, Don’t Worry About How It Looks (ft. Joelistics) (2008)
    “Yeah that’s right, Bill Gates did a guest spot, but I’m suing him for not putting me in the press shots”
  21. T.I. Top Of The World (ft. Ludacris & B.o.B) (2008)
    “The places I’m ’bout to go and the money I’m ’bout to see, gave Bill Gates some binoculars and said, ‘look out for me'”
  22. Swizz Beats, That Oprah (2008)
    Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, iPhones, Microsoft, my paper is very long, your paper is very short”
  23. Method Man & Redman, A-Yo (ft. Saukrates) (2009)
    “Funk Doc be in the hood like Enfamil cases, I network on MySpace real late, Hoping my app will make me another Bill Gates
  24. J Cole, Song For The Ville (2009)
    Bill Gates, Donald Trump, motherfucker let me in, stop hatin’ that’s a sin, why these n*ggas so sinful”
  25. Company Flow, Population Control (ft. RA the Rugged Man) (2009)
    “Trying to paint them fucking red doors black / Like that spilled milk spoiled, while Ted Turner and Bill Gates run each other down with olive oils”
  26. Jadakiss, Who’s Real (Ruff Ryders Remix) (2009)
    “I’m like Billy the Kid or Bill Gates / Deal with the real and never the real fake, E’reybody hustin’ and they all deal weight”
  27. Lil B, Think I’m Based God (2010)
    “Damn Based God pinky ring that’s a robbery, damn Based God all my bitches think I’m Bill Gates, I’m Macintoshing, ring dipped in frosting”
  28. Ab-Soul, Bankrupt (2010)
    Bill Gates is rich and Ab-Soul is poor, I’ll rob his old ass from his head to toe”
  29. Lil Wayne, Bill Gates (2010)
    “I used to be ballin’, but now I’m Bill Gate-in”
  30. Kid Ink, Tat It Up (2010)
    “I don’t told give a fuck how the case looks, cause n*ggas try to steal my shit, Bill Gates crooks”
  31. Briggs, Since Forever (ft. Hilltop Hoods) (2010)
    “Before the LA gangs started claiming their sex, Before the pusher-man was taking your friends, Before Bill Gates wasn’t making a cent, Before Murdoch Fox had a stake in it yet”
  32. Tyga, Drink The Night Away (ft. Mario & The Game) (2011)
    “Why I got 7 houses but none in Atlanta? (That’s stupid) Nah, n*gga smarter than Bill Gates
  33. Jeezy, Fame (ft. T.I) (2011)
    “Looking at my Rollie, yeah, it’s almost 7, Bill Gates state of mind with an automatic weapon”
  34. Flo Rida, Good Feeling (2011)
    “See me running through the crowd full of melee? No trick plays, I’m Bill Gates, take a genius to understand me”
  35. Allday, The City (2012)
    “Pill taste got me feeling like Bill Gates, swear I been there, heaven is a real place”
  36. Juicy J, I’m Ballin (2012)
    “I’m ballin’ in the game, while you haters on the bench, I’m tryin’ to get that Bill Gates money, ain’t talkin’ about offense”
  37. Seth Sentry, Room For Rent (2012)
    “Nothing works and the place is a real state, we ain’t Bill Gates, that’s why the bill’s late”
  38. Mac Miller, Sunlight (ft. Iman Omari) (2012)
    “Number 1 albums, always givin’ you mixtapes, and that’s what Imma do until I’m richer than Bill Gates”
  39. Jarren Benton, Billion Bucks (ft. Jon Connor & Rittz) (2012)
    “Y’all n*ggas real fake, my n*gga’s Bill Gates
  40. Blu, California Bears (2012)
    “My will like Will Smith, n*gga get the picture, I feel like Bill Gates, except I look richer”
  41. T-Pain, Ain’t That A Bitch (2013)
    “These n*ggas tryin’ to be black Bill Gates, but what they can’t see is Bill Gates tryin’ to be the white version of me”
  42. 50 Cent, I’ll Whip Ya Head Boy (2013)
    “Woo! From the midst of the dark barkin’ it’s Bill Gates, from behind the bodega with two eights”
  43. Migos, Ran Up The Money (2013)
    “I dun ran up the money, in the hood I’m Bill Gates
  44. Future, Mark McGwire (2013)
    “I think I’m Bill Gates, I’m takin’ over the net”
  45. Young Thug, My Everything (ft. Future) (2014)
    “I got bad Asian hoes around me like I’m Bill Gates, I got points of that money in my pockets, call me sweepstakes”
  46. Rick Ross, Bill Gates (2015)
    “Call me Bill Gates, I told that bitch to save my number in her phone under Bill Gates, ya heard me” (and more)
  47. Rich Homie Quan, 15 Shots (2015)
    “Now I’m a millionaire, next step billionaire, then I’m a trillionaire, Bill Gates hating on me”
  48. Machine Gun Kelly, Everyday (2015)
    “You should never be ashamed of a little fame, even Bill Gates back then had a little name”
  49. Statik Selektah, Alone (ft. Joey Bada$$) (2015)
    “Tell me why they take a piece of my assets? Does Bill Gates have these same fees? Please, I need the answers
  50. Schoolboy Q, Groovy Tony (2016)
    “Blank face, Tre 8, kill everybody, fuck an AK, sell narcotics and step my dollars up to Bill Gates

Miraculously, all but one of these tracks (FYI It’s Blu, California Bears) have been uploaded to Youtube, so for your dollar-filled listening pleasure, here are fifty hip-hop tracks that talk about Bill Gates:

Image: 2 Dope Boyz