Big Pump

“Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang”

–Lil’ Pump, circa 2016

Everybody knows Lil Pump right? If you don’t you’re either over 30 or you don’t use social media. If you don’t know him, he’s an 18 year old rapper from Florida that recently made it big in the industry. His success can mostly be attributed to his careless attitude and strong social media presence. I follow his twitter account and let me tell you, this guy is outrageous! I’ve never seen someone with so little regard for decency. He does whatever pleases him in the moment, says whatever he thinks with no respect towards anyone, and endlessly flaunts his wealth. I made it sound bad but it’s actually really amusing to watch. At the same time, I can’t help thinking about what his popularity means for us, the generation that supported him to the top. I can’t escape the idea that he represents some kind of subconscious ego of young people today.

Here’s what I mean.

When it comes down to it, Lil Pump is living for today. Like there’s no tomorrow. Teens and young adults in America, Gen Z if you will, were raised in the post-9/11 world. We were raised during the great recession. We were raised constantly hearing about America’s enormous national debt. We were raised hearing about the imminent danger of climate change and watching older generations sit idly by as that future races towards us. There is nothing about our upbringing that says certainty. We may not like to talk about it, but the vast majority of young people I know are acutely aware that tomorrow is no guarantee. But who the hell wants to cry about it and mope around today?? No one. For the most part, that’s not how we reacted. There’s an Ariana Grande lyric that comes to mind: “I should be a sad bitch. Who would’ve thought it turned me to a savage?”

We became savage.

Popular culture is increasingly about just that— being savage. We idolize and glorify influencers like Lil Pump, 6ix9ine, Lil Uzi Vert and others. Because they’re the extremes of an overwhelmingly widespread attitude held by their fans. The attitude is something like this: “If it’s all gonna crash and burn anyway, I’m gonna enjoy myself as much as possible until then.”

Lil Pump’s lyrics fully encapsulate the materialism, hedonism, and utter disrespect that comes with this attitude. And it’s just so entertaining I can’t even deny it. Anyway here’s some of my favorite Lil Pump lyrics.

“Me and my grandma take meds”

“And my grandma sippin’ on actavis”

“Gave my mom two glocks”

This series of lyrics where he brags about his family’s savagery is so outrageous and so funny to me. I mean there’s clearly nobody in his life telling him to slow down. Role models? Forget about it.

“Look at my two-tone Patek, I smash a ho then forget, I got a fridge on my neck, I’m smokin’ gas on a jet, I just love to flex”

Translation: look at my expensive watch, I sleep with a new girl every night, my necklace is made of heavy diamonds, and I smoke weed on my private plane. Nothing relatable for almost anyone else. Just look at how much fun my life is.

“I PISS ON THESE RACKS ON THE FLOOR” If you know you know. He recently posted a video of himself literally peeing all over a sink full of cash. He doesn’t even respect his own money!

I can’t help being amazed by how bluntly and proudly he says these things. I think I really get why he’s so famous. There’s a reason young people love to hear about his daily antics. The prospect of a life of constant pleasure and complete carelessness is so enticing to people who are uncertain about the future. If we feel like the only certainty is today, then it’s natural that we make icons of people who maximize their enjoyment and don’t care about tomorrow.

No disrespect to Lil Pump. He always gives me a good laugh and he stays true to his style. But celebrities like him are successful purely by merit of their popularity. So looking at them in context can really teach us a lot about our culture if we look closely enough.

Filip, again.