At the end of last month, Toronto artist VNCHY teamed up with S.L.M.N. and GoldenBoy for a brand new release titled “Money Baby.”
The song – which has pretty much gone viral at this point – is a journey through the unavoidable process of acquiring and investing money. Think of it as a moody, down-tempo Rap Finances 101 crash course. The clincher is that this song isn’t actually about how you spend your dough; it’s about your attitude towards money. That’s what changes everything.
This song also shows us yet another side to the VNCHY sound that we haven’t heard in a while. At this point we know the guy is both A) a supremely skilled spitter and B) a surprisingly sensual and soft vocalist.
VNCHY’s recently released EMINENT: 002A_0316 EP showed us a mix of raps and vocals. But this song takes things back to just the singing side of things.
Q&A: VNCHY
HipHopCanada: As always, start off by telling me about the significance of this track to you on a personal level.
VNCHY: As always my music possesses a quality of duality. As significant as money is to my everyday life, it is not the end but rather the means to my pursuit. Money kicks down doors and forces opportunities to present themselves and that is what is most important. The money stands between me and my dreams, therefore I will do whatever it takes to get it.
HipHopCanada: I’m so curious as to how you and S.L.M.N. initially met and wound up working together. In hindsight, the two of you are actually such a perfect fit for collaboration.
VNCHY: S.L.M.N is a goddamn genius. The universe heeded my cries and one day the Sudanese sensation walked into the studio. Shortly after hearing some of his music I was automatically hooked. Just like that, history was made.
HipHopCanada: What was that work process like between you, S.L.M.N, and GoldenBoy? How did this track come to fruition?
VNCHY: The work process is very fluent. I was still living in Toronto and I remember once I heard the beat I knew exactly what I was going to talk about. Though this was still the early stages of my experimentation with melodies it surprisingly felt natural and organic; almost as if I have been writing this kind of music all my life.
HipHopCanada: I found your opening line (which you repeat several times throughout the track) very interesting. Talk to me about that experience with your “friends”. What happened?
VNCHY: Though I have always kept a tight circle, losing a few friends down the road to riches is mandatory for the business. It is the universe’s way of filtering out the outliers. I am speaking about the general consequence of losing friends chasing money, rather than a personal experience.
HipHopCanada: Talk to me about your own personal experience with money, and acquiring money. And how has that changed (or has it changed?) since your rap career has progressed? And are you actually at a point yet where you are making a living wage off your craft, or is this still a pursuit?
VNCHY: I have been living through my music since I was 18 years old and my money management skills have also grown significantly since then. I am at the stage in my life now where I am not only seeing bigger digits, but I am also constantly around multi-millionaires and extremely successful individuals. Since I arrived in LA I have been in what is known as a “hyperbolic time chamber”. When I leave my power level will be over 9999.
HipHopCanada: The way the song is set up makes it seem like the pursuit of money is the end goal and everyone is just a pawn in the whole scheme of it all. Even when you’re rapping about throwing a party and making a lot of noise and inviting everyone… it’s like… that’s how the game works. People manufacture hype to get attention… which results in money.
VNCHY: Exactly as you said… that is the reality of life and that is one side of what I am speaking about. Like always, with that duality comes the irony of the topic. That irony is the notion that although money can give you anything, it is far from everything.
Interview conducted by Sarah Jay for HipHopCanada
