"Money Without Me" is a song posted to

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel on December 17, 2024. It was removed from his channel shortly after, but re-released with different cover art on February 11, 2025. Due to its limited release, as well as being taken down by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

, it is heavily speculated that its release was unofficial

Background and release

"Money Without Me" was recorded during sessions for Lamar's debut studio album, ''

Section.80 ''Section.80'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on July 2, 2011, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). In the years leading up to its release, Lamar produced various mixtapes under the moniker K.Dot. In ...

'' (2011). The song had already leaked online prior to being uploaded to

. "Money Without Me" was uploaded to Lamar's Youtube Channel on December 17, 2024. It marked Lamar's first release after the release of his November studio album, ''GNX''. The upload came with no credits, as they were auto-generated by YouTube. Shortly after, the video became unlisted, then made public again, then struck with a copyright claim by

. On December 18, the song was taken down, but made public again on December 25. Some believe the upload was a teaser for a deluxe edition of ''GNX'', especially due to the song's cover art featuring the car shown on the album's cover art.

Lefty Gunplay Franklin Scott Holladay, better known by his stage name Lefty Gunplay, is an American rapper from Los Angeles. Born and raised in Baldwin Park, Holladay is signed to JasonMartin's label Diamond Lane Music Group, as well as OTR Records as of 2 ...

, who was featured on Lamar's song "

TV Off "TV Off" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar from his sixth studio album, ''GNX'' (2024). It was released on November 26, 2024, alongside "Squabble Up", as one of the album's second singles through PGLang and ...

", stated in an interview at the end of November 2024 that a deluxe edition could released soon.

Production

The song incorporates

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

instrumentation over Lamar's introspective lyrics about growing up in

Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...

. The lyrics reference

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

's debut studio album, ''

Doggystyle ''Doggystyle'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop Doggy Dogg's appearances on Dr. Dre's ...

'', as well as

P Diddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

and long-time collaborator

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

Critical reception

Fotis of ''Hit Channel'' called the unexpected upload of "Money Without Me" as a "bridge" between "two defining moments in Kendrick's career—his ''Section.80'' origins and the present-day dominance of his ''GNX'' era." They wrote that "The song's poignant storytelling and throwback production style are drawing praise from fans, with many expressing nostalgia for the rawness of his early day. The drop also complements the lyrical themes of ''GNX'', cementing Kendrick's ability to honor his roots while exploring new creative territory."

References

{{Kendrick Lamar songs Kendrick Lamar songs 2024 songs