While some argue that the universal song of the summer is dead (thanks to scattered listening habits and the power of the For You Page), Yung Miami is staking her claim on the season with her latest hit single, “Spend Dat.” But this song-of-the-summer candidate comes with some added layers of irony considering the times we’ve been living in.
Since its late April release, the catchy, instructional track makes light work of blowing money fast and has ascended the charts just as quickly. The J. White Did It-produced song is currently sitting at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first solo Top 40 hit of the Miami, Fla. rapper’s career, surpassing her previous peak as part of City Girls, 2019’s “Act Up,” which reached No. 26.
“Spend Dat” has all the building blocks of a timeless summer anthem. With Yung Miami’s slow, confident vocal delivery over a syrupy tempo, the hook is a sing-along that both a tone-deaf 3-year-old and their inebriated uncle can belt out at the cookout. Miami dedicates “Spend Dat” to the scammin’-ass ni**as and boostin’ bitches who are “getting it off the muscle ” despite all the odds stacked against them, hustling harder than their circumstances and rewarding themselves for being able to do just that. It’s a message delivered through the comedic, Southern braggadocio she’s been known for, and like the most memorable songs of summer – think The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” – “Spend Dat” also promotes living unapologetically carefree in the heat of the moment. The only difference is, in the midst of Caresha’s viral moment, she’s also promoting financially reckless abandon – an ironic, escapist message in today’s economic climate.
