On bag or die, we get the full buffet of what’s made bbno$ one of Canada’s unlikeliest DIY success stories: the everydude deadpan flow; the precarious tightrope walk between swagger and self-deprecation; the nerdy references to video games and anime. And that’s to say nothing of an eclectic, pleasure-seeking production palette—spanning disco, trap, flamenco, ’90s Bad Boy jams, surf music, drum ’n’ bass, even classical piano—that ensures every track is a potential party-starter. However, the very title bag or die suggests that bbno$’s freewheeling approach to making music is starting to cohere into a serious life philosophy. “I feel like we live in a capitalistic society,” he says, “and if you want to live a reasonably decent life, you gotta make money. That's not me being like, 'God bless capitalism!' But working can be fun—make it fun, and you'll make money and your life will be better. Either that or you die. And we're all gonna die anyway, so you might as well have as much fun as you humanly can.” Here, bbno$ offers his track-by-track guide to the bag or die lifestyle.
“bag or die”
“I went to my friend dwilly's house, and he's classically trained in piano and jazz. He's one of the most talented individuals I've ever met in my life—it kind of pisses me off! And I was like, 'Yo, just rip the piano.' And the first thing he laid down was that intro, and then I just copied the melody with my vocals. Tonally, I think this is one of my favorite songs on the album. It has a lot of artistic value, and it’s also stupid as hell. That's the bbno$ vibe.”
“top gun”
“Honestly, I've got nothing against Tom Cruise, but…fuck Tom Cruise. And that's all I have to say about this song!”
“I see london i see france”
"Most people in the world have said 'I see London, I see France,' so I'm just making things as relatable as I can. I do think the beat is super unique. No one's really making flamenco claps on rap beats. And no one's really putting up the BPM to, like, 117 and keeping it halftime. The 'fuck cancer' line is about my grandmother, on my father's side. She was just diagnosed again. She's beat cancer, like, three times, so she clearly doesn't give a fuck. But it's getting to a point where it's pretty sad. She did outlive the Queen, but at what point is living really necessary? When I get old, if I'm even close to my deathbed, I'm doing heroin on site and I'm puilling the plug. I don't care.”
“chipotle”
“I just want a Chipotle black card. So I wrote this song, and even though I say I'm gonna rob Chipotle in it, I’m still promoting them, so they should just me a fucking black card!”
“touch grass” (feat. Yung Gravy)
“When you play video games online as a shooter, and you absolutely annihilate, like, three people, you scream into the microphone, 'Touch grass, you fucking nerds!' It's like saying, 'Go outside, because you're garbage at this game.' I've been a gamer my whole life, and I have been very mad at people online—I used to be a ginormous troll. But if you think about this in non-gamer terms, 'touch grass' is probably a good statement, because not a lot of people go outside anymore and do things. So enjoy it—go for a hike!”
“let em know”
“This song is an ode to how stupid my music can get, and how lighthearted people should take themselves sometimes, because at the end of the day, nothing even matters. Quote my nihilism!”
“piccolo”
“Look—I like Dragon Ball Z, so I’m just going to say: 9000. People who watch Dragon Ball Z will get it. And other people won’t get it, and that’s fine.”
“robert patekson”
“Patek Philippe watches are auto-ticking—they never die, so it’s a vampire watch. There you go: Robert Patekson. This song is really stupid, but I really like it—I haven't really done a typical triplet flow in a very long time.”
“b to the b”
“This is like an interlude but my fans love this type of track. They love the sporadic nature. It's two minutes with no repetition, except for the 'B to the B to the N to the O' hook, but even on those notes, I change the frequency shifter on 'money' so they all sound different. This was probably one of the worst songs on the album, but after sprucing it up on production, I genuinely think it's the most creative song on the project.”
“deadman” (feat. Lil Toe)
“This is the one song that I genuinely don't like. That's the one where I was like, 'I think this album needs a generic rap song.' If I listened to the album, I would skip it. But I've had so many people be like, 'Yo, this the one!' I wrote that song in, like, 2017 and I just held on to it. And I was always like, 'I wonder if we can get this reproduced well enough to make it good.' And Diamond Pistols made it really good—or at least substantially better.”
“vasectomy”
“Having a vasectomy will not affect your emotional stability; being on birth control, or having an IUD, will literally fuck you up. Once I have a solidified partner and maybe a kid or two, I'm getting a vasectomy. You can still nut, you just don't produce, and it's fine.”
“mathematics”
“I recently fell in love with drum ’n’ bass—I saw this guy Bru-C at a festival and it was the best performance I've ever seen. It was super-electronic drum ’n’ bass and was really wubby and the energy of the show was crazy. So this track is my first little introduction to drum ’n’ bass—I’m going to make a full EP next year.”
“sophisticated”
“Nothing is sophisticated in my life—I wear cheap clothing. Guys, this song is a lie. I live with my parents.”
“e-girl anthem”
“This is one of my favorite songs on the album—it’s just so positive and really nice to listen to. But it had to go at the end because it doesn't make sense in the middle at all. It makes sense at the end because it's almost like a Jack Johnson rap record—which also makes no fucking sense!”
bag or die
bbno$ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sip on mezcal, I like tequila
Damn, this shit tasty
Kid you not, I made 'bout a milli'
Off a pink beanie
I feel like my life is a movie
Damn, this too easy
Can't catch me, I'm jumpin' the borders
Hit the embassy, it's bag or die
Seven gold chains on me, call me Slick Rick
Just made an album seven days, that's quick
Boobies goin' up and down, uh, she's fit
Hold up, wait, rewind that shit
Got uncut gems, Adam Sandler, Click
She a vegan, she got a thigh gap
And my B-O smell good, it smell like lilac
My team eating, yeah, we did all that
I'ma cash rap, always do a buyback
Downpayment on my whole metropolis (cash)
On my healthy cereal, monogamous (oh)
She a turkey on my dick, she gobble it (brr)
Big dick appointment, gynecologist (I'm a doctor)
Sold out every show on all the continents
I don't know where I got my confidence (I don't know)
I'm a half-full type of guy, I'm an optimist (facts)
Sippin' on the Henny, toxicologist
So I bought a house in LA, I don't live there, I just rent it out
You can bet your ass I own all the cars in my roundabout
You ain't makin' too much sense, I don't know what you on about
Bitches fuckin' bitter that this money to me paramount
You can kiss my ass if you wanna kiss me, miss me
Double C's on the prints, got me feelin' itchy
I stay busy, I'm up in the nosebleeds
Ring around the rosie, pockets filled with Benjis
Sip on mezcal, I like tequila
Damn, this shit tasty
Kid you not, I made 'bout a milli'
Off a pink beanie
I feel like my life is a movie
Damn, this too easy
Can't catch me, I'm jumpin' the borders
Hit the embassy, it's bag or die
In “Bag or Die,” bbno$ highlights his success in the music industry and his fondness for partying. He starts off the song by saying that he’s going to party with his friends tonight and sip on mezcal and tequila. He follows that up by stating that he’s made around a million dollars selling a pink beanie, which is quite an impressive feat. Throughout the song, he indicates that he feels like he’s in a movie and that his success has come pretty easily to him. He also boasts about his wealth, which includes his seven gold chains and the fact that he owns all the cars in his roundabout.
In the second half of the song, bbno$ continues to brag about his success in the music industry, citing his quick album release and the fact that he’s sold out shows on all continents. He also mentions that he’s so successful that he can buy a house in LA and rent it out without even living there full time. Bbno$ finishes off the song by expressing his love for alcohol and his ability to jump borders without getting caught.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight we party, my friends
Let's have fun tonight and enjoy ourselves.
Sip on mezcal, I like tequila
I'm currently drinking mezcal, but I prefer tequila.
Damn, this shit tasty
This drink is really delicious.
Kid you not, I made 'bout a milli'
I'm not joking, I've made about a million dollars.
Off a pink beanie
I've made a lot of money by selling my merchandise, specifically my pink beanie.
I feel like my life is a movie
My life feels surreal, like it's a movie.
Damn, this too easy
My life is going really well and everything seems easy.
Can't catch me, I'm jumpin' the borders
I like to travel and explore, and sometimes I go to places that are outside of my country's borders.
Hit the embassy, it's bag or die
When traveling to different countries, I make sure to have all of my necessary documents if I want to avoid any legal issues.
Seven gold chains on me, call me Slick Rick
I'm wearing seven gold chains and I feel like the rapper Slick Rick.
Just made an album seven days, that's quick
I recently made an album in just seven days, which is a really quick turnaround time.
Boobies goin' up and down, uh, she's fit
I find this woman attractive and appreciate her physical features.
Hold up, wait, rewind that shit
I want to hear that part again, let's rewind the song.
Got uncut gems, Adam Sandler, Click
I have some really valuable, uncut gems and it reminds me of the movie Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler. Also, I remember the movie Click.
She a vegan, she got a thigh gap
This woman I'm interested in is a vegan and has a noticeable thigh gap.
And my B-O smell good, it smell like lilac
Even my body odor smells good, like the scent of lilac flowers.
My team eating, yeah, we did all that
My team is successful and we've done a lot of great things together.
I'ma cash rap, always do a buyback
I make a lot of money from my music and I always reinvest in myself.
Downpayment on my whole metropolis (cash)
I paid for an entire city, in cash.
On my healthy cereal, monogamous (oh)
I only eat one type of cereal, I'm monogamous when it comes to breakfast food.
She a turkey on my dick, she gobble it (brr)
During sexual activity, this woman is like a turkey and she gobbles up my genitalia.
Big dick appointment, gynecologist (I'm a doctor)
My genitalia is so large that it requires a visit to the gynecologist, and I feel like a doctor.
Sold out every show on all the continents
My music is popular worldwide, and I've sold out every show on every continent.
I don't know where I got my confidence (I don't know)
I'm not sure where my confidence comes from, but I know that I'm always self-assured.
I'm a half-full type of guy, I'm an optimist (facts)
I tend to see the positive side of things, and consider myself an optimist.
Sippin' on the Henny, toxicologist
I'm currently drinking Hennessy, and it might affect my health negatively, but I'm not too worried about it.
So I bought a house in LA, I don't live there, I just rent it out
I have a house in Los Angeles, but I don't personally live there, I just rent it out.
You can bet your ass I own all the cars in my roundabout
I own all of the cars that circle around in my roundabout.
You ain't makin' too much sense, I don't know what you on about
I'm having trouble understanding what you're saying, it doesn't make much sense to me.
Bitches fuckin' bitter that this money to me paramount
Women who are jealous of my success are really bitter about it.
You can kiss my ass if you wanna kiss me, miss me
If you're going to try to be rude to me or disrespect me, you can kiss my butt and leave me alone.
Double C's on the prints, got me feelin' itchy
I have double C's (which is a reference to the Chanel logo) on my clothing, and it's making me feel itchy.
I stay busy, I'm up in the nosebleeds
I'm always busy with work, and I'm up so high in the nosebleed sections of stadiums that I might get a nosebleed from the altitude.
Ring around the rosie, pockets filled with Benjis
I have a lot of money in my pockets, which reminds me of the childhood game Ring Around the Rosie.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alexander Gumuchian, Christian Dold, David Bradley Jr. Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind