Back in my junior and senior year of high school, “Clique” was all the rage. Everyone would take pictures and post them to Instagram or Facebook with a lyric from the song, “Ain’t nobody messin’ with my clique.” But upon listening to my iPod on shuffle earlier this week, I rediscovered this old gem. And I listened to it with totally different ears! The song is littered with nods to elitism and the celebration of exclusion. Now, I’m a little bit of a music junkie and my taste varies widely, but the common denominator in all music is that the musician has something to say, a message. Something they stand for. Musicians are artists and public figures who have a platform to broadcast their point of view to the world.

Now, let’s take a few moments to dissect the lyrics of the song in order to gain a keener understanding of class structure in America, with reference to Oliver Stone’s 1987 classic, Wall Street. But before we can fully analyze the song, we need to have a complete understanding of what a clique is:

Clique [kleek, klik] n.: exclusive group; a close group of friends or coworkers with similar interests and goals, whom outsiders regard as excluding them (“Clique Lyrics.” Rap Genius. Genius Media Inc. Web. 20 Sept. 2014).

1)”What of the dollar you murdered for? If that the one fighting for your soul?”

• So, let’s start with the topic of morality. If you were to indeed go to the extreme of killing for money, how does it affect your conscience? Would it be clean, or would you be haunted by it? And if we continue this thought, will that same dollar you murdered for be important later, when everything all comes crumbling down? This question is posed to each individual and leaves a listener thinking, “If I had all this money, what would I do to get more? Would I feel any guilt at all?” Now, let us relate this to Stone’s Wall Street. We know that the main character Bud stepped on toes and committed illegal acts to get to the top and acquire the wealth he had so long desired. We also know that he felt almost no guilt until almost the end of the movie where he regained his conscience. But in the end, when he was arrested, the money wasn’t so important then was it?

2) “Your money too short, you can’t be talking to me.”

• This lyric really reinforces the idea of elitism and class. The upper class is VERY exclusive. I understand surrounding yourself with people who have the same ambitions and interests as you, but that doesn’t mean that those with less money should be excluded. People of a lower class may still have the same interests and ambitions; they just have fewer funds to pursue said interests. Referring back to Wall Street, Gordon Gekko originally was not concerned with discussing business with Bud because Bud simply wasn’t established enough, and Gekko thought that Bud couldn’t particularly offer him anything. It wasn’t until after Buddy proved himself that Gekko gave him a chance. Money talks.

3)”He never told. Who he gonna tell? We top of the totem pole. It’s the Dream Team meets the Supreme Team. And all our eyes green it only means one thing.”

• Yes, Jay Z is making a reference to his personal life and a cousin’s arrest, in which Jay Z had a hand. The cousin didn’t snitch, allowing Jay Z to go on to build his empire. But that’s a story for another time. Right now we want to focus on this in the context of the rich. As the upper class, the rich are at the top of the pyramid, the top of the food chain, it is seems that they are untouchable. They have a ton of money, and all they continue to see are dollar signs. In Wall Street, Gekko was under the impression that he was invulnerable: he was the cream of the crop and he had his money to back him up, no one could touch him. The rich all seem to share this sentiment.

We’ll end analysis before we get to Kanye’s verse, simply because he brings race into the mix on the discussion about class, and that is entirely another blog post. The point of all of this though, was to demonstrate the elitism in America. It doesn’t only exist here in New York on Wall Street, but throughout the country. In music and in art. Artists often have the opportunity to share their opinions on matter, and many do. Not all of them share the same attitude toward class and exclusivity. I’ll give you a few examples to demonstrate other viewpoints on the matter.

Bob Marley’s Them Belly Full (But We’re Hungry) (Bob Marley & The Wailers. “Them Bell Full (But We Hungry). Natty Dread. 1974. CD. ) focuses more on the fact that the rich have many opportunities to help those who are less fortunate and suffering under harsh conditions. Marley himself was an advocate for the poor and needy. Marley’s Guiltiness (Bob Marley. “Guiltiness”. Exodus. 1977. CD) also denounces the rich pouncing on the low and middle class: “These are the big fish who always try to eat down the small fish, just the small fish. I tell you what: they would do anything to materialize their every wish.”

Rapper MGK, also known as Machine Gun Kelly, shares Marley’s position on the rich feeding off the poor: “These ****** eating, while my people starve” (Machine Gun Kelly. Louder. 2012. MP3). His most recent tour, the No Class Tour promotes putting an end of class levels, as he resents growing up as part of the low class.

Depending on their notion, an artist can either reinforce or break down class structures. So much music, so many artists, so many opinions.