The Hottest Apps In Hip-Hop Music

Drake

It’s not just bling and flashy cars that today’s rappers like to name-drop 

The song begins with a request to turn the speaker volume “way, way, way up.”

As a subdued piano plays, Drake hits on some standard rap motifs—money and mansions, to name two. 

But then, sandwiched about halfway into his track “Energy,” the chart-topping rapper drops a reference to an app that didn’t even exist when Drake’s career first took off in 2009: Uber.

Drake is one of 87 mainstream hip-hop artists who mentioned the ride-booking app in their songs, according to data compiled by Genius. Bloomberg asked the startup formerly known as Rap Genius, which hosts music lyrics and asks people to annotate them, to analyze its Rap Stats database for mentions of popular apps. Because why not?

Silicon Valley is always looking for ways to measure the success of its technology startups, whether it’s download numbers, active users, or venture capital valuations. While a name-drop in a hip-hop song won’t pay for a ping-pong table or an engineer’s salary, it’s one indicator of an app’s hipness and cultural relevance. Companies do a lot to court pop and hip-hop stars. For example, Apple gave a bunch of them Apple Watches before the product came out. A lyrical mention is perhaps the most coveted form of cultural currency.

Tech and hip-hop are converging in ways we’ve never seen before. Dr. Dre is an Apple executive now, and Drake made a cameo at the company’s Apple Music announcement. 

Dr. Dre

Other rappers, including 50 Cent, Jay Z, and Will.i.am, have tried their hands at founding or running technology companies. In February, Kanye West proclaimed, “I’d like to be the Steve Jobs of the Gap.”

Whatever that means.
Some hip-hop artists lean on tech references in their songwriting more than others. For example, Beyoncé, Big Sean, Childish Gambino, Chris Brown, Drake, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar frequently mention their favorite smartphone apps. Instagram, Twitter, and Uber are three of the hottest brands in rap songs; Snapchat and Tinder are up-and-coming; and Airbnb and Lyft, two darlings of the Valley, barely register in the hip-hop lexicon.

Beyonce

The references aren't always positive. Rappers diss social media almost as much as they celebrate it. While Uber is a popular way to get around, it’s often a rapper’s chosen method of getting rid of someone he doesn’t want around. But Uber, which has collaborated with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, should be pleased to know that rappers see it as a responsible way to avoid drunk driving.
In the song “Uber Driver,” Wiz Khalifa raps, “I'm too gone off this Veuve to maneuver/I might have to call a Uber.”

Wiz Khalifa

 While most of the references to Tinder are too obscene to print, here are some of the notable tech shout-outs.

Instagram

“Partition” by Beyoncé
Every girl in here get to look me up and downAll on Instagram, cake by the poundCirculate the image every time I come aroundG's up, tell how I'm looking babe
“Somewhereinamerica” by Jay Z
When I was talking Instagram
Last thing you wanted was your picture snapped
“Blood on the Leaves” by Kanye West
He Instagram his watch like #MadRichAlert
“Electric Body” by A$AP Rocky
Couple Instagram likes, now she famous

Twitter

“Trouble” by J. Cole
Cole on Twitter, b---- can't get a follow
“Goblin” by Tyler, The Creator
I mean, you, you, it seems like you have fun. But your Twitterposts, just... I mean, they're really random and it's ADD

Snapchat

“Rosenberg Freestyle” by Childish Gambino
Hit me on my Snapchat, hit me on my Nextel Chirp

Uber

“Child's Play” by SZA, featuring Chance The Rapper
Scuba in my shower, take an Uber to my neighbors
“The Girls on Drugs” by Wale
I use a Uber to scoop me to SLS
What you expect, a little groupie to see my crib?


Culled from Bloomberg Business
 

Why GT Bank, Fidelity Bank, Diamond Bank Got Slammed By Nigerian Customs

Segun Agbaje, GT Bank Plc MD

For their non-compliance with the partnership agreement with the Nigerian Customs Service, three of Nigerian leading banks, GT Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc and Diamond Bank Plc, have been suspended and blacklisted by the agency from collecting customs duties.

Uzoma Dozie, Diamond Bank plc MD

Nnamdi Okonkwo,Fidelity Bank MD,

Wale Adeniyi, NCS Public Relations Officer, who made this known while speaking with newsmen in Abuja recently said the three banks were suspended because they did not discharge their full obligation as partners in the Customs revenue collection scheme and the suspension became effective immediately.

“Unfortunately, they failed to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the terms of the agreement they signed with Nigeria Customs Service. We might not be able to provide you with the details now but we believe that, in the course of our investigations, we will be able to provide more details. However, we will continue to work with the banks and relevant stakeholders to ensure speedy resolution of the contending issues and possibly reinstate the affected banks,” Adeniyi said.

The Customs PRO called on relevant stakeholders to take note of the new development.

Aliko Dangote Gets $997m US Windfall For His Refinery

Aliko Dangote

Business mogul Aliko Dangote has received a $997.4 million dollars (about N251.3 billion) grant from the United States Trade and Development Agency(USTDA) as training support for his proposed refinery, we gathered.

The grant was announced Thursday at the signing of a Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) between Dangote Group and the USTDA. 

According to NAN reports, Dangote Group had in May declared that the proposed refinery would begin operation in the first quarter of 2018 with an investment of about $9billion.

Ms Enoh Ebong, USTDA’s Deputy Director, said the agency was pleased to support the Dangote Oil Refining Company’s efforts to increase Nigeria’s oil refining capacity. She said it was a “sign of deepening the United States’ long history of support for vital infrastructure in Nigeria.’’

“Since 1981, the USTDA has been operating in Nigeria with primary concerns in the area of oil and energy, and we are glad to continue in that line with what we are doing today,” Ebong said.

Aliko Dangote, the Chairman of the Dangote Group, lauded USTDA for its assistance toward the takeoff of the refinery. He said the aspect of training and capacity development was vital to the success of the project.

Dangote Group is developing a new $9 billion oil refinery which will produce 500,000 barrels of oil per day. 

The  Refinery

The refinery, to be located in Lagos, will cut reliance on international markets for Africa’s largest oil producer, which imports more than 80 percent of its fuel needs.

“By the third quarter of 2017, we expect to be looking at commissioning,” Mansur Ahmed, Dangote Industries Ltd’s executive director of stakeholder management and corporate communications, told Reuters at an African refiners conference in Cape Town.

The refinery is being designed to process Nigerian crude mix and produce products conforming to Euro V fuel specifications, as fuel demands across the continent are forecast to rise rapidly with many countries enjoying strong economic growth.

Poor infrastructure, competitive global markets and financial constraints have traditionally held back Africa’s refining capacity, while fuel subsidies in Nigeria are also an issue, said Ahmed, who spoke on behalf of Aliko Dangote.

Ahmed said the refinery, which is being funded by debt and equity, including a $3 billion commitment from Dangote himself, could list in future should additional capital be needed. 

The refinery will be completed in 2017.