Mixed reviews in your area…
[Video]
[4.00]
Andrew Karpan: Here, the BLACKPINK solo rapper does not so much celebrate money as transmute it. In the dance for the song, she doesn’t take money, but only spend it; her hands mimic extracting the cash from some inner sanctum and then pouring it over her, like an active oil spigot. That the song’s hook feels so tied to the language of the last decade of pop hits suggests that meta-materialism doesn’t have to sound like 2nd generation hyperpop.
[7]
Leah Isobel: “MONEY” is hilariously literal about itself — like, you’re telling me that LISA’s solo debut was a big investment? I’m shocked, shocked. That’s endearing in a way, because at least it’s upfront about its intentions. But the joy of wealth is one-dimensional; the song is a series of mug-for-the-camera bits, loosely connected until the outro just bites the bullet and turns it into yet another “DDU-DU DDU-DU” redux. Investments are made with caution, I guess.
[4]
Alex Clifton: It’s a Blackpink song without the other members of Blackpink. To be honest I can see this maybe working if it had been a full group number but hearing Lisa say the word “money” over and over again just gets boring. The great thing about her parts in Blackpink songs is that her raps are, for lack of a better word, tempered by the other members — she can have her moment to shine and leave you wanting a little more, but there’s never too much. “Money” is just under three minutes but feels like ten, unfortunately.
[3]
Nortey Dowuona: LISA needs to rap more. The crinkled dollar synths and the heavy pianos leaning on the garden bulb bass, along with the money counter percussion, and it sounds great — then an EDM breakdown! With massive synth horns, with LISA singing along! I love it.
[7]
Katherine St Asaph: What’s the opposite of an expensive-sounding sound, and why is it that horn?
[1]
Juana Giaimo: At least “LALISA” has fun catchy wordplay; “Money” is just generic bragging off of wealth. Not only we’ve heard this a million times before, but I also feel that in 2021, after a pandemic has economically affected a big part of the world, this kind of lyric is quite inconsiderate, especially for a K-pop superstar (people pointed out the braids as cultural appropriation, but I’d say the whole song could be judged on that). Her rapping is loud as usual and it actually has a lot of character, but the trumpet loop is tiring and it could use better the sudden change in the last part of the song. Instead of having her sing “TARARA” over the synth, she could have come up with a different melody to create some layers. All we have is this heavy uniform wall of sound hammering your head.
[3]
Alfred Soto: I’ve long called for a return to the Iggy Azalea days of rapping badly about one’s own vapidity.
[3]