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"We Paid"
Song by Lil Baby and 42 Dugg
from the album My Turn (Deluxe)
ReleasedMay 1, 2020 (2020-05-01)
GenreTrap
Length3:01
Label
Songwriters
ProducerSection 8
Music video
"We Paid" on YouTube

"We Paid" is a song by American rappers Lil Baby and 42 Dugg. It was released as part of the deluxe edition of Lil Baby's second studio album My Turn, on May 1, 2020. A video was released a week later, on May 6. "We Paid" is a braggadocious song about the rappers' wealth and come-ups. Regarded as a standout cut from My Turn, the song received rave reviews from critics, with particular praise for 42 Dugg. On the chart dated July 11, 2020, the song became 42 Dugg's first top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10.

Background

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According to 42 Dugg, the song came about after connecting with Lil Baby during the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami Gardens.[1] On April 9, 2020, he uploaded a clip on Instagram previewing the song's music video.[2] It was released on May 1, 2020, as part of the deluxe version of My Turn, included as the final track on the album.[3] Lil Baby's line, "runnin' 'round in these streets, it was me and Marquise", refers to Dugg's middle name.

Composition and lyrics

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The song opens with 42 Dugg's signature whistle.[4] The track consists of a "lowkey" trap beat and kick drums,[5] and sees Lil Baby and 42 Dugg blend their rap styles,[6] with 42 Dugg employing slurred auto-tuned bars.[7] Dugg raps the first verse, and, as noted by Complex's Jessica McKinney, utilises a rhythmic flow, while Lil Baby "speeds things up a bit with a dizzying delivery".[8] 42 Dugg's opening line includes the lyrics "'Fore I go broke like Joc", a reference to rapper Yung Joc, which HotNewHipHop's Alex Zidel attributed to Yung Joc seen driving an Uber at the beginning of the year. Joc responded, saying he actually likes the song and is "far from" broke.[9] Uproxx's Derrick Rossignol pointed out, "as the title suggests, the song is about the rappers having wealth, as they rap about things like cars and jewelry while honoring their upbringings, as the chorus – which they rap together –[8] goes, 'Young turnt nigga from the D to the A / I'm rockin' with the Lions, yeah, I'm rocking with the Braves / Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we paid'".[10]

Critical reception

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Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork called it "one of the best rap songs of the year".[4] ABC News Radio called the song a "banger".[3] Alexander Cole of HotNewHipHop also called it a banger and said the track "is yet another gold star on 42 Dugg's ever-growing resume".[5] In review of My Turn's deluxe edition, Josh Svetz of HipHopDX praised 42 Dugg's appearance as "dynamic", while further complimenting Baby and Dugg's "superb chemistry", as they take "turns dunking on their opps like [Michael] Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen.[11] Hypebeast's Patrick Johnson also applauded their chemistry for being on "top form", labeling the track a "standout" on My Turn, and stated: "The true standout here is Dugg's slurred auto-tuned bars".[7] Complex's Jessica McKinney included it in their weekly round-up of Best New Music, also calling the track a standout on the album and said the duo make great teammates as they "take turns laying down sharp bars about their come-ups", with Lil Baby's delivery that "will leave listeners in awe".[8] XXL also listed it among the best new songs of the week.[12] Andrew Unterberger of Billboard named the song a contender for Song of the Summer, writing: "'We Paid' is a short, infectious banger motored by the pair's irrepressible lockstep energy and one of the year's most undeniable chorus hooks".[13]

Commercial performance

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The song peaked at number 1 on US Apple Music across all genres, dethroning Lil Baby's own "The Bigger Picture".[14] It reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 8 on the Rolling Stone Top 100. The video has also garnered over 180 million views as of November 20, 2020.[15]

Music video

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The song's official video, directed by KeeMotion,[16] was released on May 6, 2020.[6]

Concept

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Set in Atlanta, the video stays relevant to its title, finding the rappers flaunting their riches and merging Atlanta and Detroit's (the rappers' respective hometowns) car culture. They are seen driving in their own black Hellcats, performing various manoeuvres, including donuts and burning out, while a grey Corvette that moves through the Hellcats makes an appearance. The video also documents a minor crash.[6]

Awards and nominations

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Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2020 MTV Video Music Awards Song of Summer Nominated [17]

Charts

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Certifications

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Sales and certifications for "We Paid"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[28] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[30] 5× Platinum 5,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
"We Paid" is a hip hop song by American rappers and , released on May 1, 2020, as the second single from the deluxe edition of Lil Baby's second studio album, My Turn. Produced by Section 8, the track features boastful lyrics about wealth, success, and street life, over a trap-influenced beat characterized by heavy bass and minimalistic production. It achieved commercial success, peaking at number 10 on the chart and number 5 on the chart. The song has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The song's , directed by Keemotion, premiered on May 6, 2020, and depicts the artists in luxurious settings surrounded by luxury cars and associates, emphasizing themes of affluence and camaraderie. "We Paid" marked a significant collaboration between and , both rising stars from and respectively, and helped propel the deluxe edition of My Turn back to number one on the , with the album spending a total of five nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart. The track's freestyle origins, as revealed by 42 Dugg, contributed to its raw energy and authentic delivery, resonating with fans and earning praise as a standout summer anthem in hip hop circles. Lil Baby and 42 Dugg performed "We Paid" live at the 2020 on October 27, amid industrial scaffolding and dancers, showcasing their rising prominence in the genre. The song also topped the urban radio airplay chart for several weeks in late 2020, underscoring its enduring popularity on urban radio formats. As one of Lil Baby's key hits from My Turn, "We Paid" solidified his status as a leading figure in contemporary , with the album becoming one of the best-selling rap projects of the year.

Background and release

Development

Lil Baby and 42 Dugg first met in 2018 in through mutual associate , bonding over gambling on the dice game , with initially unaware that Dugg was a rapper. Impressed by Dugg's energy, invited him to , leading to Dugg signing to Yo Gotti's CMG in a with 's 4PF in 2019. Their first collaboration, "Grace," was recorded in early 2020 for the original version of 's album My Turn. The collaboration for "We Paid" began during the 2020 Super Bowl weekend in Miami, where the two rappers entered a studio together. In the session, 42 Dugg expressed initial hesitation about the beat but ultimately laid down his verses spontaneously, contributing to the track's raw energy. The song's development continued organically through casual studio hangouts after the initial recording, including sessions at Quality Control's Atlanta studio, as the now-labelmates refined the track; it originally lacked a strong hook, which delayed its inclusion on My Turn. By early 2020, following the release of the original My Turn on February 28—which included "Grace"—Lil Baby pitched "We Paid" to his team for the deluxe edition, with the final version completed after the original album launch. Anticipation built when Lil Baby shared a preview clip of the track on Instagram on April 9, 2020, showcasing snippets of the music video and verses to tease fans ahead of the deluxe release. This strategic reveal highlighted the collaborative process's evolution from their longstanding partnership to a polished hit, solidifying their mutual respect and creative flow—Dugg later recalled the agreement forming naturally through repeated sessions where encouraged his input.

Release

"We Paid" was released on May 1, 2020, as the closing track on the deluxe edition of Lil Baby's My Turn, issued through and 4PF in partnership with and UMG Recordings. The single appeared as the twenty-sixth track overall on the expanded 26-song version of My Turn, which appended six new recordings to the original 20-track release from February 2020. It became available immediately in digital download and streaming formats across major platforms including , , and , alongside physical CD editions of the deluxe offered through retailers like Amazon. Promotion for "We Paid" centered on teasers in the lead-up to the deluxe rollout, with first previewing the collaboration during an Instagram Live session and sharing a short clip of the track on April 9, 2020. This strategy bundled the single with the full deluxe album to capitalize on the original My Turn's commercial momentum, encouraging fans to access the new content as an integrated package. The release saw no notable regional variations, launching simultaneously worldwide via digital channels for a unified international rollout.

Music and production

Composition

"We Paid" is a trap song produced by Section 8, characterized by a minimalist beat that emphasizes a spacious Atlanta trap style. The track runs for 3:01 at a tempo of 135 beats per minute in the key of C# major, featuring light drum hits including prominent kick drums and rolling hi-hats, paired with subtle synth tones and piano accents for a casual, hypnotic groove. Lil Baby and 42 Dugg deliver complementary vocal performances, with employing an intricate, technical flow that builds momentum and contributing slurred, auto-tuned bars for added texture. Ad-libs throughout punctuate the verses and choruses, enhancing the track's dynamic energy alongside a deep bass line that underscores the street-anthem vibe. The song follows a straightforward structure: an intro led by 's signature whistle, followed by three verses—two from and one from —interspersed with a repeating chorus that serves as , and a brief outro. This arrangement allows the production elements to drive the momentum, creating a sense of escalating tension that aligns with the track's celebratory tone.

Recording and personnel

"We Paid" was primarily recorded in , Georgia, with producer Section 8 (Rai'Shaun Williams) handling the beats and overall production. The track's creation involved collaboration between and , who contributed his verses during sessions aligned with the album's production timeline. Assistant Matthew "Mattazik Muzik" Robinson worked on the track as part of Lil Baby's core team. Songwriting credits for "We Paid" are given to (Lil Baby), Dion Hayes (), and Rai'Shaun Williams (Section 8). The production emphasized a trap beat structure, with Section 8 providing the foundational elements that supported the rappers' deliveries. Following recording, the track was mixed by Thomas "Tillie" Mann. Mastering was handled by Colin Leonard.

Lyrics

Themes

The song "We Paid" centers on themes of rags-to-riches success, chronicling the artists' transition from street-level hustling to substantial wealth and fame. and boast about their financial ascent, referencing luxury items such as , Corvettes, and vehicles, alongside exponential gains from modest origins, as in the line "Run up fourteen mil', started fourteen grams." This narrative underscores a triumphant payoff for enduring hardships, with the recurring chorus "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we paid" serving as a declarative symbol of overcoming adversity and achieving prosperity. In Lil Baby's verse, the emphasis falls on relentless hustle and unwavering loyalty to his circle, illustrated through reflections on dreaming of and now realizing it without personal involvement in daily risks, while maintaining bonds with associates like "hotboy" companions and BG. He conveys resilience by recounting past losses—"Bro, I kept taking L's, finally got me a "—and legal victories that allow rest, portraying a mindset of perseverance amid street life challenges. Meanwhile, 42 Dugg's contributions highlight his roots and personal come-up, proudly identifying as a "young turnt from the D to the A" and aligning with local sports teams like the Lions, grounding the braggadocio in regional pride and authenticity. Throughout, motifs of braggadocio and resilience intertwine, with the artists flaunting jewelry, , and spending power as markers of triumph, while subtly nodding to the "paying" for prior struggles through current indulgences and status elevation. The track's confident tone suggests adaptability in success, finding innovative paths to thrive beyond traditional .

Structure

"We Paid" employs a straightforward hip-hop structure centered on lyrical delivery, comprising an intro, two verses, a repeated chorus, and an outro, without a bridge to preserve its concise runtime of approximately 3:10. The track opens with an intro featuring ad-libs from , including his signature phrases like "Can't be fucked with" and "Ayy, 4 Pockets, huh," alongside the "(Section 8 just straight cooked this motherfucker up)," which transitions seamlessly into 42 Dugg's opening verse of 16 bars. This verse adheres to an rhyme scheme, augmented by internal rhymes—such as in lines pairing "Joc" with "Vick" and "pit" with "sock"—to propel a braggadocious flow. The verse concludes with a shift to the shared chorus, performed jointly by 42 Dugg and , emphasizing their collaborative dynamic. Following the initial chorus, Lil Baby takes the second half with his verse of roughly 24 bars, continuing the rhyme scheme while integrating internal rhymes for rhythmic enhancement, as seen in pairings like "drive" with "buy" and "fly" with "try." The chorus repeats immediately after, with alternating lines between the artists to highlight their complementary styles—42 Dugg's slurred, auto-tuned delivery contrasting Lil Baby's crisp enunciation—before a final that extends the hook. The outro fades with echoing repetitions of the chorus's "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we paid" , reinforcing the track's hook without introducing new elements and maintaining a tight rap format focused on verse-chorus alternation. This organization underscores the song's wealth-flaunting themes through escalating boasts from individual verses to collective affirmation in the hook.

Promotion

Music video

The official music video for "We Paid," directed by Keemotion, premiered on YouTube on May 6, 2020. By December 2020, the video had accumulated 157 million views on the platform. Filming occurred primarily in Atlanta's backstreets, where Lil Baby's scenes were shot amid urban environments, while 42 Dugg's portions incorporated Detroit-inspired car culture aesthetics. The production featured a core crew including writer Malcolm Champ Heaggans, focusing on high-energy sequences of the rappers driving American muscle cars such as black and a gray , performing donuts, burnouts, and a staged minor crash during street sideshows. Visuals emphasized the artists' opulence through imagery of towering stacks of , diamond chains, and luxury watches, all captured in a fast-paced editing style tightly synced to the track's beat for dynamic momentum.

Live performances

The debut live performance of "We Paid" took place at the 2020 on October 27, 2020, where and delivered the track amid an elaborate stage setup featuring industrial scaffolding and synchronized dancers, marking a high-energy introduction to the song's visuals and themes of triumph. Subsequent renditions appeared in various festival and tour settings, including Lil Baby's set at the Festival in 2021, where the duo joined forces on stage to amplify the track's gritty energy before a massive outdoor crowd at . During Lil Baby's WHAM Tour in 2025, "We Paid" became a recurring highlight, performed solo or with guest appearances by . Audience reception at these shows was enthusiastic, with fans often chanting along to , reflecting the track's enduring appeal in live hip-hop environments. A notable recent outing occurred at Miami on December 15, 2024, when made a surprise during 's set, reigniting the collaboration with raw intensity and drawing cheers from the festival audience for the unexpected reunion. In tour adaptations, frequently incorporated extended ad-libs and direct crowd call-and-response during the verses, fostering interactive moments that extended the performance beyond the studio version and emphasized themes of shared success.

Commercial performance

Chart performance

"We Paid" debuted at number 61 on the chart dated May 16, 2020, before climbing to its peak position of number 10 on the chart dated July 11, 2020. The track also reached number 1 on the US Top 100 Songs chart. On weekly charts, "We Paid" peaked at number 3 on the Top 100, maintaining a presence in the top 20 of the for several weeks during its run. For year-end rankings, the song placed at number 57 on the 2020 year-end chart. Internationally, "We Paid" peaked at number 42 on the Canadian and number 31 on the Hot Singles chart.

Certifications and sales

In the United States, "We Paid" was certified 5× Platinum by the (RIAA) on March 1, 2022, signifying 5 million units consumed, which encompasses digital downloads, physical sales, and streaming equivalents. The (BPI) certified the single Silver in the on August 7, 2022, for shipments exceeding 200,000 units. Globally, the track has accumulated over 500 million streams on as of November 2025.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

"We Paid" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised its energetic production and the strong synergy between and . included the track in its list of the 36 best rap songs of 2020, describing it as a "triumphant collaboration" from the deluxe edition of 's album My Turn, where raps "more ferociously than usual" while allowing his protégé to take the lead on a "smooth and confident" cut that highlights new paths to success amid changing circumstances. The publication also ranked it at number 44 on its list of the 100 best songs of the year, noting its role as one of the "greatest" additions to the album and commending the palpable chemistry between the artists, with Dugg's animated verse providing a breakout moment: "From Dugg's breakout verse to the palpable chemistry between the two, it’s a street anthem that captures the duo’s synergy." HipHopDX echoed this sentiment in its review of My Turn (Deluxe), calling "We Paid" a standout where delivers a "much more dynamic appearance" than on his earlier feature "Grace," with the duo showcasing "superb chemistry" as Dugg's animated delivery steals the show in a track that remedies the original album's weaker moments. highlighted the song's role in Lil Baby's dominant 2020, noting its "infectious energy" through a catchy hook and dynamic delivery. Similarly, XXL praised its "contagious beat" and "quality lyrics" in a roundup of summer's top hip-hop tracks, emphasizing the hard-hitting production by Section 8 and the high-energy boasting that made it a replay favorite, peaking at number 10 on the Hot 100. Critics offered mixed opinions on Lil Baby's heavy use of auto-tune, a signature element of his style that some found robotic but others deemed effective for the track's menacing vibe; Pitchfork's review of My Turn critiqued Baby's Auto-Tune-drenched delivery as making his cadences "robotic and slurred," yet still positioned "We Paid" as a highlight of the deluxe edition. Despite such notes, there was broad consensus that the song stands as a pinnacle of My Turn, with Pitchfork's coverage of 42 Dugg's Young & Turnt 2 (Deluxe) describing Dugg's performance on "We Paid" as "electric" and overshadowing Baby, cementing its status as a breakout for the rapper.

Cultural impact

The collaboration on "We Paid" significantly elevated 42 Dugg's profile in mainstream hip-hop, marking a pivotal moment in his career trajectory following its release in May 2020. The track's success, which peaked at number 10 on the , directly contributed to increased visibility for Dugg, leading to a co-publishing deal with in 2021, where executives highlighted his standout performance on the song as a key factor in the signing. This breakthrough facilitated subsequent high-profile collaborations, including features on Future's "" from the 2020 album and a joint project with titled Last Ones Left in 2022, solidifying Dugg's presence alongside established artists. For Lil Baby, "We Paid" reinforced his position as a dominant force in rap during a transformative year, playing a central role in the commercial dominance of his My Turn. The song's inclusion on the deluxe edition helped propel My Turn to 5 weeks at number one on the , the longest run for a rap that year. This contributed to Lil Baby's recognition as Apple Music's in 2020, an honor attributed to his innovative blend of trap and melodic delivery exemplified in tracks like this one. This accolade underscored his broader influence, with the track's themes of perseverance resonating during his successful year. As a hallmark of the era, "We Paid" emerged as an of upward mobility and street-level resilience amid widespread uncertainty, with its celebrating triumphs over adversity resonating during a time of global lockdowns and economic strain. Released just months into the crisis, the track's infectious energy and narrative of hustling through challenges captured the era's spirit of endurance, earning placements on year-end lists such as Pitchfork's "The 100 Best Songs of 2020" for its role in sustaining hip-hop's momentum without live tours. Its enduring appeal is evident in subsequent samplings and interpolations, including Lil Wayne's "V8" from the 2020 mixtape and Nines' "Never Be Me" from the 2023 album , demonstrating its lasting blueprint for trap production and motivational themes into the mid-2020s. The song continued to draw crowds in live performances, such as and 42 Dugg's joint set at Rolling Loud Miami in 2024.

References

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