Meaning Behind the Calendar Turning “1st of Tha Month” by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Happy August 1! As many around the world go to flip the page on their metaphorical or literal calendars, they’ll also partake in a few ritualistic activities that need only be done at the turn of each new month. Whether this be paying rent for an apartment or receiving a monthly paycheck, the first day of any month serves as a harbinger for financial moves, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Twenty-eight years ago, in August 1995, iconic Ohio rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony explored these particular days that come 12 times a year. Releasing “1st of tha Month” as the lead single for their eventual sophomore album E. 1999 Eternal, the song sees the posse not only celebrate a fresh start but also enjoy the thrill of receiving welfare checks in the mail.

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With a groovy, melodic hook sandwiching every verse, Layzie Bone & Bizzy Bone set the euphoric tone for the record, making the first day of a month feel like Christmas Day for a little kid.

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up
It’s the first of the month
So get up, get up, get up, get up, get up
So cash your checks and come up

In the song’s exquisite verses, every member of the group gives equally excitable allusions to seeing their bank account grow every 1st, as well as indulging in weed and other vices to suit the occasion. Whether it be Bizzy Bone’s bars Ready to get ’em up with-a me thugs / And to cash that dum, man, I gotta get paid or Layzie Bone’s But it’s the 1st, so I’m gettin’ me hustle on / Hop on the phone, callin’ up Krayzie Bone / Wanna know, did your O.G. check come? lyrics, it’s clear all the Cleveland natives are on the same wavelength.

Upon its release, “1st of tha Month” would go on to peak at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s first-ever top 20 hit on the chart. This would make way for its accompanying album to also become its first No. 1 record, with the help of its eighth song “Tha Crossroads” topping the Hot 100.

In the years following the making of “1st of tha Month,” a handful of artists have sampled or referenced the song, most notably Chris Rock in 1997 on “N****s vs. Black People” and The Game in 2012 on “Celebration” featuring  Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, & Lil Wayne. Most recently, Atlanta trap-rap powerhouse Playboi Carti interpolated the song’s chorus to open his 2020 song “Sky,” which was a standout on his culture-shifting sophomore album Whole Lotta Red.

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