MONOPOLY
Song Meaning

“MONOPOLY” is about Victoria Monét and Ariana Grande shielding their success, friendship, and personal identities from negativity and outsiders who try to interfere. The chorus metaphor of treating goals “like property” and collecting them “like Monopoly” reflects a possessive, protective stance toward their achievements, while the line “I swerve both ways, dichotomy” is a double entendre on bisexuality that Monét has said was meant to increase visibility for bisexual Black women in music 1. The song also blends playful inside jokes, like the title’s nod to Ariana’s “Thank U, Next” 1, with a grounded message about not letting flashy spending outpace real financial responsibility 1.

The meaning

At its core, “MONOPOLY” is about guarding what you’ve built, whether that’s a career, a friendship, or a sense of self, from anyone trying to interfere with it. The recurring line “Bad vibes, get off of me” sets the tone: Monét has described the song’s imagery in terms of swatting away negativity like flies, saying “you take a fly swatter and swat that shit away... you just got to protect yourself” 1. That protective instinct extends to the chorus’s central conceit, treating personal goals “like property” and collecting them “like Monopoly,” which frames success and ambition as something to be defended and accumulated rather than shared with anyone who hasn’t earned access.

The title itself carries a layered joke. Monét explained that she and Ariana Grande found it funny to name the song after the board game because Ariana knows that whenever she asks Monét to play Monopoly, the answer is always “No, thank you. Thank you, next,” a direct wink at Grande’s own hit 1. That kind of insider humor runs throughout the track, including a shoutout to vocal coach Eric Vetro, thanked for his work shaping Grande’s voice 1.

The most pointed line, “I swerve both ways, dichotomy,” doubles as a statement of identity. Monét has said she was thinking of the word as “dyke-chotomy,” a play referencing that she likes “women and men” and can “do more than one thing” 1. She’s been explicit that this wasn’t just wordplay for its own sake: she wanted to increase representation for “bisexual, black women” in music, telling listeners who look and feel like her that “you don’t have to hide” 1. In a song otherwise built on flexing and self-assurance, that line grounds the bravado in a real statement about visibility.

Elsewhere, the song’s confidence is multidimensional rather than one-note. The line “I’m about to shake your ass and still score” reflects Monét’s point that she can excel at more than one thing at once, dancing and otherwise 1. But the track isn’t purely about flash. Monét has drawn a clear line between enjoying success and losing sight of responsibility, warning that “it’s nice to be selfish now and look nice,” but if a kid “sees you in those flashy chains” while the family “can’t afford a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” then “you fucked up” 1. That tension, between celebrating hard-earned wins and staying accountable to the people who depend on you, is what keeps “MONOPOLY” from being just a victory lap.

Last updated 2026-09-05