If you’ve spent more than five minutes on the internet since 2018, you’ve seen it. Godzilla wearing sunglasses. A slightly grainy, low-res image of a guy in a suit with a tiny lizard head. The caption is always the same: that’s not very cash money of you.
It’s a weird phrase. It’s grammatically clunky. It feels like something a middle-aged corporate executive would say while trying to sound "hip" to a group of bored teenagers. But that’s exactly why it works. It’s the ultimate linguistic eye-roll. It’s a way to call out someone’s bad behavior without being overly aggressive.
Language evolves at a breakneck pace online, yet this specific phrase has managed to survive the brutal Darwinism of meme culture. Most memes die within forty-eight hours. They get "milkshake ducked" or overused by brand Twitter accounts until they’re cringe. But "not very cash money" is different. It’s become part of our actual lexicon, transitioning from a static image macro to a phrase people use in real-life conversations at coffee shops and office water coolers.
The Weird, Godzilla-Sized History of Cash Money
To understand why people still say that’s not very cash money of you, we have to go back to the mid-2010s. The phrase didn't start with Godzilla. In fact, the "Cash Money" ethos comes from the legendary New Orleans hip-hop label, Cash Money Records. Founded by Birdman and Slim, the label was all about opulence, swagger, and, obviously, money. To be "cash money" was to be cool, successful, and generous.
Then came the internet.
The specific image that launched a thousand ships—the "Godzilla" one—actually features a character from the Godzilla series, specifically from a series of 1990s Japanese commercials and educational videos. The sunglasses were photoshopped on. The suit was added. It was a Frankenstein’s monster of pop culture. According to the digital historians at Know Your Meme, the phrase started gaining massive traction on Tumblr and Reddit around late 2018.
Why Godzilla? Honestly, nobody knows. That’s the beauty of it. There is no logical reason for a giant radioactive lizard to be the arbiter of social etiquette and financial coolness. It just is.
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Beyond the Meme: Why the Phrase Actually Stuck
We live in an era of extreme polarization. Everything is an argument. Everything is a fight. In this context, saying "that’s not very cash money of you" acts as a pressure valve. It’s a way to tell someone they’re being a jerk, but with a layer of irony that keeps the situation from escalating into a full-blown screaming match.
Think about the last time a friend flaked on plans at the last minute. You could send a long, angry text about how you value your time. Or, you could just send a picture of a lizard in sunglasses. The message is the same: "You let me down." But the delivery is softer. It’s funny.
It’s about the vibe
We see this everywhere. If a company raises its prices without warning, the comments section will inevitably be filled with people claiming the move is not very cash money. It’s shorthand for "this lacks integrity."
It’s also surprisingly versatile. You can use it for:
- Global geopolitical events (the irony is thick there).
- Your cat knocking a glass off the table.
- Someone stealing your parking spot.
- A video game developer adding too many microtransactions.
The Psychology of Irony in the 2020s
There’s a concept in linguistics called "semantic bleaching." This happens when a word loses its original, intense meaning and becomes a general-purpose filler or a diluted version of itself. "Awesome" used to mean "inspiring literal awe." Now it means your burrito was okay.
That’s not very cash money of you is a form of reverse semantic bleaching. We took a term that was highly specific to a 90s rap aesthetic and applied it to every mundane interaction in modern life. It’s "ironic detachment" in its purest form. By using the language of wealth and success to describe basic human decency, we’re mocking the idea that everything has a price tag while simultaneously acknowledging that, yeah, being a good person is "valuable."
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It’s also worth noting that the phrase peaked right as "Zoomer humor" was becoming the dominant force on the web. This style of humor is characterized by absurdity, nihilism, and a total lack of context. The Godzilla meme fits perfectly. It doesn't need a backstory. It doesn't need a punchline. The phrase itself is the punchline.
Common Misconceptions About Being "Cash Money"
People often think being "cash money" means being rich. It doesn't. Not in the meme sense.
In the world of online slang, "cash money" is a synonym for "righteous" or "based." If you tip your server 30% because you know they’re having a rough shift? That is extremely cash money of you. If you hold the door open for someone carrying groceries? Cash money.
Conversely, "not very cash money" has nothing to do with being poor. It has everything to do with being "lame." It’s the digital equivalent of being "un-cool."
- Is it offensive? Not really. Unless you’re talking to someone who absolutely hates memes, it’s generally seen as a lighthearted jab.
- Is it dead? No. Unlike "on fleek" or "swag," which feel very 2014, "not very cash money" has survived because it’t so absurd it can’t really go out of style. It was never "cool" to begin with, so it can’t become "uncool."
- Who uses it? Everyone from Gen Z college students to Millennials who refuse to grow up. Even some Gen Xers have started using it ironically to annoy their kids, which, ironically, is very cash money of them.
Real-World Applications: When to Use It (And When to Avoid It)
Context is everything. You have to read the room.
If you’re in a high-stakes board meeting and the CEO announces layoffs, do not lean over and whisper, "That’s not very cash money of you, Steve." You will be fired. That is a high-risk, low-reward situation.
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However, if your roommate eats your leftover Thai food? Perfect. That is the ideal time to deploy the phrase. It acknowledges the theft without making the household environment toxic for the next week.
It’s also a great tool for self-deprecation. If you realize you’ve been procrastinating on a project for three weeks, looking in the mirror and telling yourself "that’s not very cash money of me" provides a weirdly effective moment of clarity. It’s hard to take your own failures too seriously when you’re describing them in the language of a Godzilla meme.
How to Be More "Cash Money" in Your Daily Life
If we take the meme to its logical conclusion, being "cash money" is actually a pretty decent moral philosophy. It’s about being "chill." It’s about not being "extra" in a way that hurts others.
- Practice Transparency: Don't gatekeep information or be sneaky. Honesty is the highest form of cash money-ness.
- Respect the "Vibe": If everyone is having a good time, don't be the person who brings up a depressing news story just to be a contrarian.
- Support Your Peers: Whether it’s liking a friend’s new art project or helping a coworker with a difficult task, being a "hype man" is inherently cash money.
- Own Your Mistakes: If you do something that is, in fact, not very cash money, own it immediately. Apologize. Move on.
The Future of the Phrase
What happens next? Eventually, every phrase enters the "ironic-unironic-sincere" cycle. We’re currently in the stage where people say not very cash money of you so often that they’ve forgotten it was ever a joke. It’s just a thing we say now.
It will likely join the ranks of "cool" or "dude"—words that were once slang but became permanent fixtures of the English language. It’s a testament to the power of the internet to reshape how we talk to each other. We don't just use words anymore; we use shared cultural experiences.
The next time someone cuts you off in traffic, don't honk your horn and scream. Just take a deep breath, think of a lizard in a suit, and remember: they’re just not being very cash money. You, on the other hand, are staying legendary.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Meme Culture
To keep your digital communication effective and avoid being "that guy" who uses memes wrong:
- Observe the platform: What works on Reddit might be "cringe" on LinkedIn. "Not very cash money" is safe for Discord, Twitter/X, and casual Slack channels, but use it sparingly in professional emails.
- Don't force it: If the phrase doesn't feel natural to your speaking style, don't use it. Forced slang is the least "cash money" thing imaginable.
- Check the source: Before using a meme phrase, a quick search on Know Your Meme can save you from accidentally using something with a problematic or offensive origin.
- Stay updated: The internet moves fast. While this phrase has longevity, others don't. Pay attention to how the "vibe" of a phrase changes over time.
The staying power of the phrase lies in its ability to turn a negative interaction into a moment of shared humor. It’s a linguistic shield. It’s a way to maintain your "cool" even when the world around you is being distinctly uncool. So, keep your sunglasses on, keep your suit sharp, and always strive to be the most cash money version of yourself.