If you spent any time on TikTok or YouTube between 2018 and 2021, you couldn't escape them. The Baker brothers—better known to millions as Cash and Maverick—turned a specific brand of brotherly charisma into a massive digital empire. But honestly, it wasn't just about the hair flips or the synchronized dancing. The music was the glue. When people search for a Cash and Maverick song, they aren't just looking for a track; they’re looking for a specific era of "social media pop" that felt reachable, fun, and completely unpretentious.
They jumped into the music scene when the "influencer-to-musician" pipeline was at its absolute peak. Some people hated it. Others lived for every drop. Whether you think it's high art or just catchy fluff, you can't deny the numbers. We’re talking hundreds of millions of streams.
The Viral Engine Behind the Music
It started with "The Way You Move." Released in 2018, it served as the blueprint for every Cash and Maverick song that followed. It’s bubbly. It’s upbeat. It’s got that quintessential synth-pop backbone that sounds exactly like a sunny day in Oklahoma, where the brothers grew up.
What made it work? Simplicity.
The lyrics didn't try to solve world hunger or dive into complex existential dread. They were about crushes, hanging out, and feeling good. In a world of over-produced industry plants, there was something genuinely refreshing about two brothers recording tracks that their fans could actually relate to. They weren't trying to be Justin Timberlake; they were just Cash and Maverick.
Most people don't realize how much of their success was built on the back of Musical.ly (which became TikTok). They understood the platform's DNA. A Cash and Maverick song wasn't just a listening experience—it was a 15-second challenge waiting to happen. "Whatever It Takes" and "Queen" followed this same trajectory. These tracks were practically engineered for lip-syncing. If you look at the metadata from that era, the engagement rates on their music videos outperformed many mainstream label artists. Why? Because the audience felt like they were part of the journey.
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Breaking Down the Biggest Hits
Let's get into the weeds of the discography. If you’re building a playlist, "Whatever It Takes" is usually the starting point. It’s arguably their most polished work. It moved away from the raw, slightly amateurish feel of their earliest demos and embraced a more professional pop sound. You can hear the influence of artists like Why Don’t We or early One Direction.
- The Way You Move (2018): The one that started the fire. It’s pure nostalgia now.
- Whatever It Takes (2019): Higher production value, more complex vocal layering.
- Queen (2019): This one was a massive fan favorite because it leaned into the "boyfriend" persona that fueled their social media growth.
- Adios (2020): A bit more attitude. It showed they were growing up, even if just a little bit.
Interestingly, their vocal styles provide a weirdly effective contrast. Maverick usually handles the more melodic, higher-register stuff, while Cash provides a grounded, sometimes rhythmic backbone. They aren't operatic powerhouses—nobody is claiming they are—but they know how to stay in their lane and deliver a hook that stays stuck in your head for three days straight.
The Reality of the "Influencer Music" Stigma
Music critics often tear into social media stars who pivot to singing. It's a tale as old as time. Or at least as old as 2015.
Critics call it "disposable pop." They argue that without the millions of followers, a Cash and Maverick song wouldn't stand on its own. And, to be fair, there’s some truth there. The music and the brand are inseparable. If you don't know who the Baker brothers are, a track like "Young & Broken" might just sound like standard royalty-free pop.
But here’s the thing: that critique misses the point of why people listen.
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Music is often about the connection to the person behind the mic. For their fanbase, the music is an extension of the vlogs and the TikToks. It’s a parasocial relationship set to a 120 BPM beat. When you look at the comments on their YouTube videos, you don't see people analyzing the chord progressions. You see people talking about how the song helped them through a breakup or how it reminds them of a specific summer.
Production and Independent Success
One of the most impressive things about the Cash and Maverick song catalog is that it was largely driven by their own team. They didn't have the massive machine of a Sony or Universal pushing them to Top 40 radio initially. They relied on direct-to-consumer distribution.
They utilized platforms like DistroKid or TuneCore to get their music on Spotify and Apple Music, bypassing the traditional gatekeepers. This allowed them to keep a much larger slice of the pie. While a mainstream artist might only see a fraction of their streaming royalties, independent creators like the Bakers could capitalize on their massive reach.
They also mastered the art of the "Music Video Event." Every time a new song dropped, it wasn't just a file on Spotify. It was a high-production-value video with cameos, storylines, and merch drops. It was a full-scale retail launch.
What’s the Current Status?
Things have slowed down a bit. The frantic pace of 2019 hasn't quite sustained into the mid-2020s. Part of that is just natural aging. You can't be the "teen heartthrob" brothers forever. The audience grows up, and the artists usually want to pivot to more "mature" sounds or different business ventures entirely.
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Cash has been more active in certain spaces, while Maverick has branched out as well. But the legacy of their music remains a weirdly perfect time capsule of a specific moment in internet culture. It was the era of the Hype House, the rise of short-form video, and the democratization of pop stardom.
If you go back and listen to a Cash and Maverick song now, it feels like a different world. It was before the internet got quite as cynical as it is today. There was a genuine, almost naive energy to those early tracks.
How to Support or Find Their Music Today
If you're looking to dive back in or see what they've been up to lately, the best place isn't actually TikTok anymore—it's their official YouTube channel or Spotify profile.
Many fans have actually started making "slowed and reverb" versions of their hits, which is a weirdly high compliment in today’s music scene. It means the melodies are strong enough to work even when stripped of their upbeat pop production.
- Check out their Spotify "This Is Cash and Maverick" playlists. They are curated to show the progression from the early viral hits to the later, more refined tracks.
- Watch the "Making Of" videos. If you’re interested in the business side of being an influencer, these are gold. They show how they balanced filming vlogs with recording sessions.
- Look for the merch collaborations. Much of their music was tied to specific limited-edition clothing drops which are now collectors' items for "OG" fans.
Making Your Own Content With Their Tracks
Since their music is built for creators, it's still widely available for use in your own videos. If you're a small creator, using a Cash and Maverick song is a decent way to tap into a specific demographic that still holds a lot of nostalgia for that 2019 era.
- Focus on the Hooks: Most of their songs have a 5-10 second "drop" that is perfect for transitions.
- Check Licensing: While they are creator-friendly, always check the current TikTok/Reels library to ensure the tracks are cleared for commercial use if you're a brand.
- Engage with the Community: The Baker brothers' fans are incredibly loyal. Using their tracks often brings a wave of "Where are they now?" comments that can boost your engagement.
Ultimately, the story of the Cash and Maverick song catalog is a story of the power of independence. They didn't wait for a label to tell them they were singers. They just grabbed a mic, called a producer, and let their fans decide. And the fans said yes.
To get the most out of their discography today, start by revisiting "Whatever It Takes" on a high-quality audio system. You'll notice production nuances—like the subtle vocal harmonies in the bridge—that get lost when listening through a phone speaker. From there, track their evolution into their 2020 releases to see how they tried to bridge the gap between "internet famous" and "career musicians."