It’s 2014. You’re in a crowded room, the floor is slightly sticky, and suddenly a minimalist, eerie beat drops. You know exactly what’s coming. When ILoveMakonnen released "Tuesday" featuring Drake, the phrase got the club goin up didn't just become a lyric; it became a lifestyle. It was weird. It was slow. Honestly, it was the exact opposite of what a "club banger" was supposed to sound like at the time, yet it somehow defined an entire era of Atlanta’s dominance over global airwaves.
People forget how risky that sound was.
Before that track blew up, the club was all about high-energy EDM-pop or aggressive trap. Then comes this dude singing off-key about working a graveyard shift and partying on a weekday. It shifted the needle. It made the mundane feel cinematic. If you were stuck at a job you hated but still managed to hit the bar on a random weeknight, you weren't just "out"—you got the club goin up. It was a badge of honor for the overworked.
The Viral Genesis of a Phrase
Let’s be real for a second. Without Drake, we probably wouldn't be talking about this. In August 2014, Drake found the original track by Makonnen—produced by Sonny Digital and Metro Boomin—and did what Drake does: he hopped on it and turned it into a diamond. The remix didn't just peak at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100; it fundamentally changed how we talk about nightlife.
Makonnen Sheran, the man behind the moniker, wasn't your typical rapper. He was a cosmetology student. He was making music in his bedroom. This wasn't some manufactured label product. That’s why the line resonated. It felt authentic to the "struggle" of wanting to party when you’re broke. When he says he got the club goin up on a Tuesday, he's talking about the only time he had off.
It’s about the underdog.
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The phrase quickly migrated from headphones to Instagram captions, then to Vine (RIP), and eventually into the permanent lexicon of pop culture. You started seeing it everywhere. It wasn't just about literal clubs anymore. You could have the "book club" goin up or the "PTA meeting" goin up. The linguistic flexibility of the phrase is what gave it legs. It became a template for celebrating small wins in unlikely places.
The Sonic Architecture of a Mid-Tempo Anthem
Why did it work? It’s the production. Metro Boomin and Sonny Digital are architects of the modern Atlanta sound, but "Tuesday" was a bit of an outlier. It’s sparse.
Listen to the drums. They aren't hitting you over the head with aggressive 808s like a Lex Luger track. Instead, they’re light, almost hypnotic. This allowed the vocal melody—that warbling, slightly flat delivery—to take center stage. It created a vibe of "controlled chaos." It sounds like the feeling of being two drinks in when you really should be sleeping because you have a 9 AM meeting.
- The Tempo: It’s slow. Roughly 75 BPM.
- The Synthesis: Eerie, bell-like synths that feel almost ghostly.
- The Hook: Repetitive but infectious.
Music critics at the time, including those at Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, pointed out that Makonnen’s voice was "unconventional." That’s a polite way of saying he wasn't a powerhouse singer. But that was the point! It made it accessible. Anyone could sing along to got the club goin up because it sounded like something you’d hum to yourself while driving home. It wasn't intimidating. It was relatable.
The Economic Impact of the "Tuesday" Effect
There’s a weird business side to this, too. Before this song, Tuesday was the "dead" night for the service industry. It’s the night where bartenders catch up on cleaning and promoters stay home. After the song went viral, clubs across the country started "Tuesday Night" specials.
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I’m not joking.
Promoters literally used the lyrics to sell tables. It created a feedback loop where the song influenced the culture, and the culture then reinforced the song’s relevance. We saw a spike in mid-week liquor sales in major metros like Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles during the 2014-2015 window. If you got the club goin up on a Tuesday, you were part of a specific subculture that rejected the standard 9-to-5 social calendar.
Why the Drake Feature Mattered
Drake has a "Midas Touch," but with Makonnen, it was different. It was part of Drake’s OVO Sound era where he was looking for "vibes" rather than just hits. By putting his stamp on the track, he gave Makonnen instant legitimacy. However, the relationship eventually soured. Makonnen left OVO in 2016, and the drama that followed—rumors of tension, tweets, and misunderstandings—only added to the lore of the song.
It remains a snapshot of a very specific moment in hip-hop history when the "weird kids" were finally getting the keys to the kingdom.
Common Misconceptions About the Lyrics
A lot of people think the song is just about drugs or partying hard. It’s actually more about the grind. If you look at the verses, there’s a lot of talk about "trapping" and working. The "club goin up" is the reward for the work. It’s a celebratory moment in a life that otherwise feels like a repetitive cycle of labor.
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Also, some people swear the lyrics are "got the club going up." Close, but the "goin" is vital. It’s the vernacular of the South. Dropping that 'g' gives it the cadence that makes it swing. If you say it too formally, the magic disappears. You have to say it with that slight slur to really capture the spirit of the track.
How to Capture That Energy Today
If you're looking to bring that got the club goin up energy to your own life or your own content, you have to understand it’s about subverting expectations. You don't do it on a Friday. You do it when no one expects it.
- Embrace the Off-Peak: The best memories happen when the world is quiet. Find your "Tuesday."
- Authenticity Over Polish: Makonnen didn't need a vocal coach to make a hit. He needed a feeling. Stop over-editing your life and just post the "raw" version.
- Collaborate Outside Your Bubble: The magic happened when a bedroom artist met a global superstar. Look for people who don't run in your circles.
The Long-Term Legacy of the 2014 Wave
Looking back, that era gave us more than just a catchy line. It paved the way for "melodic trap" and the rise of artists like Lil Uzi Vert and Post Malone. These artists took the "sing-songy" delivery that Makonnen pioneered and turned it into the dominant sound of the late 2010s.
Whenever you hear a rapper today using a high-pitched, emotional delivery over a trap beat, you’re hearing the echoes of that Tuesday night in Atlanta. It wasn't just a meme. It was a pivot point. The phrase got the club goin up is basically the "Carpe Diem" for the digital age—a reminder that even on a boring weeknight, things can get legendary if you have the right people around you.
The song might be over a decade old, but the sentiment hasn't aged a day. We’re all still just looking for that one night where the work stops and the music takes over.
Actionable Next Steps
To truly understand the impact of this cultural moment, start by revisiting the original 2014 music video—the one with the mannequin heads. It captures the DIY aesthetic that defined early 2010s internet culture far better than the high-budget OVO remix. After that, look into the production discography of Sonny Digital; he is the unsung hero who provided the sonic backdrop for an entire generation of Atlanta artists. Finally, if you’re a creator, try applying the "Tuesday Rule" to your work: take a mundane, everyday concept and frame it as an elite, exclusive event. That contrast is exactly where viral gold is found.