Would you like to tell someone in your life to get their act together and do what it takes to achieve their goals? You could use the phase "secure the bag" to do just that.
Learn more about the meaning and origins of this phrase in this post before you put "secure the bag" into action!
Meaning
The phrase "secure the bag", which comes from hip hop, means working to meet your goals. Most of the time, secure the bag specifically refers to making money — but the phrase can also be used to describe going after other goals, such as a job, a contract, or even a date.
Example Usage
In case you were curious how you might put the phrase "secure the bag" into a sentence, here's a look at the context in which it can be used:
- Andrew Yang's #YangGang always tweeted about securing the bag, a slogan the politician adopted to promote his universal basic income proposal.
- Oh, you wanted to buy that fancy dress? Gotta secure the bag first!
- Self care is the most important thing, so when you're thinking about how to secure the bag, remember that you're the bag!
- Awesome, bro, congrats on the new job. Bag secured!
- You secure the bag by working your way up from the bottom, that's just the way it is.
Origin
As with many slang terms, it is almost impossible to determine where and when the phrase "secure the bag" first arose. The idea that "secure the bag" started in hip hop culture is, nonetheless, widely accepted. The phrase "secure the bag" was most likely popularized when the WorldStarHipHop YouTube channel posted a song with the same title, by Lil Uzi Vert and Gucci Mane, in 2016. Migos released a song that was also called Secure the Bag later, and it became popular slang in hip hip culture after that.
Secure the Bag was first listed on the Urban Dictionary, which keeps track of modern slang in real time, in January 2017. A few years later, in 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang adopted "secure the bag" in reference to his proposal to offer all adult Americans a universal basic income of $1,000 per month. Yang's supporters widely used the phrase on social media, and especially Twitter, causing "secure the bag" to become well-known outside of its original realm.
Speculations about where the phrase "secure the bag" might initially have originated remain ongoing. Some say that there is a connection with Aretha Franklin, who would hold onto the money she earned in her early performances in a bag to avoid getting scammed by club owners. We will never know for sure, but it is clear that the back story behind this phrase can be found in the hip hop world. More recently, however, the phrase "secure the bag" has also become popular as a meme format.
Phrases Similar to Secure the Bag
Instead of saying you need to secure the bag, you could also go with:
- Let's get that bread.
- Make a bundle.
- Hit the jackpot.
Out of these phrases, "get the bread" is most similar to securing the bag, as it's the only phrase that could be used to describe going after something other than money or a career opportunity.
Phrases Opposite to Secure the Bag
While there are many ways to say that you're not making money, the opposite of securing the bag would be to fumble the bag — it means you've failed to reach your goal or make the money you wanted to.
What Is the Correct Saying?
You can tell someone to secure the bag, you can say you are securing the bag, and you can even say that the bag is secured.
Ways People May Say Secure the Bag Incorrectly
"Secure the bag" doesn't mean keeping a close eye on your purse, or putting money in the bank — it's got everything to do with making money or hitting another goal, and nothing with physically securing money you already have.
Acceptable Ways to Use 'Secure the Bag'
"Secure the bag" is most commonly used in an inspirational way. If you want to tell someone they've got it, and they can achieve their dreams, you can tell them to secure the bag. You can also simply say that you have to secure the bag if you need to make more money before you can spend it on something — as in "I can't make it to that overseas wedding; I gotta secure the bag".