DETROIT (Bloomberg) - "Park the Benz, just to ride the Wraith," Quavo raps in Drake's song Portland, which peaked at No. 9 on the charts this year.

That Wraith is a car made by Rolls-Royce which has quietly become the king of pop-culture music references, appearing in more top songs than any other brand.

Not Mercedes-Benz, not Ferrari, not even Lamborghini. Rolls reigns.

Particularly with the ascension of hip-hop, brand references became a shorthand for aspiration and status.

Bloomberg analysed tracks that made it into the top 20 of Billboard's Hot 100 over the past three years and found that eight of the 12 most popular product mentions have four wheels.

Rolls-Royce tops the list, featured in 11 tunes by such artists as Future, The Weeknd and Kodak Black.

Ferrari is a close second. Chevrolet, Lamborghini, Bentley, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche also get touts in several songs.

Among non-car shout-outs, old standbys Hennessy cognac and Nike's Air Jordan sneaker label got the most.

The obvious question when musicians mention brands is, are they getting paid? Sometimes they do. Drake was not paid by Rolls-Royce to include the Wraith in Portland, said the manufacturer.

There is a middle ground, however.

Rolls-Royce, for example, will sometimes provide cars to be featured in music videos.