Money Waters

Money Waters is a natural storyteller who takes his sweet time telling a joke or dropping some hard-earned knowledge. You don't wanna stop him, even if you've already heard it.

The Pleasant Grove rapper is strongest when he and his homeboys are venting their Everyman tales of frustration about nagging wives and big-talking friends (in stoner anthem "Gotta Gar?") or "Broke Bitches" who won't help out with the lunch tab. "Fightin' and Gripin'" hilariously details his aggravation with a friend who's letting a woman get in the way of chilling with his friends.

But after going to the Millions More Movement last year, Waters felt the need to speak on racial issues. Swalhaggin (read it backward--silently if you're white), starts with the righteously angry "Fuckery." His disgust with racism past and present calls for revolution ("...We've been hypnotized/The black man needs a good back hand just to slap out that shit and realize/That we're the sleeping giant...") as well as demonstrates his dynamic flow: internal rhymes, attention-grabbing pauses and a conversational rhythm that rolls and bounces over his lyrics. Elsewhere, he warns a friend about the dope game in "Be Careful," bemoans the "Eva Changin'" world and lets guest Uncle Pauly lay down the law in "Niggallegiance," the spiritual centerpiece of the album, which comes off as a slightly preachy pep talk to black men, even if it offers no solutions.

Money's mixture of blues and rap won't redefine either genre, but the combo is a powerful musical statement. The rich Rummsquad production is a nice change from minimalist Dirty South beats, and melodic blues bass, funk drumbeats and Kerav Shimon's wah-wah guitar riffs complement Waters' syrupy Texissippi drawl.

Money wants a revolution, but he'll settle for some 'dro and a break from the bullshit. Don't forget the 'gar.