Rating: 2/5
Released: April 3, 2007
Reviewer: Tyrone Castanho
The first thing that I suggest owners of Get Money, Stay True do is go to YouTube, type in “Asian kid grills” and watch the first video on replay for the entire duration of this CD. This insightful glimpse into the mind of a crunk-rap fan blinds the senses as harshly as the tin foil grills. Paul Wall has been attempting to ride the southern spiced crunk scene while drawing comparisons to Eminem for obvious reasons. But it begs the question if the flaunting of grills, diamonds, and hustling money translates to the skills on the mic.
The first track, ‘Get Your Paper Up,’ sets the tone in many ways for this sophomore album. The beat is the classic screwed and chopped beat progression that compliments those who find it difficult to throw out the rapid-fire lyrical breakdowns seen in most classic forms of hip-hop. But this isn’t hip-hop as we know it, it’s a scene unique unto itself and for those that love it, this album will satisfy your thirst for grills and bling. Most of the content orbits hustling for money, keeping that money, spending that money, and then making more money. It’s a vicious circle and I literally mean vicious as it carries throughout with a marching order of track titles such as ‘How Gangsta’s Roll,’ ‘Gimme That,’ and ‘I’m Real, What Are You?’.
There isn’t a lot to take from this album and the only way it changed my view of the world was leading me to wonder if tin foil wrapped around the teeth could lead to mercury poisoning, or what the security procedure at airports is regarding grills. It’s a slow and choppy album, obviously, and the vocals are repetitive.
Juelz Santana is really the only flash in the pan that could potentially salvage some credibility, seeing as Snoop Dogg’s appearance on ‘Everybody Know Me’ hardly establishes any momentum. The theme is weak and played out. At the most, it’s download worthy and in the interest of true hustling, save your money and hold onto your twenty dollars.
