JT Money

As the lead rapper and founding member of the legendary group, the Poison Clan, JT Money has created a legacy that encompasses ten long hard years in the rap game that is practically unequal to any other. The Florida based crew was responsible for some of the South’s biggest club hits in the mid to late 80’s. In addition to that, JT is one of the early pioneers of the Southern pimp/player rhymes that rappers such as Eightball & MJG, Tela and others are now spitting. Now, after years of paying his dues grinding away on the Southern underground, JT Money emerges from the ashes of obscurity and into the national spotlight with his remarkable debut solo record entitled, Pimping On Wax.

JT Money’s career as a rapper started back in the day when he was doing talent shows around the Miami area. It was there that he first ran into the future members of his crew, the Poison Clan, and eventually his former label head, Luther Campbell.

“Back in the days, there used to be little Gong Shows. Me and my homeboys used to go out there and win the money. One day, Mr. Mixxx (the DJ for the 2 Live Crew) heard us and put us down on wax and the rest is history. We just did our thing from there.”

After releasing three LPs on Campbell’s now defunct Luke Skyywalker records and spawning hits such as “Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya”, “Dance All Night”, and “I Want Action”, things began to go downhill as JT and Luke got into a dispute over the label’s business practices. According to JT, the problem was not personal, simply business. “It was a matter of a lotta records being sold, but wasn’t no money being made,” says the Flordia native. Although JT tried to settle the matter amicably so that he and his group could continue to record for their fans, things didn’t work out the way he had hope for. As a result of this misfortune, JT and the Poison Clan were forced to disband and drop off the rap scene for a while.

JT went through some hard times, but like a true player, the sultan of the Southern players got himself together and landed on his feet. By 1997, JT had put together a tight demo for his solo projects. He garnered the attention of a few labels that were eager to snatch the man whose work served as the blue print for so many hit-making southern act. But, once again, fate dealt JT another series of cold blows, as he saw deal after deal fall through the cracks.

“We were going to release a solo album in 97,” says the deep-voiced JT. “But since so many different business propositions fell through, we simply decided to wait for the right one to come along.

Fortunately to JT, a right deal did come along when musical mover-and-shaker Tony Mercedes signed JT to his imprint, Tony Mercedes Records. Mercedes served as the bridge that connected JT to super producer and record impresario Dallas Austin, who turned out to be a fan of JT and the Poison Clan. Austin wasted no time in inking JT to a production deal on his newly formed Freeworld label.

Pimping on Wax is JT Money’s long awaited solo debut, and judging from the sound of it was well worth the four years wait.