Sure, Money Man is a melodically blessed trap rapper, but he’s earned the name he gave himself by becoming a Southern rap impresario. The Atlanta artist born Tysen Jay Bolding in 1986 fashioned himself as an entrepreneur early on, self-releasing his Black Circle mixtape series starting in 2016. Those equally motivating and fearsome sets earned him a deal with Cash Money Records in 2017—a contract Money Man would soon buy himself out of so that he could make moves freely. On his own, he became a dot-connector, working with fiery Charlotte rapper DaBaby on 2017’s brooding “Above the Rim,” whose title comes from the 1994 2Pac film—a hat-tip to rap royalty. Ever the diplomat, Money Man would link up with Gucci Mane protégé Peewee Longway for 2019’s joint tape Long Money, led by the ruminative but boastful standout “Exotic,” about the MC’s ability to flex on any occasion. In 2020, Money Man continued his winning collabo streak with Lil Baby on “24,” a record that found the two rising Georgia stars trading war stories and paying respects to the late Kobe Bryant over a country-fied beat. As always, backing Money Man’s fluid yet firmly fixed flow is a bird’s eye view on the greater game—a knowing nature that sets him apart from his peers.
