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Nu’ The Mayor is a pretty proactive rapper. Instead of just claiming to run D.C., he decided to take the title of “mayor.” When media outlets don’t cover him, he interviews himself. And rather than merely rhyming about his financial fitness, Nu’ has pronounced himself a “dollartician” and named his latest album Now or Never: Diary of a Dollartician.
“A dollartician is someone who is focused on their money, but won’t sell out,” the rapper explains. “I’m not going to just do or say anything to make a hit.”
Nu says that sonically the new album is a mix of hard-core beats and funk that he calls ” soul-hop.” Lyrically, it’s “a little more adult—I’ve stepped into the adult box,” he says. “The younger crowd can get into it, but it’s more for [ages] 25 and up.”
Naturally, Nu’Man isn’t waiting around to hear what the public has to say about Now or Never: Diary of a Dollartician—he says it’s a classic.
But exactly how good is it? For a bit of context, Washington City Paper decided to ask Nu’ how his latest project stacks up against some other hip-hop albums that are about getting, making, and taking money.
1) 50 Cent, Power of the Dollar
“This was his first album, sort of the culmination of his entire life story—I approached this album the same way, even though it’s not my first album, because it’s my first album with national distribution” Nu says. “He’s on some gangsta shit, and I’m not doing that, but the vibe and the passion are the same. Even though my album is better.”
2) Ace Hood, Cash Flow
“He has some anthemic songs, but I don’t know too much about him—just what I’ve heard on the radio.”
3) Common Sense, Can I Borrow A Dollar?
“This was Common before Erykah, before the fishnet wifebeaters. This is what I want to be—just a regular nigga who can spit and ain’t on no bamma shit. But maybe there’s just an evolution[that rappers go through]—maybe five years from now I’ll have on the fishnet wifebeater.”
4) Charli Baltimore, Money
“I don’t really see a relation.”
5) Capone-N-Noreaga, Money
“I like C-N-N. I didn’t get into this too much, but the “WHAT WHAT WHAT” always got me hype. Actually, Nore is crazy and wild like me, so maybe there are some similarities…”
6)MC Breed, Dollar
“It’s a little similar…he’s from the Bay, and they’re all about game in the Bay, and my label is G.A.M.E. And Breed spits game, and that’s what I’m on.”
7) T.I., Paper Trail
“King of the South! I think people feel about his albums the way they feel about my albums—they’re [always] the best album that comes out that year.”
Now or Never: Diary of a Dollartician drops Tuesday, Sept. 22; album release party goes down at Ibiza on Friday, Sept. 25