Like any ghetto environment the rough-and-tumble streets of Yonkers is an easy lure for even a nine year old attracted to fast money. A change of life was in order for the youngster who was sent to live with his father in Savannah, Georgia. Although the move was supposed to remove him from the temptation of the streets, T. Waters soon joined a clique of older guys and it wasn’t long before the trouble he left behind in New York followed him. While down south, T. Waters became friends with Savannah, GA rapper, Camoflauge. After Camoflauge was gunned down in May 2003, the course of T. Water’s life changed. “When Camoflauge passed, it really messed my head up and cleared me up at the same time. I knew had to make something happen. Camoflauge was like my brother and after he was killed, I started making some changes in my life. The first thing I did was come back to New York.” T. Waters hopped on a Greyhound bus headed for NYC with five pairs of pants and $300. Once back home in Yonkers, T. Waters hooked back up with The LOX, recording mixtapes, and touring alongside the D-Block crew. In between the road and recording sessions with The Lox, T.Waters continued to write and record his own demo. In many ways his stay in The South and his roots in the North shaped his sound. The Drought Is Over combines the hardcore gritty texture of New York against the popular party vibe of Southern flavored hip-hop. After a chance meeting with JD at a club, T. Waters’ gave the music mogul his demo which included the single “Throw’d Off.” On the way home, JD couldn’t get the single, out of his head. Waters was the perfect addition to the So So Def roster. Now with the upcoming release of his debut album, the country boy in the big city will finally get his chance to silence the competition. “I’m just trying to make good music,” T. Waters explains. “These days, every rapper wants to be Tupac, Jay-Z or Biggie. Those rappers had strong influences, like Malcolm X. Now this generation wants to emulate Biggie, Jay-Z and Pac. That’s what’s killing hip-hop. Nobody’s trying to start nothing. They just want to keep it at the same pace or take it down. I want to build it up from the north to the south and everywhere in between.” |
