Thug Life Army

Cosigned by The LOX, mentored by rap artist Camoflauge, and handpicked by the newly appointed President Of Virgin Records Urban Music, Jermaine Dupri, to lead his So So Def roster, T. WATERS, who signed just as the 2005 ball dropped in New York’s Times Square, will release his So So Def/Virgin Records debut album, The Drought Is Over, a unique blend of Southern Slang coupled with New York lyrical delivery later this year.

The Drought Is Over boasts production by hip-hop’s finest: Jermaine Dupri, Red Spyda, Hi-Tek, Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia, Denaun “Kon Artist” Porter and cameos from The LOX and Waters’ own Gangsta Click. The catchy first single “Throw’d Off” is already buzzing on mixtapes and local radio.  “Throw’d Off” is featured on Jermaine Dupri’s upcoming compilation album,Young, Fly, & Flashy:  Vol 1 due in July.

Born Anthony Waters in Brooklyn and raised in Yonkers until he was nine, T. Waters, picked up his nickname while playing high school basketball, so it’s appropriate that he connects his signing to So So Def/Virgin with getting drafted to the big leagues, “It’s like having the home court advantage in your first game. There’s nothing like playing for a major team and knowing the coach is behind you 100%,” explains T. Waters referring to JD.

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.”