Take Money To Make Money

Take Money To Make Money is the debut album by Detroit MC Stretch Money. Hot Lava Records released it on CD in September 2006.

The story

The album is built around the single usually titled “It Takes Money to Make Money.” The song got heavy rotation on Detroit’s HOT 107.5 and WJLB 97.9 and drew some national attention. Metro Times later called it a Detroit anthem and his breakout record. Its success established Stretch Money in the city’s mid-2000s street rap scene.

Sound and production

Helluva produced the title single, and he also appears on “Detroit City.” Recachello features on “You Need A Gangsta.” The 18-track CD includes “Yea!,” “Lil Boy,” “Detroit Playa,” “Hit Da Block,” “This Is Hot Lava” and “Grand Finale,” and several tracks refer to the Hot Lava label. The CD’s production credits are sparse, so Helluva is the only producer confirmed here.

Legacy

The title song has outlasted the original CD. Funk Night Records issued it on a 7-inch single (catalog FNR-313B). Stretch Money released Time is Money in 2017, and in 2023 he released Bill & Isiah with Valid. Both still point back to the 2006 record as the start of his career.

More from hip hop in 2006.