If you want to be a Money Coach, you can’t afford to lose yourself in self-indulgence. You’ve got to have a sharp mind, clear sight, financial prudence, discipline, and discernment. A sense of humor helps, too. When temptation comes, you’ve got to look straight at it — and say “No Thank You.” Cleveland-born, Chicago-based rapper Money Coach knows all about the perils and pitfalls of modern life. On his latest single, he sets them up, one at a time, and emphatically turns away from each one.
He does it all with a smile and a wink and the kind of brash, straightforward delivery and clever wordplay he’s known for. And maybe that’s the best strategy for coping with a complicated world: try not to take yourself too seriously, stay light on your feet, and recognize trouble when it knocks on your door. On the track, Money Coach turns down intoxicants, cheap sex, violent solutions, and bad deals designed to separate him from his bankroll. He recognizes snakes in the grass, wanton women, flim-flam men, and stealth gangbangers, and he successfully avoids them all. By the end of the track, he hasn’t been parted from a single dollar. There’s a coach worth heeding, a leader worth following, and a man on a worthy mission.
The music world has noticed. In the past few years, Money Coach has been all over the place, performing at SXSW, the House of Blues, Atlanta Hip-Hop Day, the Revolt TV Conference, and other venues and events. He’s made an impression everywhere he’s gone — he’s got the charisma of a preacher, the gravitas and creative energy of an entrepreneur, and the fashion style of a tycoon, and his outsized personality and formidable skills are evident every time he raps. Money Coach is a commanding stage performer as well as a terrific recording artist, and he’ll be taking to the road again just as soon as circumstances allow.
In the meantime, he’s given us this: a colorful, uproarious clip for “No Thank You” that dramatizes the song’s narrative and gives the star plenty of room to make his presence felt. We meet a gun-toting tough, an enthusiastic twerker, and the Devil in the guise of a record company executive — and Money Coach swerves around all of them. His wagging finger and outstretched hand speaks volumes about his disdain for dissipation, and his fantastic wardrobe tells you even more about the resources he commands. Keep your cool, be discriminating and wise, and you, too, might enjoy a similar kind of opulence.
