Kenny Muney leaves fans with one reminder: Time is Muney. Also the title of his highly-anticipated, newly released mixtape, the 16-track project hails standout features from Dreezy and fellow labelmates Key Glock and Big Moochie Grape. Being signed to Young Dolph’s Paper Route Empire speaks volumes in itself, and Kenny Muney is here to keep Dolph’s name alive the best way he can.
In describing himself, Kenny states he’s “a talented hustler, that’s the best way to put it. I’m a gem. I’m someone you find, you just stuck on them by the time you finally find it. A lot of people probably not up yet but when they get on it, they going to be stuck.”
With the release of “Role Model,” a tribute track dedicated to the loss of his mentor, OG, and good friend, Kenny reminds folks exactly why Dolph is one of the greatest to ever do it. Hailing from South Memphis comes with its own battles and obstacles, and Dolph gave Kenny the push he needed to be seen in the big leagues. An opportunity that he’ll never take for granted, Kenny decided to leave the streets behind and fully commit to the music game… wearing his heart on his sleeve with each release.
AllHipHop caught up with Kenny in downtown Los Angeles, who was rocking multiple chains around his neck including PRE and his own brand WLE: Whole Lotta Errthang.
AllHipHop: Obviously you’re from South Memphis, what was that like growing up?
Kenny Muney: It’s a lot. You see a lot of stuff going on, just normal street s###. Memphis period is like that. You gotta find a way to make the best of it.
AllHipHop: When did you fall in love with music?
I always liked music. I always liked listening to music. I always used music to blow time, but I started playing with it with my homies. When I started making my own music, I started putting it out and people liked it. I kept doing it.
AllHipHop: What artists made you want to do music?
Kenny Muney: Dolph, Gucci, Boosie. Folks like that.
AllHipHop: How did Dolph catch wind of you?
Kenny Muney: S###, on the streets. I was doing what I was doing, that s### was spreading and people were f###### with it. He always f#### with people who work. He started hitting me up and I started hitting him back. I hit him up for advice, even before I was signed to him. He was f###### with me. He wanted to sign me way before I even signed.
AllHipHop: Why didn’t you?
Kenny Muney: Because I was trying to do what he was doing. I was trying to do it myself. Later on, he said, “Bruh, you still gon’ do it yourself. I’m just gon’ help you, be more hands on.” That’s what made me go on and sign to him.
AllHipHop: Because they don’t just sign anyone to PRE!
Kenny Muney: Hell nah.
AllHipHop: How did he reach out to you initially?
Kenny Muney: You know, Glock been signed to him. Me and Glock, he’s my brother. One day I said, “hey, I’m about to drop this tape. See if Dolph would post it.” He said, “S###, you ask him!” I DMed him like, “bruh, would you post this for me?” He posted it like “this joint hard. This m########### hard little bruh!” S### from there, I called him one day and said, “The radio tryna charge me blah blah blah.” He said, “That sounds about right, but I’ll see if they’ll do it for cheaper.” From there, anytime I want to know something, I’ll call him and he’ll give me the game.
AllHipHop: What was the conversation when you actually did sign?
Kenny Muney: Just like that. He’s like, “Bruh I look at it like you’re still doing your own thing, doing it however you want to do it. You just got a machine to help you now. You got somebody who sees your vision and understands, not just trying to capitalize off of it. Now I want to see you do what I’m doing.”
AllHipHop: Dolph was one of the biggest independent artists. You made a song called “Role Model,” what does that mean to dedicate that to him?
Kenny Muney: He’s my role model. Everything I wanted to do, that’s what he was doing. I paid close attention, I got to learn hands on. A lot of people don’t get to learn hands on from the people they’re watching. It was good I got to actually experience a real relationship with the person I looked up to.
AllHipHop: What was the vibe in the studio?
Kenny Muney: I ain’t gon’ lie, we were never really in the studio together. We always in the studio together, but not even recording. We just be chillin’, just kicking it. When we were recording, everybody really records on their own occasion. But when we’re together, we be chillin’. We never really think about music like that. But when it’s time to go over my tape, Dolph sits right here and we’re locking in. It be strictly locking in, he’s listening. We’re locked all the way in, he’s picking the songs.
AllHipHop: Is that what happened with Time is Muney?
Kenny Muney: Yeah fasho! A majority of the songs, he handpicked them. Usually he lets me do what I want to do, but we was eye to eye on his album. He’s like, “Bruh, you using this song.” I’m like “I don’t want to use that song!” He’s like “Even if you gotta force it, I’m using it!” We were on the same page with this tape for sure.
AllHipHop: Happy release day! How do you feel?
Kenny Muney: I feel good. Getting a lot of good feedback, they love it. You can’t hate it. Even my haters love it. That m########### hard, all the way through.
AllHipHop: How important is time?
Kenny Muney: S###, it’s way more important than money. For sure. You can’t make no money without time. You ain’t gon’ get nothing without time.
AllHipHop: One thing you want people to get from this project?
Kenny Muney: To invest your time and invest your money. Believe in what you’re doing. Know that it might take time and it might cost you some money, but you’ll get there if you sacrifice. Decide that those two things, you gotta have one to make the other one happy. You could have all the ideas, you can have everything, but if you don’t invest the time, you’re not gonna make the money.
AllHipHop: What songs mean the most to you on the project and why?
Kenny Muney: I ain’t gonna lie, every song. Every song has its own different variation of Time is Muney. On each song, it’s me expressing how I spend my time. Whether I’m talking about the past experience, whether I’m talking about what I want to do or what I’m doing, it’s me talking about my time. There’s not an exact song that I like the most, because they’re all hard! They’re literally all hard. Not just my whole tape hard, nah. Every single song is like damn! I gotta listen to some songs 50 times before I go to the next one.
AllHipHop: You have features from Glock, Big Moochie Grape
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Kenny Muney: I met Dreezy when I was on tour. We was on the Dum & Dummer Tour, she pulled up to the show.
AllHipHop: Oh, I was there! In Los Angeles at The Wiltern?
Kenny Muney: Yeah, he introduced each other. We just started chopping it up. I started coming back and forth to LA recently, we knew a mutual person. We ended up putting it together and making it happen. I f### with Dreezy, she’s hard for sure!
AllHipHop: What’s your relationship with Key Glock?
Kenny Muney: That’s my dawg! He’s who I started rapping with. We started rapping together. He’s hard, that’s my brother before anything. Before no music. Honestly, we don’t even talk about music. At all, we talk about mamas and partnas. We got the same partnas, same everything. That’s my dawg!
AllHipHop: What was it like seeing his come up? Because he’s hard as f###.
Kenny Muney: It’s motivating. A lot of people look at their partna next to them and they don’t like what they see or feel entitled. Bruh, he’ll tell anybody, I’m his biggest fan. That’s my dawg! Whatever he’s doing, I’m proud and I’m happy for what he’s doing. I’ma do my own thing and do how I do it, but it’s always gonna be me supportive of what he’s doing and vice versa. I always use it as motivation like damn, my boy be turnt. I like it, I love it! It makes me happy because I know where he comes from.
AllHipHop: Hip-Hop in general took a huge loss. What was your reaction when you heard about Dolph’s passing? How did you cope?
Kenny Muney: Still coping. The feeling is indescribable. It makes me do what I know he wants me to do. I got a strong enough bond with him that I know what he’d want me to do in these types of situations. All I can do is think, like I said from the beginning of me starting to do this, “What would Dolph do?” I just have to figure it out.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite Dolph song?
Kenny Muney: Not going to lie, I got so many different favorites. It’s an old song, you have to be super into Dolph to know it. It’s a song called “No Panties.” It’s old Dolph, super old. Dolph knows I like when he be talking his s### about women. Not in a bad way, but this song’s playa. It’s my favorite song
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
Kenny Muney: My gun, of course. My peace. If I need people around me, if that’s gonna make me feel peaceful, I need that. If I don’t want nobody in there, I need everybody to leave. My peace for sure, and I gotta have some chicken. [laughs] Chicken fasho, I gotta eat some chicken.
AllHipHop: How you like your chicken?
Kenny Muney: Fried, with honey mustard and ranch.
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AllHipHop: What were you going through recording “Petro”?
Kenny Muney: I was thinking about how to get a point across in a different type of way, without getting in trouble. I had to make it make sense.
AllHipHop: I see you selling stuff in the video.
Kenny Muney: I was selling gas out the store, actual gas. They was getting a discount on 93.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself?
Kenny Muney: One day when I get old, I’m done rapping and I’m done being in the streets, I want a hotel. It’s 24 hours trappin’. What hotel you know don’t got someone there? It’s someone always at the hotel.
AllHipHop: What’s the hotel gonna be called?
Kenny Muney: Moneifa, it sounds like money. [laughs] It gotta be somewhere where I’m bringing in money. It’s gotta be somewhere turnt. It ain’t gonna be in the hood fasho, you gotta have your paper to come there.
AllHipHop: What are you most excited for next?
Kenny Muney: S###, I just dropped this tape. I ain’t gon’ lie, the deluxe is already ready. I’m just waiting on them to tell me they’re ready for it.
AllHipHop: Who’s they?
Kenny Muney: You. The fans. Everybody! Whenever y’all ready for it, I’ma drop it.
AllHipHop: You got extra features on there?
Kenny Muney: You’ll have to see.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Kenny Muney: Time is Muney out right now, run it up. They finally let the right type of person in the door, so run it all the way up! It’s relatable. If you want to get some money, turn it on and you gon’ get you some money. When you get in your car, make sure you turn it on and that’s it!