Rapper shares secrets of saving scratch

Houston hip hop star Slim Thug has written a book offering up financial advice about making it through the recession. Mr. Thug doesn't profess to be a financial professional and dubs his “How to Survive in a Recession” as a book of advice about life skills. “Nobody taught me how to be responsible with my money,” Mr. Thug writes in the dedication. “What you are about to read are life experiences that taught me how to save, make good deals and plan for my future.” Mr. Thug didn't set out to become an author, but the lyrics of his hit song, “I Run,” included the line “Hard times got the whole United States stressin'/ I'm writin' a book, how to survive in a recession.” When fans started asking him to write the book, he obliged. Mr. Thug, who was raised by a single mother on the north side of Houston, said his childhood taught him how to be smart and save money. The rapper's debut album, Already Platinum, sold 130,000 copies the week it was released in July 2005. “I wanna be the black Suze Orman, I want to teach my people how to be more financially aware,” Mr. Thug writes. Among his list of 25 basic financial rules is the valuable recommendation to resist the temptation to buy the bling and save for the future. Or as he describes it: “Every time you get a stack, put it up and survive off the extra change.” The book is available as an e-book or paperback at Amazon.com.