Who Waters the Wilting Giving Tree Once the Leaves Dry Up and Fruits No Longer Bear? is the fifth studio album by American musician $ilkMoney. It was released digitally on July 18, 2025, via DB$B Records and Lex Records.

Background Noted as concept album taking inspiration from the Giving Tree, a children's book by Shel Silverstein, the album succeeds $ilkMoney's 2022 full-length release, I Don't Give a Fuck About This Rap Shit, Imma Just Drop Until I Don't Feel Like It Anymore. "Never Trust a Bitch Tha– *Explodes*" was released as a single on May 28, 2025, alongside a music video directed by Micaiah Carter.

Reception

Describing the album as "audacious" and "self-reflective", Damien Holsters of the Quietus remarked, "while it might seem straightforward to use The Giving Tree as the central metaphor for an album where you give so much of yourself, it should be said that exploring all the ramifications of that metaphor would be anything but."

The album received a 8.0 rating from Pitchfork, whose reviewer Dash Lewis noted, "The album takes a while to unpack; its song titles are riddles posed by an especially online bridge troll, and each cryptic verse seems to twist through a hundred different ideas."

In a four-star review for Slant, Steve Erickson opined, "As much as Who Waters the Giving Wilting Tree relies on attitude, it never feels one-note or settles for mere edginess," describing $ilkMoney's flow as "rapid" and stating it "mingles anger and excitement."

Kyle Cochrun of Spectrum Culture assigned the project a score of 79%, referring to it as "a compelling work, packed with confidence, humor, anger, violence, pop-culture references and the emotional clutter of human consciousness."

Fred Thomas, writing in AllMusic, stated "Who Waters the Wilting Giving Tree... is a nonstop flow of stunning ideas and performances, without ever getting so heady that the fun and strangeness become alienating."

Track listing

Accolades Publication Accolade Year Rank AllMusic Favorite Rap & Hip-Hop Albums 2025 Complex The 50 Best Albums of 2025 2025 Glide Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2025 2025

References