Celebrity HipHop’s Next Up: Exclusive Interview with Truth

Today we caught up with the rising star, Truth for an exclusive interview.

What is your stage name and how did you come up with it?

My stage name is Truth. When I first started rapping I wanted a unique name. I thought about just using my own name, but all of my favorite artists had stage names so I wanted to come up with something. The concept of Truth and being truthful has always been really important to me, and at the time, there were no other artists I had ever heard of going by Truth. When I was going about adding my music to all of the websites and apps, there were no other Truth’s, so it was set in stone.

Why did you first start making music?

My whole life I was a creative and a performer. I was in singing groups in elementary school, then band in middle school, then choir and punk bands in high school. In all that time, I was journaling and writing poetry as well, so writing and building on concepts was like second nature. When I graduated, all of my friends kind of moved away or moved on from making music, so I was left to my own devices. That’s when I really got into writing raps. It’s something I could do by myself, and I had been writing poetry and lyrics for years, so it was now just about putting it on dope beats and finding my voice.

Who would you say inspired you the most, as an artist?

There’s so many I could name, all for different reasons. But if I had to say one, it would be Slug from Atmosphere. I was heavy into their music at the time in my life when I was transitioning from being a punk rocker into a rapper. And there was one night in particular when we and my friends had been up all night on psychedelics and listening to them. A lot of rap wasn’t really geared toward my life. I loved east coast and west coast rap, but as a lower middle class mixed kid from Colorado, it didn’t really speak to my experience. When I heard Slug rap about topics that hit much closer to home, it sparked something in me that was like, “I can do this. I should do this.”

What’s the best advice you ever received?

The best advice I ever received was from my late grandma. We were folding laundry together and I was talking to her about how I wanted to be a musician, but it wasn’t paying the bills and nobody really supported my dream. Everyone was telling me to go to college, and get a normal job. You know the drill. But she told me that she always wanted to be a performer when she was young, but she didn’t have the chance because she got pregnant young and had to work and raise her children. She said that if I didn’t chase my dreams, I would regret it for the rest of my life. That stuck with me, and I’ll be thankful to her for that blessing and that advice.

Do you have a mantra?

My mantra is a simple one: “This life is what you make it so I choose to make it beautiful. Love Life.”

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

One of the things I’m most proud of is my ability to make a wide range of songs and sounds. No two Truth projects sound the same. Some people might call that a weakness, others a strength. But it’s hard to say I have a typical sound or style. Two things I always try to focus on is intricate lyricism and songs that build from beginning to end, and not just being repetitive.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your music?

The best compliment I ever got about my music was from one of my peers. We were talking about styles and who sounds like who else, and he said, “You know who you really sound like?” Then he paused and thought, then continued, “Honestly, nobody.” That meant the world to me. Obviously there are so many artists that I love and respect and if I was compared to them it would be a compliment. But I’ve always wanted to do my own thing, and to hear that from an artist who I worked closely with and really respected was huge.

What’s the coolest, most important show you’ve played to date (the kind of show you’d like to play more of)?

The best show I ever had was in Denver. At a place called Cervantes. There’s two venues in one location. The Masterpiece Ballroom, and The Other Side. The ballroom is the main venue, and The Other Side is smaller, but they’re connected. I was performing with my crew at the time, Everyday Ritual. Long story short, the place was packed from front to back, and the crowd was so hyped that it attracted attention from the ballroom, and as we were performing, dozens of people came over to watch us throw it down. These were people who had paid money to see an entirely different show that night, but were intrigued enough by what we were doing to come over, check us out, rock with us, and stay the whole time. At the end of our set, the crowd went nuts, the host came on stage to say how dope we were, then we walked off like conquering heroes.

How do you currently feel about the state of Hip-hop in general?

Honestly, I don’t think the current state of hip hop is healthy or good. And the stats reflect that. Hip hop had been the number 1 selling genre for most of my adult life, but no longer is. And it’s falling fast. The game is oversaturated with way too many subpar artists that should not be getting the play or the push that they are. Labels see the struggles, but rather than investing in and developing artists, they just sign as many people as they can and throw them against the wall to see if it sticks. And too many artists see someone else have success then copy their entire style, flow, and gimmick. It’s not good. Luckily, the GOATs are still dropping amazing music, and there are plenty of new artists making dope stuff. But the genre is struggling, and I’m not so hopeful that we’re not facing an even bigger fall off.

What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered?

I want my music to be remembered as truly unique, and I want myself to be remembered as prolific. I’ve dropped hundreds of songs, and dozens of albums, all of which I will stand on to the end of the Earth. I’ve released over 24 hours of music, meaning you could press play on my playlist and still be hearing a new song with no repeats the next day. In all that time, I’ve had the opportunity to explore lots of different themes, concepts, and styles. Rapping, singing, producing, performing… I can say that I’ve done it all, and I’m very proud of that. And through all of that exploration and experimentation, it’s always been me. It’s always been Truth. Not a single word was written that I didn’t mean. I want to be remembered for being real and authentic, and my legacy will be Truth.