Untitled - Truth Universal

TRUTH.UNIVERSAL
TRUTH.UNIVERSAL
Biography
Born in the village of Diego Martin, Trinidad,
Truth Universal became a New Orleans resident at age 4 – the same time the Hip Hop
Genesis was taking place. In the Crescent
City, he grew up on hip hop, brass bands,
calypso, bass music,
reggae, soul, jazz, and gospel.
“Some of my first memories include going to
the mall and my Mama buying me my first
tape, which was the Fat Boys’ first album,”
he says. “I also remember the Merly Merl’s
(this cat named Merlin from a neighborhood
close by mine)
mixtapes, going by my friend Ralph’s house
across the street and listening to his 12
inches, and digging in the dumpster at Read
Supermarket for boxes to break on. Back
then I wanted to DJ more than anything else.
My family never could afford to buy me any
1200s.”
Through the years, he carefully studied the
unspoken rules and examples set forth by
the early practitioners of the art of hip hop. I
began dabbling in rhyming. In 1991, per the
suggestion of a friend, I started writing and
really started taking it seriously.”
His ideals of Hip Hop preservation, and nonconformity, coupled with his social dialogue
makes him a significant factor in today’s Hip
Hop arena. “The reason my music sounds
like it does is a conscious effort to keep it in
the vein of what influenced me to Hip Hop
and a natural black music progression,” he
explains. “I would just call it traditional. I’m
very mindful of the
structure, feel, the DJ presence and a degree
of provocative content.”
TU dropped his first 12” single – “Natural
Disaster”/”Put It On Your Mind”/”Dashiki
Dialogue” and EP – “Plantation Graffiti: The
Naked Truth Dressed to Kill” in 2000 and
2001 respectively. He entered a contest
called the Mic Check 2000. Even though he
didn’t win, he made a mark and a lot of the
local heads were checking after that. Armed
with the EP, single and flyers, he started approaching people on the street, mainly at
Hip Hop events, to let them know who he
was and what he was doing.
“I’m known for that grassroots guerilla styled
marketing,” he notes. “Before anyone even
heard my music, I was able to push about
600 on the street. I’m everywhere promoting shows and releases. Most folks in the
city know me for my grind ethic.”
Influences
Public Enemy –
“The overt and detailed political messages
geared toward black people spoke to me.
They had substance and traditional Hip Hop
structure – MC and DJ. The cutting edge
Bomb Squad (Hank and Keith Shocklee) production also was attractive.”
RUN DMC –
“Their presentation and energy was influential. They were a two emcee and DJ group.
Jam Master Jay was one of the best show
DJs.”
Clark Kent & Dana Dane –
“Clark Kent was the Supreme DJ! Dana Dane
was one of the best storytellers ever to do
Hip Hop. Their show in 1986 was one of the
best I've seen in my life. This definitely had
an effect on my stage show.”
Poor Righteous Teachers –
“Not the first rapper in 5% Nation of Gods and
Earths, but Wise Intelligent (the lead rapper)
was, and still is, one of the most skillful emcees to weave the lessons into his rhymes.
They were one of the groups that taught me
and sent me on a quest for Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding.”
Big Daddy Kane –
“One of the most skillful and charismatic
emcees I was into in 1987.”
Rakim Allah –
“Maybe the smoothest and deepest in terms
of lyrical depth.”
Truth Universal says his style of music is
grassroots hip hop. “It’s what folks would
call conscious, but not corny and definitely not whack. I make it a point to formulate above average rhymes and I only work
with cats who stress exceptional music.” He
would never describe his music as conscious
or intellectual. Instead, he would describe it
as “struggle for people of color.” He wants
his music to reach a wide demographic and
knows that those types of labels might turn
people off, but with a name like Truth Universal, it’s apparent what he is about.
“I strive to have a balanced and outstanding presentation. I guess most might do that,
but too many times with ‘conscious’ rappers
I've seen exceptional lyrics with substandard
production and vice versa. A lot of others
think that there are succeeding at doing that.
However, I'm confident that I'm successful at
achieving that.”
When emceeing, Truth tries to make eye
contact with every audience member at least
once. “I strive the present my work in a ‘traditional’ format – emcee and DJ. I also aim to
captivate the listener with skill and whatever
information or idea I'm trying to convey.
I'm not one to proselytize. I would like to encourage folks to think about, talk about, and
maybe even act upon what seems to be normal, and possibly research the unfamiliar.”
And that includes the big issues.
Discography
Self Determination LP
Forthcoming in 2008
The Move the Crowd Mixtape
Truth Universal Music
Fall 2006
“…traditional hip-hop sound and production, accordingly planting a political message in that habitat in the tradition of Public Enemy, KRS One, and Poor
Righteous Teachers.”
Review, Okayplayer.com
Restless Natives (Compilation)
Dragon’s Breath 2006
“Another major talent displayed on this comp is Truth Universal, who contributes to "Introduction" and gives a solo joint, appropriately titled simply "Heat." A
lyricist that claims he's "still more against the grain than the Atkins diet," Truth
embodies that 'I'm different and proud of it' vibe of the whole disc, while giving
us a complete package by using his commanding vocal presence to spit a little
on everything from politricks and economics to upliftment.”
Review, Rapreviews.com
Hard Truth Soldiers (Compilation)
Guerrilla Funk Recordings (Feb 2006)
Decolonization Mixtape
Truth Universal Music (2005)
“Truth hits it right on, in the last track, calling what he makes ‘grown folks’ hip
hop. His music is not for the ignorant, socially unaware youngsters that do not
want to make a difference. One of the biggest questions in hip hop is ‘What do
you represent?’ Truth Universal represents a higher echelon of knowledge. In
‘Mind Frame,’ which features Zion I, he includes a vocal sample: ‘We pride ourselves on the high moral standards of our program’ which reflects the vision he
conveys through his music.”
Anna Farinas, review of Decolonization Mixtape
New Orleans’ Finest Remix/Statistically Speaking/Kamau
12” vinyl
Truth Universal Music/Advanced Ideas Music
January 2003
“Quality, politically conscious hip hop music from Louisiana. No dirty in this
southern-based hip hop crew’s four track single which features four songs that
will break any present stereotypes that you may have about southern hip hop.
From the title track to “Statistically Speaking,” a frank song about the plight
of the Black males from the streets to the penitentiary system, Truth Universal
brings a good release worth checking out.”
Raze, Insomniac Magazine, Issue #21
Four Track Mind/New Orleans’ Finest
12” vinyl
Truth Universal Music/Advanced Ideas Music
May 2001
Plantation Grafitti: The Naked Truth Dressed to Kill EP
12” vinyl
Truth Universal Music/Advanced Ideas Music
April 2001
“The thing that first caught my attention with this New Orleans hip-hop release
was the excellent DJ skills. The scratching is fantastic and well-used, dancing
cuts across the tracks and keeping the listener bouncing to the funktified beats.
Once you absorb the dope wax-work, you’ll notice that the rhyming skills are on
point as well. The lyrics are intelligent, with amazing flows of enlightment that
dance from the CD to the speakers to your brain. This is an impressive indie hiphop release.”
Craig Mazer, Impact Press, August/September 2001 issue
Dashiki Dialogue/Put It On Your Mind/Natural Disaster
12” vinyl
Truth Universal Music
September 2000
TRUTHUNIVERSAL
504.481.5959
www.truthuniversal.com