The Truth keeps it real
Staten island’s own, The Truth, is unstoppable! Determined to rise to the top, he’s polished his sound, refined his creative songwriting abilities, and there hasn’t been a moment he’s not working on a project. We sit down with The Truth as he tells all on his latest album “Badfellas.”
Abby Martinez: How did you get started in the music industry?
The Truth: I started rapping when I was 16 or 17. It started just like anybody else...at house parties, free-styling, just winging it. Then it developed into being a songwriter. I loved it and because I loved it, I kept going and got better over time.
AM: Let's talk about your latest album, “Badfellas.” Tell me what it's about and what inspired the album.
TT: I mean, me and my friend Frank, we talked about doing a project together when we first started collaborating, and because we had real good chemistry. We were going to make fun of Italians in hip hop. No disrespect to any of the other Italian rappers that came before us. We felt like we were never represented in hip hop in the right way. So, you know, we wanted to bring our perspective, how we grew up, our values and morals, translate that into hip hop, and make an album that could be the voice for Italian kids that look like us in tough neighborhoods, wandering around, getting in trouble, and just tell our story. And it just really resonated with people.
AM: What was the most challenging part of creating the album?
TT: Getting Frank in the studio! Frank's real busy guy. I think we had two sessions for him. He came to the first session and recorded all his verses. That same night, he had everything written and ready to go. He had already practiced them for weeks while he was running around doing everything that he does. He came to the first session and he recorded every single verse for the album in one session.Through the process of me mixing and engineering the records, there were certain parts of songs that we needed to fix for him, and he came back for a second session then touched everything up. And that was it!
AM: What's your favorite song off of the album?
TT: I personally love the “Caruso” record. So “Caruso” is a sample from an old Italian singer. It’s a really popular Italian song at weddings and anniversaries called “Ti voglio bene assai,” and that record means “I love you very much.” So it's like a wedding song. I had the idea to flip it into a hip hop beat, and reformat to fit hip hop. We translated that into our love for hip hop and our love for music. I took something from my culture and translated it into hip hop, then talked about my love for music. So that's my favorite. And probably Frank's also.
AM: Do you work with a team, collaborate with friends, or do you work independently during your creative process?
TT: As far as my recording process, I pretty much work alone. I write, record, mix, master. I have a studio in my house. I get my beats from a few different producers that I've worked with closely. And that's pretty much it.
AM: There are artists that create in the most unconventional places like in a closet, under their desk, or even while walking around their home. Where do you like to write music?
TT: I write a lot of my music while I'm in the car driving. I'm a crazy guy. I work a lot, I have kids, and I don't really get a lot of time to sit and concentrate a lot. When I'm in the car, to and from work or just taking a long drive somewhere, I'm almost 100% of the time listening to beats that I'm trying to work on. I'll come up with bars while driving in the car, and I'll just speak them into the phone and to my notes. When I get home and the house dies down, I can go downstairs to my studio and record everything. Then I'll reformat the lyrics and make them fit.
AM: What do you enjoy the most about being an artist?
TT: So it's that “aha!” moment when you create something and you know it's good. The record “FU Pay Me,” the opening bar was very simple. It wasn't anything spectacular with a hidden metaphor or a double entendre. It was just pretty much straight to the point. “You think I'm scared because you know people. I know people too. Chances are my people tell your people what the fuck to do.” That's an “aha!” moment…creating something that's the best part of this whole thing. It's not the girls, not the money, not the shows, not meeting famous people. It's none of that. For me the greatest feeling from music comes during the creativity process and most “aha!” moments when you're like, “That's why I am who I am. That's why I'm different.” That's the validation, that you know you're onto something. I did a record called “Bullshit” a couple years ago and there was a pretty big record on it. It was good and then I was sitting there thinking to myself, “How can ever I top this record?” Then I write something like “Never Rikers” on my “Summer” project and that was much more polished and sharper for me. Those “aha!” moments are like a recharge!
“FU Pay Me” music video directed by: Case Closed Media Productions and Sheesher Films
The Truth about “FU Pay Me,” a song on his latest album.
TT: “FU Pay Me” is like a universal record because everybody has somebody that's owed them money, owes them money, or you've lent money to somebody, whether it's 20 bucks or 20,000. So that record translates across all different demographics of people, especially people that are owed money. That concept comes from the Goodfellas movie. I was able to translate that into hip hop and make an anthem for people. Get money, have money out there, or make money. So, that's it.
AM: What are some differences that you see between the artist that you were before versus now? Has your creative process changed?
TT: The songwriting process now is much easier than it was in the beginning. I was younger so I didn't have a lot of perspective. I didn't have a lot of life experience, I didn't really have much to say. So, now that I'm older, it just comes easier. There's like unlimited quotes and stories that I have now. I don't sit there and struggle with verses. I just did a remix for iNTeLL, he's one of the legendary Wu Tang members’ sons. He sent me the beat. From the time he sent me the beat, to the time I was finished with the record and sent it back to him, was literally like two hours. I create very fast because it just becomes much more natural now. Also, in some capacity, I have found my sound. I know what I want to sound like. I don't ever second guess the natural creativity that comes out the way. I say it the way I say it, and that's very much my process now compared to when I was first starting.
AM: Now that you've evolved as an artist, do you have any advice for someone that's starting out in the music industry?
Be self-aware. Self-awareness is a big thing. What I've noticed is that some artists think that they're special and that they're something that the world needs and it's been missing. You need to really focus on the passion for the music. Don't just love what the music can bring to you. People are intoxicated with the lifestyle and not the art of it. They're not in it for the reasons that I'm in it for. This started off as being a therapeutic thing. I was able to deal with my own shit that I had going on in my life and I would put it down on paper. That was my way of getting out and dealing with things. A lot of these young artists today just fall in love with what music can do for them. And it's not about what they can do for music or what they can do for the culture, so the music is really watered down. So advice for artists is if you're not in it for the right reasons, then don't do it. Be self-aware.
AM: What are your goals for your music?
TT: Just like everybody else, I want to be at the top. I just want to be seen as elite, like top tier. The most important to me is the recognition, and then respect more-so from the top tier players. I want them to know who I am, I want them to fear. My pain and I want to be respected. Just being recognized as a top tier songwriter, or just a rapper.
“Badfellas” album cover featuring The Truth (left) and Frank B. (right)
AM: Do you have any future projects coming up?
TT: I do! I have a solo album ready, just can't release it right now. We just remixed “Funny How.” Mr. Fab from the Bay Area, just remixed “My Cousin.” So we have those two that are going to come out. We have “Paint Houses” video is almost ready. It's probably going to drop at the end of the week. Got three more videos shoot. And then I said my solo project is just on hold because I'm letting “Badfellas” run its course. I don't want to drop more music when my last project is still on fire. It's probably going to carry to the end of the year, and then sometime in February or March I'll drop the solo project. Got a show at SOBs with Da Inphamus Amadeuz and Shade45 [Radio Station]. It's all the top tier artists, new artists on the come-up, and I'm proud to be on that roster. We have a show at Sony hall with Slick Rick at the end of September. At the end of October I have a big show, Roc Nation tour with Benny the Butcher. And then we just try to line up some more big shows, and really introduce myself to the industry and to the culture of hip hop.
Follow The Truth:
https://linktr.ee/Thetruthstaten
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