This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we welcome Tru Life to the Upper West Side for one of the realest, most harrowing, most compelling and inspiring conversations we've ever had. Tru details his tough early years in New York City's Lower East Side, how he decided school wasn't for him, how music led to recording sessions at Mark and Donnie Wahlberg's studio, connecting with Snoop Dogg, and how Ving Rhames looked out strictly because he believed in Tru Life's talents. We discuss the DVD era and how the drama undermined an artist's talents, how Sickamore brought out the best in Tru's abilities, how Green Lantern called up Jay-Z and convinced him to not fly out of town and instead take a meeting with Tru Life, how Jay refused to let Tru leave the office until he signed a deal with Roc La Familia, and how Cipha Sounds started off as Tru's A&R, but became as close as blood brothers. Tru gets into his time away, the weight of facing a life sentence, figuring out whether loyalty and codes really meant anything, the tears he shed over not seeing his kids grow up, why he dedicated himself to his studies, and what ultimately got him through his eight years behind bars. We get into the realities of going from the system to freedom, how he wasn't ready for the trappings of the music industry upon his release, how he's grown over the past two years, moving to the suburbs, and what he's bringing to the table with his new music. All that, plus stories about Jay, Beyonce, TI, Future, Bobby Shmurda, Tory Lanez, Jim Jones, the inmates who broke out of Clinton Correctional Facility while he was there, and so much more!
what i got from this is theres a mixture of guilt from things he's done in past weighing on him plus relief that he's out of jail and has another chance. felt like he's got a sort of a "born again" thing going on.
Tru's really had so many people in his corner over the years.
his first time he recorded was where the New Kids On The Block recorded.
lmao at Donnie Whalberg staying in the projects...shout out Danny Reagan.
no in depth talking about the Mobb Deep, Jim Jones/Cam situations.
stressed he didn't want to talk about the situations where all his notoriety comes from.
felt like the negative energy of beefing at that time brought trouble no matter where because he was performing songs dissing others so wherever they went there was fighting, shooting, stabbings off of it. for instance..the first night of him supporting Rick Ross in Chicago on a club tour, there was a riot and he got a scar from getting hit with a bottle.
talked about when he was in jail he lost 30 pounds, used to bite his arms to feel pain because he'd rather feel the psychical pain of that than deal with the mental thoughts of waiting to know if he was going to be doing life for a crime he says he didn't do. his mother sending him certain spiritual books helped and it led him to bible studies etc
called his album Walking on Water to prove Gods working.
said no rapper had to deal with what he had to when coming out of jail.
wasn't ready to go straight back into the industry when he got out...anxiety related.
surprised they didn't call his bluff and ask if that song w/ Jay and Nas was real.
