At the beginning of this month, Houston, Texas emcee Trae Tha Truth visited Philadelphia fans at the newly-opened Raw boutique on 5th and South streets. The trip marked the ABN leader’s first visit to the City of Brotherly Love, and the frequent collaborator with the likes of Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco and Z-Ro was welcomed by over 100 fans lined up around the block to meet and greet the veteran rapper.

Speaking on camera inside Raw with HipHopDX, Trae reacted to the arrival party. “I feel blessed, ’cause I see the love and support. People came.” Recognizing that radio and video limit the out-of-market support an independent artist can get, an admittedly humbled Trae explained, “Today I came [to Philadelphia], and I didn’t know what it was going to be like. I was gonna be proud if it was just one or two people. As I can see, there’s a lot that know about the movement. I’m feelin’ right now [like] my awareness [in Philadelphia] is real heavy, man.”

On the heels of last month’s “Bad Don’t Seem So Wrong” , Trae also spoke about his unique relationship with Chicago emcee Lupe Fiasco. “Me and Lupe [Fiasco] rock more on just being brothers, man. That’s somebody I can call up and chop it up with, if I’m goin’ through it, or vice-versa with him. I consider him to be an uncle to my child. Even right now, he’s going through the situation he’s going through with [Lasers] not comin’ out, and he’s goin’ through somethin’ kinda similar to what I’m goin’ through [with the radio ban], so that’s why I’m 10 toes down with him.” A respected outspoken pillar of the Texas Rap community, Trae says Lupe always has his support, in any capacity. “Whatever he needs from me, regardless if it be my mouthpiece of support, regardless if it means I need to be a soldier on the front-lines, it’s 10 toes down.”

Elaborating, Trae spoke of the mutual support he feels from the 1st & 15th Records founder. “Just last week I was with Jordan Tower, from Tuesday to Friday; I shot a whole bunch of videos. I think I hit [Lupe after midnight on early Wednesday morning]. He flew out Thursday morning, did the video, and flew right back to do what he was doin’.” “That means so much more, ’cause lips can say anything.”

Trae Tha Truth’s latest retail mixtape, with Evil Empire and DJ Folk, Can’t Ban Tha Truth, released last month.

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Video Edited by Omar Burgess.