Houston, Texas emcee Trae Tha Truth caught up with HipHopDX in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Raw boutique (5th & South Streets) recently. In part one of our video interview, Trae touched upon his bond with Lupe Fiasco and last month’s retail mixtape Can’t Ban Tha Truth. In part two, Trae spoke to us about visiting Lil Wayne on Rikers Island, keeping it real in words and in deed, and what 2010 automobile is really impressing him.
“I feel I’m ahead of the game a lot, as far as music-wise, ’cause these songs on [Can’t Ban Tha Truth are just songs that did not require much effort],” Trae said. “I had a lot of stuff built up [as a result of me] going through the [KBXX radio ban], and I just wanted to let loose.” Although the songs came from a surplus of creativity, Trae insists that they meet his high standards for quality. “The crazy thing is… I’m a hard critic. I’d be in the hood, three, four in the morning, posted up [by the car stereo, asking people their thoughts]. They’d be like, ‘This is some of the hardest shit, ever…this shit is harder than niggas’ albums.'”
Looking at rappers such as Uncle Luke and 2 Live Crew‘s First Amendment challenges in the late 1980s, and rapper C-Bo being tried with his lyrics used as evidence, Trae was asked if this radio ban places him in a rich lineage of emcee martyrs. Citing lyrics from “Don’t Pay Off,” which appeared on Trae’s The Beginning album, the rapper conveyed that while real recognize real, most hard earned points don’t pay off in the traditional sense. “A lot of stuff that people would consider real is fake, and a lot of stuff that we would consider fake, they consider real right now.” Looking at his songs and the ensuing ban, Trae refers back to A Few Good Men‘s famous Jack Nicholson line when he says, “When people say ‘you can’t handle the truth,’ that’s some of the realest shit ever.”
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When the interview was conducted in late September, Trae also noted that he had visited friend and collaborator Lil Wayne on Rikers Island. “I’ve most definitely have been a supporter, just like he’s a supporter of me.” Trae revealed that Lil Wayne had commended him on his recent work, while the rapper was incarcerated from early this year to late last week.
Lastly, the maker of the Restless single “Cadillac” was asked about his favorite 2010 automobile, as the season came to a close. True to form, Trae noted that the Cadillac CTS Coupe is currently the apple of his eye. “It reminds me of the [Dodge] Challenger and the [Chevrolet] Camaro, so I’ve got the Challenger, so I’m going for [the Cadillac CTS coupe] now.”
