28 Tracks scheinen auf der Trae zu sein
In hip-hop, every few years a rare voice emerges from a regional scene that carries so much weight that it can’t be denied. While the young up and comers flourish on MTV for all the world to see, there’s always an underground champion who represents the real pulse of his city, sometimes deeper and more intensely than some want to hear. As artists like Mike Jones, Paul Wall and Slim Thug paint Houston as a city of diamond waterfalls and never ending Bentley dealerships, there’s one rapper who is determined to give the world a real picture of his H-Town streets.
Trae grew up in Houston, Texas. Born and raised a product of it’s south side streets. Among other notable distinctions, he’s a member of the Screwed Up Click and the ABN Gang. Since his first appearance on wax, on his cousin Z-ro’s debut CD, Look What You Did To Me, to this moment today, Trae has been one of the most consistently lyrical, street reporters this region has ever known.
His first official release hit the world in 1999, the classic Guerilla Maab album, Rise. Rise helped set the tone for a whole resurgence in Houston. Back then, Trae, Zro and Dougie D were all about 16 or 17 years old, and their youthful fire showed through on every track. Theirs was a new sound for Houston, harder, more aggressive, yet also smarter and more focused than many who came before them. Not since the Geto Boys released their classic Grip It On That Other Level, ten years earlier, had the city heard such genuinely heartfelt angst.
Rise was recorded and released just after Trae returned from a short stint in jail. That experience taught him to focus on his music, but still he remained in the streets. “I caught an aggravated robbery case by being young and crazy.” Trae remembers, “I was on the streets. It was a blessing. I didn’t do nothing but probably some weeks in jail, but I was on paper for like two years for aggravated robbery. They tried to give me close to 40 years. But it was a blessing man, the DA knew my lawyer and they felt they could give me another chance for me to not mess my life off. Cuz I had been doing music, so I was already known for that. They ended up doing that to where I only got two years deferred, but if I had messed up on that deferred probation then I’d have did the max that I could do on that case.”
That forced focus of sorts has paid off for Trae. From his world famous SLAB mixtapes, to his regional solo releases, Trae’s name is known in Texas as one of the realest to ever spit. His raw emotion and true tales of the ills of the streets are rare in rap today. On a Trae album you won’t find the endless barrage of bling bling. But you will hear some of the most heartfelt tales of woe and fury ever recorded.
“People always wonder why we be so serious,” Trae reflects, “and I sit back and let ‘em know, we keep a lot of shit we go through inside our chests. We ain’t the type to go talk about our problems to nobody so that’s what make us good at what we do in this music shit. We go through shit on a day to day basis. That’s why we have so much shit to talk about. That’s why I’m glad we go through shit. I hate that it be how we go through it but it’s good that we do go through it because without that, shit, what would we have? Shit, my brother Dinky doing three life sentences, I can’t be there. I don’t even want him there. I gotta do this for him and for me and my whole family.”
The tales of reality don’t come from hearsay or his imagination either. Trae is the rare rapper who really lives the street life every day. Whether he wants it or not, it is a part of him. “Last year I ended up catching a bullshit case being in a shootout that wasn’t even our fault,” he explains, “it was the fact that motherfuckers up there on drugs trippin’ with theyself and can’t handle they drugs and wanna get buck. I’m going through so much bullshit, like I was going through a case between our whole ABN family against a whole certain precinct police station. Not no one policeman, I’m talking about literally where it’s like warfare. We come out our house they itching to come get us. We ain’t in no fairy tale shit. I’m gonna be consistent till they put me in my grave and hopefully when they put me in my grave it’s still gonna be consistent.”
His solo albums, Losing Composure, Same Thing Different Day, Drama, Return of the Streets, Say Hello to the Asshole and Later Dayz are all regarded as classics.
Tha Truth Show follows in line in regards to past releases featuring the street anthems that have become one in one with the name TRAE.
1. Introduction
2. Bitches Aint Shit Ft Boss
3. Word from Sponsers Ft Mad Linx, Doggman
4. Itz On
5. Commercial Break Ft Mad Linx -Rick Ross
6. Pushin
7. Couple Grand Ft Yung Joc,Boss & Jayton
8. Word from Sponsors Ft TI & Young Noble
9. Swang (Remix) Ft Pokey,Pimp C,Slim Thug, Jim Jones, Mike Jones, Hawk, Bun B, Paul Wall ,Fat Pat
10. Hard 2 Smile Ft Styles P
11. Trae Tha Truth Show
12. Trae and Grey
13. I Do It 4 Tha Gangstas Ft C-BO & Yukmouth
14. White Bricks Ft Boss
15. Word from Sponsors Ft Big Tigger
16. Ghetto Life Ft Black Buddafly
17. Bad Ass Lil Bam
18. Where My Money
19. Its Aight Bitch Ft Dallas
20. Slap A Nigga
21. Grew Up a Screw Up
22. Yung Chris
23. Coast 2 Coast Ft Diamond
24. Southwest
25. Clip
26. Dem Jayz Ft Six Tre
27. Mad Linx Outro
28. Aint Nothing Changed
Trae Ft Six Tre G - Dem Jayz