There is no greater feeling than feeling that you have finally arrived. Ask Truth if she thinks she has arrived, and she will have a story of growth and inspiration to tell. After finally discovering certain elements she had yet to find, Truth is ready to throw her trump card on the table and cash in on the all the chips.
Not only is she preparing to release her highly anticipated sophomore project, Ready Now, she is set to show the critics that music flows within her soul. When she last checked in with Allhiphop.com Alternatives, this album was only an embryo in its beginning stages. Now, the album is in its third trimester and ready to be birthed. Do you want to know where the real Truth lies? Read on and find out for yourself.
Allhiphop.com Alternatives: I have not heard anything from you since the last time we talked. What has been going on and how is the record coming along?
Truth: I’m just promoting the record. Getting into set mode, which is definitely a stressful mode.
AHHA: Has anything transpired differently or is everything on track as it should be?
Truth: Everything is pretty much on track. The last time we talked, I had just finished up. I got it mastered and ready to be released. I did the video and everything that is required for promotion points. I’m actually getting ready to go on the road on June 7th.
AHHA: I assume you put together the concepts and the thought behind the album?
Truth: The concept is pretty much the new me. This is a little different from my first record. You can definitely hear the growth. It’s a metamorphosis, that’s for sure. I stand out amongst the tracks now. You know, it’s just a refresher. (laughs)
AHHA: A refresher course, huh? It is necessary to bring out the other side. Everyone has to grow as they put out more records.
Truth: You constantly have to reinvent yourself or the fans get bored.
AHHA: Were you able to scoop up Dr. Dre for a couple of tracks?
Truth: We didn’t get a chance to get together. We tried to make it happen, but it just did not happen. We spoke a few times about it, but his schedule didn’t comply with my release date. I did my record in like four months.
AHHA: Who was able to step up and get name recognition on the production side of things?
Truth: Battlecat, Raphael Saadiq, this new cat under Raphael named Kelvin Wooten, this kid named Alonzo Jackson, and the Wilson brothers [the sons of The Gap Band’s Charlie Wilson]. I wanted a refreshing sound, so I got a few new producers. They are not new to the game, but as far as the whole name thing, you don’t really know them yet – but you will.
AHHA: Along with the growth that we were discussing earlier, was there anything else you aimed to bring forth this time around?
Truth: My musical side. I definitely got to show a little bit of my musicianship on this album. What I mean by that is I did a little co-production, I felt like I was in there, I fitted what I wanted and I let producers know direction sometimes. I really got in there and got in on the music. This time around, you can hear the marriage. There’s a lot on there for the ladies and it’s sexy for the men.
AHHA: On average, how many songs do you create before you pick the final cuts for the album?
Truth: It’s totally different from the first album. On the first album, I did 55 songs. This time around, I did about 20 or 21 songs. The difference is the first time around, I was a brand new artist and I had to find myself a little bit. The sound had to be discovered. This time around, I was more familiar with what the sound should be. Now, it’s more based on quality instead of quantity.
AHHA: With the creative control you had on this album, did you find that the marriage between Hip-Hop and R&B sometimes does not work?
Truth: The world of R&B ain’t ready for those hard beats. The people that love R&B just love R&B – they ain’t trying to hear all that mixed up. Lauryn Hill was a success mixing up R&B and Hip-Hop – but you can only do it lightly.
AHHA: Do you feel that R&B is at a low point due to the introduction of less instrumentation and more synthesized drum beats?
Truth: Yeah I do. Someone needs to dial Emergency 911!
AHHA: [laughs]
Truth: Individuality and great music is missing right now. Neo-Soul is taking over. I don’t like the term “Neo-Soul” because soul comes from way back. Neo-Soul is just R&B, but it’s a little organic. People like Jill Scott are always going to be cool because they still add an element of the streets. Right now, it’s all about the streets. I would say that it’s because of the time period we’re in that it’s all about the streets. We are in a hard time, and people want to hear truth. They want to hear the gutter and they want to hear the real. Any kind of typical R&B is going to get lost in the sauce because people can’t vouch for that.
