TruCarr is here to put Watts on the map. The “Outside” rapper describes his hometown as “the gutta,” chock-full of street s##t, violence, females, the list goes on.
The city is broken up into sections, in which everybody stayed in their own section and just turned up. Luckily, TruCarr has the luxury of being able to do his thing and move around (along with his people).
The Tru indicates his honesty and authenticity, keeping things 100 at all times. Growing up, Lil Wayne and Boosie were his biggest influences — but he can hardly name a Top 5. He listens to nobody but himself and plans to take his artistry all the way to the top.
On the day of the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, AllHipHop caught up with TruCarr (who enjoyed his own spliff) at the Kandypens House in Los Angeles.
AllHipHop: At what point did you realize this music thing was for real?
TruCarr: I started rapping after high school. But when I realized it was real… my first video shoot. Matter of fact, when I just seen the whole block pop out. Not even just the block, I seen other people from other blocks pop out too. I’m like “damn, they really out here for a n##ga. We about to go up!”
AllHipHop: How poppin’ were you then?
TruCarr: This was the beginning, just the start of it. It’s been level. After I dropped “Outside” that’s on my TruForerver mixtape, the elevation went up a little more. Because people started to see, “oh okay, you making noise noise now.” At first I was still putting in that work, but now I’m making noise. “This n##ga stamping it.”
AllHipHop: Bring us back to the studio session for “Outside.”
TruCarr: I was outside one night, tryna go see a female. No cap, it was late night. The female did not answer her phone. She told me she was gon’ be there, but she wasn’t there. After that, I came up with the part where I say “I can’t chase no b##ch, I chase goals.” I can’t put myself in those type of positions. Put yourself in a position to get somewhere. I’m chasing goals, I ain’t worried about no b##ch. I was doing some dumb s##t. “Outside” came about because everything I was doing at that moment, I just put it in the lyrics.
AllHipHop: Do you write or do you freestyle?
TruCarr: Freestyle. I freestyle everything.
Manager: Everything!
TruCarr: But I mean, there’s a point in time where a n##ga gon’ have to start writing stuff down. Got to.
AllHipHop: I think some of the biggest artists today still freestyle.
TruCarr: They do, but you still got to go back and still write all this stuff down. If you got a writer to do that, than that’s A1. But other than that…
AllHipHop: What is it about “Outside” resonates with people the most?
TruCarr: AH-AHHH! AH-AH-AHHH! You see me, be yourself. That’s how mothaf##kas feel, they feeling the vibe!
AllHipHop: Did you think it would go up like this?
TruCarr: I wasn’t really thinking about that. I went up in there like “I’m doing me.” When you do you, you being you, people gon’ feel you. I wasn’t tryna be nobody else. They’re like “alright this n##ga being himself, I f##k with the vibe.”
AllHipHop: What was it like waking up to the news of Kobe passing?
TruCarr: That s##t sick. We from LA so Kobe been here for 20 years. I’m 24. Not going to lie, I didn’t really watch basketball or any other sports because I was doing whatever I was doing, but a n##ga grew up saying “KOBE!” You about to shoot the ball and say Kobe, so that s##t hurt a lot of motherf##kers. From every race, the Philippines to black to Mexican to white, it hurt a lot of people. It hit the city hard. The city out today! They outside fasho.
AllHipHop: How was the energy at Staples Center?
TruCarr: It was good. It was good as a motherf##ker. LA outside fasho. That’s another reason. That’s more dope too to see everybody outside, and it’s for a reason. Not everybody out here doing some dumb s##t, they out here for the right reasons. LA outside, so that’s love.