FEATURE:Tru Life:Tru Hollywood Stories Pt.2

[Click here to read Tru Hollywood Stories Pt. 1]

XXL: Ok, so speaking of being gone, a while back you said you punched Cam’ron in the face. He’s not really around right now but the Dips are still moving. Did that really happen and what’s your status with them ?

Tru: As far as the whole Cam thing, I’m gonna plead the fifth on that. Shout out to Cam actually. I ain’t trippin on none of that shit right now. As far as the Diplomats, the rest of them, Jim Jones or whatever, I’m not thinking about them either. I’m on some new shit. Happy Tru year to all the haters. I don’t know what our situation is between me and Jim, I ain’t seen him, he ain’t seen me. But I’m just doing me.

XXL: So I know you’re still Rocafella…..

Tru: Yea, it’s still the Roc. I been hearing shit in the streets about how other niggas that were on Rocafella feel [about Jay] but that don’t have nothing to do with me or my situation. I know me and Hov are still good.

XXL: When the split happened everybody took sides and obviously you sided with Jigga. How’s your relationship with Dame nowadays ?

Tru: I didn’t choose a side because to be honest, I don’t really know Dame at all. I don’t got no problem with him because I don’t know him. I’m not the type to take shots at somebody that I don’t know. I don’t know Dame like that.

XXL: Ok. You left Def Jam even before Jay-Z did. Did you feel like that wasn’t the place for an artist like you with such a heavy street following ?

Tru: Yea man. I didn’t wanna do that corny shit. I’d rather not come out than be a corny nigga like the rest of them. If you sit in the studio all day and think like ‘I need a record for the radio, I need a record for the radio’ all day…I ain’t gon lie to you, I did that at one point. When I was on Def Jam I felt like my back was against the wall. Like I felt like I had the streets on fire but them niggas [at the label] wasn’t listening to me. On the policy side, they didn’t wanna listen. Like, I know what the people want. I’m a young nigga with swag…I’m from Swagaria ! I’m fuckin Swagarian my nig! These young niggas relate to me.

XXL: But rap is a competitive contact sport. How do you know you still got what it takes ? You can’t just walk away from the NBA for a whole season and expect to be right back in top condition, that’s hard…

Tru: But like, who’s the bummest team in the NBA right now, like the Bobcats or something. There’s no Kobe’s, he just broke out. Shaq is still in the game but he got bad knees. There’s a few big name niggas around but they bummed or washed up. There’s no competition, you don’t even wanna get up. It’s sorta like that. Like, who’s the competition? Who am I going up against? Who’s making quality music right now? Who’s more than just one record? It’s like womp, womp, womp.

XXL: You’ve spoken about your growth and change in attitude. What’s been the biggest thing you’ve learned since you stepped out of the limelight ?

Tru: Learning how to swallow my pride, cause it’ll kill me. My mother taught me that. I just learned to swallow my pride and be easy sometimes. Rome wasn’t built in a day and I cant kill everybody. I’ve just grown, I’m in another space. I’m in a good space physically, spiritually, I feel like I’m five years younger than I am. I thank Allah for that. I’m not even carrying that type of energy with me right now. I’m not on the [beef] shit no more. I’m not here to go full throttle on a nigga and just ruin him. People think that’s cool nowadays. To just ruin this nigga life and just take this nigga out the game. Just chop a nigga head off. It’s almost like [the movie] “Gladiator” when the dude had beat the guy already but the crowd was yelling “kill him”. They wanted blood and its like [the people] want blood. I’m not on that. I’m in the cut. I’m not trying to out-gangsta everybody. I’m just doing me. – Anthony Roberts