In hip-hop, every few years a rare voice emerges from a regional scene that carries so much weight that it cant be denied. While the young up and comers flourish on MTV for all the world to see, theres 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, theres 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 its south side streets. Among other notable distinctions, hes a member of the Screwed Up Click and the ABN Gang. Since his first appearance on wax, on his cousin Z-ros 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 didnt 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 Id 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, Traes 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 wont 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 aint the type to go talk about our problems to nobody so thats what make us good at what we do in this music shit. We go through shit on a day to day basis. Thats why we have so much shit to talk about. Thats why Im glad we go through shit. I hate that it be how we go through it but its good that we do go through it because without that, shit, what would we have? Shit, my brother Dinky doing three life sentences, I cant be there. I dont even want him there. I gotta do this for him and for me and my whole family.The tales of reality dont 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 wasnt even our fault, he explains, it was the fact that motherfuckers up there on drugs trippin with theyself and cant handle they drugs and wanna get buck. Im 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, Im talking about literally where its like warfare. We come out our house they itching to come get us. We aint in no fairy tale shit. Im gonna be consistent till they put me in my grave and hopefully when they put me in my grave its 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. But its his forthcoming release Restless that has had the streets buzzing for the past year. Restless is a collection of some of Traes strongest works to date. While there were rumors in the streets of Trae signing a deal with Universal, the real deal is Trae kept things right at home and recently inked a distribution deal with Rap-A-Lot Records.In the meantime, while going through the process of finally getting a major deal, Trae has stayed busy working with everyone from Paul Wall to Kool G. Rap to The Game. But its his current single with Screwed Up Click members Hawk and the late Fat Pat, Swang that is currently putting him over the top. Swang is a heartfelt tribute to everything that made H-Town what it is.Its only right for me to bring my culture and my team. Trae will always ride for his people. Swang, that was a term Screwed Up Click used period. Thats just our shit. Pat is a legend man and with me and Hawk around he aint never gonna fade away. And then Screw, I aint gonna let that shit fade away. I brought that shit back because I felt my first impact needed to be what I represent and who the fuck they need to be respecting right now because this man paved the way for everybody.And thats real. The road paved by Screw may be getting trampled by newcomers with pop aspirations, but if you really dig deep into the core of Houston, youll see that artists like Trae, the Rap-A-Lot Family, Screwed Up Click and the ABN Gang are really what keeps this independent minded city thriving. When everyone else fades away, there will still be the foundation. And Trae is one of the strongest and most unique bricks in that mug.Yeah Im away from the pack. Trae states in closing. People gotta understand that Im the black sheep of the pack. But also the fact that Im the truth. Everything I say is true, nothing is falsified. Youre gonna see a lot of real shit coming from me. I aint here to be friendly with nobody. I aint here really to kick up no dust. It just is what it is, the truth. Im bringing to the game the realness, no fabricated shit. No ridin nobodys dick cuz they hot. I did my own thing. I made my own way.