Interview: Memphis Rap Artist Tru Esco Discusses His Newly Released EP "Far From Nothing"
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“The EP’s title represents the everyday person who’s pursuing a goal or dreams and to remind them that, no matter the circumstances along the way in their journey, remember that you’re further than where you started and to keep pushing. Far From Nothing. ”
Describe for us your journey as an artist; when did you first start writing rhymes and who were some rappers that inspired you creatively?
My journey as an artist has been a long one. I’ve probably given up more times than I can count. But for some reason I always come back to music. I’ve definitely had my share of highs and lows in my pursuit of a music career, but as long as the music reaches the right people and it touches them in some kind of way, I can live with that.
I started writing rhymes at 15. My close friend and I would have CDs full of instrumentals on them and we would call each other over the phone after school before cellphones was a thing and we would be freestyling back and forth to them. And after a while I started developing my writing skills.
One of my early influences that made me want to rap was T.I. I listened to him so much early on that I literally sounded like a poor man’s version of him. I had to stop listening to him for a while to develop my own style. But even before T.I., Tupac, OutKast, Master P and No Limit, UGK, 8Ball & MJG, and Jay Z later on, were just a few others that influenced me, whenever I was around my big brother who put me on to rap and hip hop, so those artists influenced me as well. And now of course, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T and Kendrick Lamar.
Congratulations on the completion and release of your new EP "Far From Nothing"; what does the EP's title represent and what are you most proud of with the project?
Thank you! The EP’s title represents the everyday person who’s pursuing a goal or dreams and to remind them that, no matter the circumstances along the way in their journey, remember that you’re further than where you started and to keep pushing. Far From Nothing.
I’m most proud of the fact that I was able to teach myself how to mix my own songs and the quality come out good enough for my listeners to vibe to it. S/O to the countless hours of YouTube videos of tutorials that helped me learn everything.
Tell us about your creative process for the development of the EP's nine songs. Also, how did you select the nine beats to write to?
When I started coming up with songs and concepts, I originally wanted to just release singles and videos month by month, but the more I created material, the more I felt like I was coming up with a group of songs that could go together cohesively and decided to put them together for an EP.
I would normally search online in various places for production and build relationships with up and coming producers for beats that I really liked. So for this project, I wanted to have a variety of styles of production to help bring out the best of me.
The music video for "Far From Nothing" is very dope; who directed the clip and how did you come up with the treatment?
My partner Cam Krooks directed the video for the title track “Far From Nothing”. He’s been directing and filming my videos for some years now.
We usually brainstorm treatment ideas together or he’ll have locations around the city in mind that we can film at and I’ll try to come up with a story line to match the vision we’re trying to present.
How would you describe the music scene in Memphis for emerging rap artists like yourself in 2021?
The Memphis music scene is on fire right now. There’s a lot of talent coming up and out of the city. Maybe more so mainstream than what we’ve seen in a long time.
Memphis really has a tradition of dope talent. I’m just looking to add my value and style to this thriving music scene.
With the EP and music video now released, what can we expect next from you musically?
I plan on releasing more visuals throughout the rest of the year. Just so I can really give this EP it’s proper promotion.
I’m proud of how this project turned out and the feedback it has been receiving, so I want to make sure as many people as possible hear it.
Stream and Share “Far From Nothing” on: Bandcamp | Spotify
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