OnTheComeUp: TruFam Interview

Tru fam Rebound master by sharneal30
Many duo's have came together and disbanded in the music industry. But something tells me this Hip Hop/Pop duo called TruFam (Sha & Just I), from New Jersey, will not suffer that same fate; seeing it as how they are twin brothers.
They had the pleasure of being on the Summer's 17th annual "Vans Warped Tour 2011" with acts such as Gym Class Heroes and Against Me!. TruFam fused the sounds of Hip Hop and Pop music tighter than their DNA* (go back to biology class to understand the joke). Their debut album is called "Outta Dis World" and it can be purchased here. Learn about their roots and how they turned their dreams into a reality in the interview below.


What was your childhood like in New Jersey?
Justi - Our childhood in New Jersey was pretty tough we grew up in one of the toughest parts in New Jersey ..We grew up in Paterson Nj but i enjoyed every bit of it ..We were really into sports and music ..So we would always play football and basketball and have music on listen to Bad Boy in the 90' s .. We are around a lot of negative things but our moms kept us grounded and we stayed out of trouble .. So we had a really good childhood i guess you can say ...


Who are your Hip Hop influences?
Justi- My hip hop influence is Kanye West and Kid Cudi
Sha -Agrees


When and what made you two start rapping?
Sha-Just starting of from an Early age acting and getting so much attention of being a twin ...Connecting with the Love of Music ,really just pushed into that direction...Once we tried it out and found that we were pretty good at it... Nothing else we rather do....


How does it feel to be in the small exclusive club of Hip Hop twin duo?
Sha-Pretty Amazing to know that Music is all across the Globe and that their is no Commercial set of twins out in the Music Industry ..All this does is Let us know that we are destined for greatness.....This our time to shine..


How would two you describe your style of rapping?
Sha -I would describe our style of being a Commercial style..Not really Hip Hop..It consists of Pop and us taking chances to be different and give the audience a realistic part of our life and what we live on the daily basis..


When you two work together, how does that process go about?
Justi - Well a producer will email us a track that they think will fit our style, well sit down with the track and think of a theme or a situation that we can make from the song ..We like to always do that because it makes whatever the song is about a more believable .Then we try to come up with the hook . It has to be as catchy as possible and then we go to our verses . Well go over the song hours before we even go into the studio that way were comfortable with the song . Before we record the song we actually perform it because our method is if we can't perform the song we cant record it .(lol i just told you our secret to success)


How did you two get your feet in the music industry?
Sha- Well our mom started managing us and we networked 24/7 .... The more and more ppl we met ,then the more chances we were given to show our talents..Definitely a lot of ups and downs ..Not easy ..but all worth it...

Now usually rappers focus on making their music sound like rap, what made you two decide to make music geared towards the Hip Hop and Pop sound?
Justi - Yea we love commercial music ..All our life we loved hip hop music as well as pop music so it just came natural to us ..I like the blend of our music ..You might hear us rap, you might hear us sing but it feels right when we do it ..We found our niche and its really working well for us ..


How did it feel to be on the '2011 Vans Warped Tour'?
Sha-It was great
Justi-It was amazing we never performed in front of thousands of ppl before .. It was a great experience and it was alot of fun to as well..I mean you network with people who are really making a name for themselves (shout out to Yelawolf, Travie Mcoy, and Machine Gun Kelly) who were out there ..It was something that i will never ever forget it ..It took alot of hard work getting up everyday , in crazy heat performing no matter if you were exhausted , aggravated from the 100 degree weather or sick you had to go out there and put a show on because people paid there money to see you . Also lol best part of tour was the tour bus and the girl crazy ..


What artists do you two want to work with?
Sha -Rihanna and Bruno Mars
Justi - Kid Cudi and Cee -Lo

How do you feel about the new rappers today?
Sha- No problem with it all..So diversified that  I think its great for music..No not all of it's great but not all of it's bad...Plus we still have some of the greats from the Past still making an impact in Music ..From Jay Z to Snoop Dogg or Busta Rhymes...So with all that said i  Love it!!


What is a good characteristic/habit that you both like about each other?
Sha- I like Just -I energy that he brings..From shows to recording ,to even videos ..He's always at a high level ..So it never lets us fall of ..This guy is always at an ULTRA High..lol
Justi -I like Sha's leadership and confidence .. He's always been a leader i guess cause he's the older twin so he takes the lead role and he motivates people around him .Also his confidence that he displays you either love it or hate it ..(lol sometimes i hate it ) but hes my twin brother so im use to it ..

What is a bad characteristic/habit that you dislike about each other?
Sha- Lol honestly nothing really, just that we work so hard and strive so high that we may argue from time to time..but hey most brothers do .Right?
Justi -Sometimes he might think he knows it all and that can cause us to argue lol but if he just listened to me sometimes we would be fine ...


What do you two believe you will be adding to Hip Hop?
Justi -We will be adding more authentic music to the game .. When Kanye or some of the greats speak it feels real thats what we try to do ..Im not saying we rap like them but just the passion and drive that they have we try to bring out as well..Our music is for everyone when some people think Hip Hop they automatically think they wont enjoy it but when you listen to Tru Fam trust and believe their is something that your going to like ..

What advice would you give other aspiring rappers?
Justi- See the advice im giving is not just for rappers but artist and general !! Dont just do music because you think its cool , be original , again be original ..You have to work hard and have the drive for this ..It takes time but if your a true artist you will find your niche ..The last thing is be creative because people love it when you can say that me and their is nothing like me out there (shrugs) lol thats what i say ..


Where do you guys see yourselves 10 years from now?
Sha-Ten years from now I see Number one songs already ..Whatever label were with being a Powerhouse..Also dabbing into commercials and movies since we have the talent for that as well..Our sound is unique so it's not a fad or going anywhere..We are here to stay a..Tru Fam makes music that's real to us..Any fan or music listener has to respect that.

What is the message you two want people to receive from your music?
Sha- Our music is just about having Fun and being true to who you our..Doesn't matter about race or gender..Just about enjoying Life to the fullest and making most of your situation... Positive music makes ULTRA Greatness..I'M ULTRA!!!


Contact:
Twitter: @TruFam
Facebook: Facebook.com/trufammusic
Tumblr: www.trufam.tumblr.com
Website:http://www.trufamusic.com/fr_trufam.cfm
Youtube: TruFam

TruFam-Lost My Mind