Let me just say, this was not easy to write. Not because I couldn't find anything to say about TruthCity but because there is so much to say about him & his ascension. He is one of my favorite artist and with his vast amount of accomplishments it was hard to embody all of his work into one article without diminishing his legacy. So, I Decided that I would specifically talk about his involvement in the community and what gritty, real and honest experiences motivated him to follow this path of Altruism.
Ronald Evans who goes by TruthCity and his mother moved from house to house in his early childhood, sometimes sleeping in a car and other times abandoned buildings. During these difficult times, his mother continued to study and pushed him to do the same. Ronald began to read stories by Maya Angelou, as well as biographies of black leaders and Donald Goines. He sheltered himself from the growing violence in his surrounding environment to avoid putting his mother through anguish. He did this by staying to himself and spending his time writing poetry. When he was about 10 his mother married for the second time, joined the military and moved to Germany.
After 4 years they finally moved to Virginia, which he felt was finally a place to call home. After buying a house, still in a tense area, he continued to stay to himself. In his room or the garage, he spent time playing music and rapping. Soon people in the neighborhood began to come by the garage to hear him rap. In high school he became known as a dope rapper the area. Opening for Boyz II Men, Lil Wayne and doing shows including BET's 106 & Park.
Some time After graduating high school, things got bad. His mother got stationed in Korea & his stepfather started cheating, barely buying food for him and only caring for his little sister. With a poor first attempt at getting involved in criminal activity in order to survive, he called up a friend in New York and asked to come live there. When he got off the bus in New York, there was no answer on his phone. He took refuge in the back of this restaurant on Vanderbilt and Fulton. From then on he went through a lot of back and forth sleeping on artist's couches and working menial jobs. He rapped everywhere he went and the reactions gave him the confidence to make the decision to stop working with unreliable people and get two jobs. He eventually took over the rent of a friends place and funded his first album.
Years after his first album, TruthCity released his sophomoric project "While You Were Sleeping" & has begun giving back to the community. His most successful and transformative community venture has been The Artist Kickback events. The Artist Kickback events are a networking mixer and education program that look to give aspiring producers, studio owners, engineers and many others the opportunity to learn from the best, while also providing low cost resources. Every second Monday of the month TruthCity and his team gather 6 studio and technology professionals together for a night of workshops, discussion panels, demonstrations and more extremely useful tools for growth and success. Join The Artist Kickback list of artists, filmmakers, comedians, business owners and more by signing up on their website. You can also sign up to have your business reviewed for membership and to attend workshops, private events, panels, and even co-working spaces! MEMBERSHIP IS FREE.
With partnership and sponsorship from organizations like Taco Bell, Help USA, Hot 97, The Grind, Voodoo Lounge Underground, Chips Soup Kitchen and Womens Shelter, Services for The UnderServed, Sketch!Bravo, Purple Steel Productions, Distro and the involvement of many underground artist & studio / tech experts you are undoubtedly going to want to attend one of the next Artist Kickback events. If you click here, you will be led to our Exclusive page, where you can find The Artist Kickback event registration. TruthCity has been through a lot to bring the community this gift, your involvement will help it thrive and reach many more who need it. Whether you want to teach or learn you should get involved in The Artist Kickback.
Look for future articles about Hookz Murdock's "The Adventures of..", Bryan Joons highly anticipated album release & JenniFair's new "Pickup Lines" video.