When Carson, CA high school basketball, baseball and football star Sam Hill was thinking up rapper names for himself with two friends in his mother’s living room, he chose the rap moniker “The Truf.”
He says he chose the moniker because he wanted a name with longevity, and because everything he would write on paper and everything he would record would be “the truth.”
Now after roughly ten years in the music game, Truf has a prolific catalog of songs and several high-profile collaborations with rap sensations like “KXNG Crooked,” “Freeway Rick Ross,” and “The Game.”
Truf says his music “makes you feel like when you were listening to your favorite gangster music from the ‘90s or early 2000s, but I’m not talking about killing people or selling drugs.”
What Truf says he is talking about is “getting money and hustling… in a legit fashion” with a beat that will “still break your neck when you listen to it.”
Some of Truf’s latest tracks include “Halo” and “Tik Tik Boom.” The rapper says these are his declarations to the world about who he is and where he comes from.
Where Truf comes from is the Scottsdale Town Homes in Carson, CA, and he describes this development as one of the “lowest income areas” in the city.
“People were scared to go there because there were a lot of drug dealers and gang banging, but it was a great place for me to grow up in as a kid,” said Truf. Playing sports, he says, was a big part of why he enjoyed growing up in the high-crime area.
“I love the City of Carson,” said Trug. “It made me into who I am today.”
Truf says his mother didn’t want him or his brother involved in the area’s gang culture, so she involved the two young men in sports. “Growing up in Carson has shown me the sports life and the gang banging life,” Trug said, “and I had choices of what I wanted to do with my life.”
Truf excelled in sports as a point guard in basketball, quarterback in football, and pitcher in baseball. He also shined in the tenth grade as a competitive rap freestyler.
“Sports actually led me to doing music. I started freestyling in high school with my basketball team and when I heard them doing it, I was like hey, I can do that too,” said Truf. “I started getting really good, and I said if I don’t make it in basketball, I’m going to make it as an artist.”
Truf’s dream is finally coming true with the help of some outstanding song collaborations with legends like KXNG Crooked on the track Tear It Down, written by Truf with beats by the Grammy-nominated producer Jimi Kendrixis.
Tear It Down is an anthem expressing Truf’s frustration surrounding police violence against Black people.
His track named Body is a break for Truf from the heavy messaging behind songs like Tear It Down. Body is a fun song that Truf says “will make you want to go out, party, dance and have a good time.”
“Untold Story” rapper “The Game” is featured on the track. The video was shot at The Game’s home, and Truf says they “just hit a million views on that song.”
One of Truf’s mentors in rap is the Long Beach, CA rapper KXNG Crooked. Crooked is also featured on Tear It Down.
“The one thing I learned from KXNG Crooked has been you can do whatever you want to do, and it doesn’t always have to be about money,” said Truf. “It can just be about music and reaching back and helping people, helping young artists get ahead is important.”
Other entities helping Truf progress in his journey to stardom behind the scenes include: his manager and business partner Gina Mouton; TOP Marketing Group; and TeamBombSquad, the financial backing behind Truf; two of his producers, Preech Music and Daytone 500; and his support team EMP Music Group.
Truf says he produced over “two-hundred songs” during the pandemic, and he is partnering with a brand new company to help market and distribute those records. He also has a tour starting in South Africa and a show with rapper “Twista” in San Diego, both in October.
For more information on Sam “Truf” Hill, his music, and upcoming performances, visit him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @trufcity and at www.trufcity.com.
