Black Activist and Artist Tru West Strives To Create A New Sound In Milwaukee
Tru West’s EP, “Gift of Gab Volume 2” is available on all streaming services. (Picture by McKinley Taylor)
As Milwaukee begins to evolve through entrepreneurship and artistry, we’re seeing more local talent be brought to the forefront. Our activists have transformed into artists, speaking our reality into their music and offering solutions through melodious rhetoric. Tru West is one of many to watch, as she marches with the movements for Black and Brown people and sings for the voices of the unheard.
As a child growing up in Milwaukee, Tru West wasn’t exposed to community activism. Despite having family ties to different community organizations, she hadn’t been introduced to different types of organizing until this past summer.
“A friend of mine invited me to this protest for George Floyd. I was nervous, I don’t know why, it was just crazy to see all those people gathered on 27th and Center,” said Tru West.
This protest became the first of many Tru West participated in. Observing the passion of the speakers and the power of the crowd, she began networking. Unbeknownst to Tru West, this created a new energy of unity amongst herself and the community, as well as a new musical inspiration.
As a Black woman and an R&B aficionado, Tru West felt a responsibility to be the voice for those whose words wouldn’t be heard.
Tru West explained, “I felt like I could talk about the typical female problems all day, but what about the real issues? And that’s how I came up with the words for my song Ten Toes.”
“From the Ashes, We Rise” is a compilation of Milwaukee artists sharing different perspectives of the City. The project was curated by Tru West. (Cover art provided by Tru West)
Released in the summer of 2020, “Ten Toes” is a forceful song that calls on the community to point out the problems and create solutions. “How many songs do you know where a Black woman is actually challenging her community and inspiring people to stand up and break these generational curses?” asked Tru West.
Although Milwaukee music has taken a positive turn, support from our city is a one of the key components to the uprising of local Milwaukee artists.
“We have to have more community members supporting these artists,” says Tru.
She also gives credit to Grammy-Nominated producer, Bizness Boi, for coming back to the city to help those who were once in his shoes.
“I feel like more people who have made it up there should intermingle with local artists,” expressed Tru West, “that would help bring spotlight to them.”
The way that Tru takes our reality and personifies it by giving it life with a melody is all too familiar in the culture of Hip hop. While wanting to create a new sound for a new generation, she still aims to be a part of the collective that brings back conscious rap. Her most recent project through a fellowship with Leaders Igniting Transformation entitled, “From the Ashes, We Rise” is an accolade to the new wave of music that will cause a major shift in the dynamic of Milwaukee music as an entity.
“It’s a collaboration EP with local Black and Brown artists. It talks about the history of Bronzeville, liberation over everything and what that looks like, and Milwaukee and what it’s like to live here,” Tru said. “There’s a song for every vibe, but you have to really pay attention to the words to understand what we’re saying. It’s like yeah, you can groove to this but it also has substance.” The project features local artists such as Tajh Virgil, Genesis Renji, GQ Scotty and more.
Currently, “From the Ashes, We Rise” is available on all streaming services, along with “Ten Toes” and more songs by Tru West.
Listen to Tru West here.
“For the Culture” is featured on From the Ashes, We Rise and the full video can be found below: