Tone Trump Interview

My Top 3

From Issue 6 of Foundation Magazine. Words and photo by me. Subscribe here.

Turn on the radio nowadays and there isn’t much that challenges the listener. It seems that most genres of music have suffered a gradual process of dumbing-down as mass media becomes increasingly consolidated in fewer corporate entities.

Given the quality of some of the songs that have become hits in the past two years, it isn’t difficult to think that you or I could write these simple verses and inane hooks. That’s how Tone Trump looks at the rap game today, but he’s not saying that his goal is to write the next mindless radio/YouTube hit; he’s interested in presenting something different.

Rap is so easy now. When I was younger, you had Nas and these dudes. Jay-Z when he was good, Biggie and Big L, dudes like that. You didn’t think it was easy to become a rapper. Now when you got this bullshit coming out now, you’re sitting at home thinking I could write this. You didn’t think you could write It Was Written. You didn’t think you could write what Raekwon was saying. Tone speaks about these legends of 90s rap and their contributions with respect. These are real works of lyrical agility that he’s referencing, and their implications isn’t lost on him.

I’m trying to make it cool again to play with your wordplay, to be versatile, to talk about different things. From songs about jewelry to songs about poverty, Trump tries to explore diverse topics and the territory in between. This can be a difficult task to undertake in a time when the fewer words and syllables you use, the more likely it seems you may be to be posted on the Billboard charts. However, when you are about something, it seems preposterous to switch your style up just to cater to a temporary fad. And Tone Trump is definitely about something.

I was raised right, and my mother always taught me about giving back. Clothing drives, performances in prisons and schools, and participation in outreach programs have resulted in a lot of positive press for Trump in Philadelphia. City youth play a big part in what he seeks to do to help the community. To me, giving back effects people way more than something you can ever do with a mixtape or a freestyle.

Even with a mind to the community, there is another side to Tone Trump that you can hear in his music. Call it reality rap, call it street rap, call it whatever you want, Trump’s got the ability to spit gritty flows over sick beats. That much is undeniable. Like most other things in life, the music is all about the balance, and there is still a very clear demarcation between glorification and reality. The glorification just pushes the problems more and more into the realm of cool, and it almost begs imitation. The reality style that Trump lays claim to attempts to tell all sides of the story, and the people who are intelligent enough to see it can connect with with.

Yeah, its fun to wear jewelry, but I’m also gonna talk about that you have these haters out here who will blow your head off for wearing this jewelry. I’m gonna give you every side of it. You can talk about how you were selling drugs and getting girls, but I’m also gonna talk about how you lost them girls when you were sitting in that cell for nine months for doing that dumb shit.

Big things are on the horizon for Tone Trump. An affiliation with G-Unit Philly will help to cement his standing. He’s got a new single and ring tone on iTunes called Get Money, Get Fly produced by Sarom. His Top Notch Inc. and Team Trump are two additional vehicles that carry him closer and closer to great successes. He’s also had a slew of mixtapes recently, and a number coming out this year. He’s a supporter of the DJs too. Shout out to DJ D1, DJ Amir, DJ E Stacks, DJ NY CEO, DJ White Owl, DJ No Phrillz, DJ Corona and Young Bob.