DJ True Justice presents the music video for “Highway”, his new single featuring Vocab Slick and Z-Man.

Produced by HG Beats, “Highway” will appear on Stylin On You, True Justice’s forthcoming EP also featuring Casual Of Hieroglyphics. Currently releasing all projects via his Francisco St. Productions imprint, True is a veteran of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, first as a dancer for Oakland group A.P.G. (Action Packed Gangstas) before devoting to the turntables under the tutelage of A.P.G.’s DJ J-Cutt.

A dedicated show DJ, True formed the All Purpose DJs in 1996 with Lord Takim, DJ Styles, and DJ Lex, who he dropped several collaboration releases with through the late 90s, and was the resident DJ on Bay Area rapper Paris’s label Guerilla Funk. A career performer and showman, True has performed across the world, and his sets have graced stages alongside the likes of Notorious B.I.G., E-40, Above The Law, The Beatnuts, Redman and Tha Alkaholiks.

True co-founded the Slap Frost Tour with Z-Man and Vocab Slick, who recently released the music video for his single “Flying.”

 

How did you get your stage name?

My stage name is actually my real name. My full name is True Justice Allah. I know it sounds cool now but just imagine being a little kid with that name. It was no walk in the park. My father hung with the original Black Panthers in Oakland, so I am a product of those times.

You’ve had a long history in the hiphop game. You were originally a dancer. What made you decide to devote to the turntables?

Yes, it’s been a long road and I have enjoyed all of the transitions. I remember like it was yesterday. I pulled some super strings and had the drive at a young age to bring the rap group that I was in at the time( A.P.G.) to my High School for a performance during Lunchtime. These guys were on local radio( KSOL) at the time and nobody believed that I knew them, let alone that I was in the group. So, the day came and the performance will always be etched in my mind. It was 1989 and Hip Hop groups had dancers AND a DJ. As a dancer we got our time to shine during every song but our DJ (J-Cutt ) had maybe a 2-minute solo to show off his stuff. Kinda like the GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME moment in early funk/soul/rock & roll shows. So when it came time for J to do his thing, the reaction that he got from the crowd (and myself) was like nothing that I have ever seen. That was the EXACT moment I actively pursued being a DJ.

What’s the first rap song you ever heard? Describe the moment.

I am pretty sure it was “Rappers Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang. I hated the song, but I knew it was something different and wanted to hear something else but that was all that was played. I mean like all day, everyday. When I heard Run-DMC, I knew there the world had changed.

How did “Highway” come together?

I honestly think Highway came together 5 years ago, but we just didn’t know it. Now to be specific, Highway came about because Vocab Slick, Z-Man and Myself had been doing shows all over for like 4 years straight and we realized that we didn’t have a song TOGETHER. It was Vocab’s hook that really inspired to the song and we just built it around that.

What are your thoughts on the year in hiphop?
Well, to be honest, I don’t listen to a lot of new stuff. My sister is 10 years younger than me and she is an entrepreneur. She has a blog and does events. She hired me to do a party in the summertime and had all these songs that she wanted me to play. You know – New Shit that is popular. I have to say that a lot of the songs changed how I feel about keeping up on what’s going on with Rap these days. The majority of the songs were really put together great with driving beats, I just wish the subject matter was not so negative.

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