Classmates called him “Truth” during his poetry slam days at Cheltenham High School. When he began to rap, emerging artist Due Truth added the “Due” to his nickname to reflect his passion to restore hip-hop to its golden days, a feat he says is due.
Due Truth, otherwise known as Marcus Anderson, said his music represents “intelligence in entertainment,” a realization of his aim to challenge listeners through his lyrics while laying down a dance-worthy beat.
“It’s what they’ve been hearing — they just haven’t heard it. It’s where the hip-hop should be. It takes you right back to your ’95s, your ’96s, your ’97s, you know, when everything was all good and the people who were best at their craft were the ones who made it,” he said.
“It wasn’t about what you wore, what your swag was and all that … it was about the feelings you could convey with your music.”
The Glenside resident’s premier album, “Evolution,” is set to hit stores Nov. 27, and he will make an appearance at Hibbert’s INC in Glenside on Friday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m., to help promote his album.
The tracks on “Evolution,” with its single “Fresh to Death,” are reminiscent of some of the more progressive rappers, like Common, but at the same time, he said it has the same entertainment value of artists Jay-Z or Nas.
The album is his personal attempt to help hip-hop evolve to the next step because “if it didn’t evolve, then it would just die, and I don’t believe hip-hop is dead at all,” he said.
“My inspiration for the album is actually how hip-hop is right now. It’s far from what I remember it being in the late ’80s going into the ’90s-era hip-hop. It seems as though it’s greatly misdirected. And the focus has gotten out of having real skill or real rapping prowess,” he said.
“Evolution” is about being lost and misdirected; it’s also about looking at common experiences through the lens of lessons learned in the past, and its lyrics offer recourse instead of complaints, he said.
Musically, the album borrows from jazz, which is perhaps most evident in the flute track for “Go, ” a song about the desire to get away for a moment when life gets tough.
There’s a history behind this influence. When Due Truth began rapping, he used to freestyle during jam sessions with a jazz band.
He also values harmony and incorporates it into his music.
He wasn’t always so focused on hip-hop — it’s something he fell into.
Due Truth was born in Roxborough and moved to Montgomery County when he was 11 years old.
The 2006 Cheltenham High School graduate started out doing spoken word competitions in high school. He won a poetry contest during his senior year.
“Doing spoken word is definitely where it’s all rooted. I never really grew up wanting to be a rapper. I got really good at spoken word and I just found my way into it,” he said.
He hopes to use this album as a springboard to more opportunities. Once the album comes out, he’s hoping to do some shows, get a tour together and release a second album in the future.
Due Truth’s music is online at www.facebook.com/duetruth2009 and at www.reverbnation.com/duetruth.
