“Recorded over the course of a day” can be a scary thought when it comes to concept albums. Either it’ll be amazing and it’ll make you think about the artist in question’s headspace or it’ll be a jumbled mess. In True God’s case, the DAR Elite General’s takes Rhoda’s Guidance to produce 12 tracks of DIY rap that’s as intimate as it is wide-reaching. It’s a project that puts listeners in a somewhat confusing–but incredibly reflective–period of True’s life. He uses what his mother’s taught him to prosper, but he sometimes takes those lessons and sits on them, wondering about the what ifs. It’s those what ifs that make this album’s closing that much sweeter, as it takes one of his greatest what ifs (“what if I had more time with my daughter”) and actualizes and manifests it into being.
Over the years, a lot has been said about my brother by a variety of people. Some of it true, some of it hearsay. But the fact remains this: he’s an amazing father and everything he does, he does it with the intent of bettering his daughter’s life through his presence and existence. That’s one of the biggest takeaways for me from this project: he’s still grieving the loss of his mother, but his daughter keeps him sane and keeps him grounded. He’s experiencing highs with streams and listeners now. However, he never gets the chance to lose sight of what’s important to him. This, from where I stand, seems to be more because of what his mother instilled into him as a young boy and what his daughter means to him currently.
Sure, you could say “oh yeah, Elite helped with that” but you’d be wrong in some ways. I mean that, it’s more than just music for True. These musical therapy sessions help keep the brother sane and able to push forward in even the darkest of storms. We’ve had discussions about his mental and he’s stated that, without voicing his frustrations, his fears, his disdains and even his successes in life, he’d be a much different person than the True God we see on a regular basis on social media and just in our day to day lives.
Life changes and, sometimes, you have to change with it. However, it’s what you do afterwards that makes your legacy either shine or falter under pressure. Check out the project above and remember to support dope music in all its forms.
