interview by yinka yomi-joseph
photography by john odebunmi
april 24, 2019
d-truce is the rising rapper and master story teller that keeps it real with relatable stories
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interview series: detailing the creative journey of young nigerian minds.
We all love a good story. But you know what’s better? When these stories are told through music. For songwriters, conveying a scenario that etches an image in the mind of listeners is a high.
I caught up with one of such acts on the Nigerian music scene called Ebuka Anyasie fondly known as D-Truce in music circles. Truce is that guy with many stories; stories about love, women, his society and the elements that make up his reality as one of the young millennials in music, while also working a 9-5 at a creative agency in Lagos.
Across the 10 tracks of his recently released debut album 2 Birds, 1 Stone and older projects like Eden (2016), he places his life at the centre of it all, as he touches on his relationships with women, his old white Mitsubishi (He’s seen standing by it on the cover art to his 2017 EP, 25 to Life), the Nigerian police, navigating through the hostile Lagos environment inevitably rounding up with how he knows he will ‘fly away’ one day. Truce loves to speak his truth.
amped: Following your departure from x3m music, how have you adapted to life as an indie artiste?
D-Truce: I guess it’s been very smooth because not a lot has changed. I’ve always been the type of artist to get down and actually do the dirty work. I feel the same because I was doing a lot of the work at x3m and now as an indie artiste, it’s pretty much the same. I like to follow through so I used to get involved, chip in when necessary and close monitor the things the label used to handle. At the end of the day it’s my project. The only difference now is I’m 100% responsible for everything.
amped: Let’s imagine I were an artiste trying to find the ropes in the industry, from your fair share of experience working with a label, what’s the one single advice you’d give me?
D-Truce: My advice to artists trying to find the ropes and hoping to work with labels is never sign a 360 because it never feels okay. This isn’t coming from place of contempt or scorn. You’re a creative, you always want to be in charge of what you do because nobody understands your vision better than you. Signing a 360 gives all that power away because the record company now owns your work, your ideas and everything you do has to be run by them, when it should ideally be the other way around. Before you sign anything with any label make sure you’ve put out a certain amount of work where you can be in the position to negotiate the deal you want and not just take whatever deal they offer you. This is basically my advice to give but most times it doesn’t always work out this way. Just make sure with whoever you’re getting into business with you know what you’re doing.
amped: What lessons did you learn from creating Eden that shaped your creative process for 2 Birds, 1 Stone?
D-Truce: The lesson I learnt from creating Eden was that you have to be at the center of the project for it to feel like you and sound like you. I worked with a bunch of producers like DJ Babus. In as much as it was different producers the project sounded like my project. Because I was on the phone with them, and in the studio I communicated what I wanted to hear so I was involved in the production. I put myself at the center of it that’s why it came out unique.
Making Eden taught me that so I applied it to making it 2 birds 1 stone. And naturally, seeing that I’m in a more matured place mentally, physically and emotionally it reflected on the album.
amped: 2 Birds, 1 Stone is a fire name, when and how did you decide to opt with the name?
D-Truce: I came up with the name 2 birds, 1 Stone in 2017 and had the cover art done at that time as well. The name came from my life, it’s part of my vocabulary. If you know me personally, I’m always an advocate for killing 2 birds with 1 stone. For example, if I’m leaving my house I’m not always going to one place or I’m going to one place to do more than one thing. It’s part of living in Lagos. Ideally you have to be efficient because there isn’t a lot of time, you spend a lot of time in traffic. It is also based on the fact that I work a day job and I make music. So the name naturally came to me.
amped: How does your new album 2 birds 1 stone differ from Eden and some of your older works?
D-Truce: 2 Birds 1 Stone is different from Eden and everything else I’ve made before now because I’m more confident in this project. Eden was the point of me reengineering my sound to music. Eden was more musical than everything before it. I was getting more involved in the composition and music creation as opposed to just hopping on beats. With 2 Birds 1 Stone, I’m more aware and more invested. I sound engineer some of my work myself, so it’s a more confident place especially with my sound.
amped: The track Oga Police off the album is a socially charged record, what’s one striking encounter you’ve had with the Nigerian police?
D-Truce: I got stopped by the police some time ago and they accused of me of stealing my car. It was quite fascinating because I showed them my driver’s license and ownership papers but they insisted the car was stolen. One of the police men even told me I looked like a suspect because of my beard. [laughs]
amped: Speaking about your reality, your struggles and all of that, basically putting your life out there in your music, does it ever get awkward sharing or writing some of these lyrics?
D-Truce: Not at all because at the end of the day we are all human beings. Everyone has insecurities and stories they feel uncomfortable sharing. I’m an artist and part of my job is to mirror myself to the audience so they can see themselves in the image I’ve created. It’s easier for them to connect with me and the music. They know there’s someone out there that understands how they feel. I don’t feel awkward about it. It’s also therapy for me so I don’t go crazy keeping all those things to myself.
amped: Do you find yourself ever holding back on some of the details of your life?
D-Truce: Yeah of course. There are a lot of things I feel or opinions that I have that will probably never make it to my music. Sometimes I tweet them because I’m notorious on twitter. But at the end of the day there’s always boundaries. Unfortunately we live in a world where a lot of people are interested in picking a fight first than understanding what you are saying. A lot of things will be always be lost in context. So in as much as I am expressing myself, sometimes I’m like they don’t need to know this particular thing so it won’t cause fight.
amped: What has fueled this approach to creating music?
D-Truce: I guess it is multiple things. First, the person that taught me to record, Ebi China, was a DIY guy, he used to produce all my records; this was when I was like 16 he used to give me like 10 beats every week, then I’d go home write songs, come back and record. We did everything DIY, shot all our videos ourselves with a camcorder, when we put out new music we used to print out CDs, and I used to stand on the road to sell these CDs to people in traffic back when I was still in Okota, Ago, Lagos. So my first experience with music was hustle, it was come-up, getting involved in every facet of it, making sure it is my campaign and making sure things happen. So I guess my approach to making music is the same, it’s my music so I get involved, make it happen, do research, cos trust me it’s work. Also, inasmuch as people say I’m a rapper, I don’t regard myself as a hip-hop head. I don’t know a lot of things hip-hop heads know. When I listen to music I listen first as someone that appreciates good music before listening to know if it’s reggae, rap or whatever genre. So my approach to music making is it has to sound nice, I’m a musical person.
amped: What do you enjoy most about making music?
D-Truce: The way it makes me feel. It makes me happy being able to put a smile on people’s faces. You get someone to your studio to listen to stuff you’ve just made and they’re happy when they hear it, they dance, or smile, being able to invoke emotions from myself and the listeners I feel like that’s the most beautiful part of making music.
amped: How does it feel to be in a new romantic relationship?
D-Truce: [laughs] You guys just had to go there. It feels nice, I’d been single for such a long time and it feels good. My partner is a very understanding, communicative and open woman, that helps because as a creative there are lot of thoughts one might have that can’t easily be put into words, but she’s always willing to listen, talk back and actually respond. She’s not just a brick wall and it just feels nice to know that there’s someone out there looking out for you besides yourself because it’s crazy out here.
amped: Romantic love is a powerful feeling, has it had any impact on your creative process?
D-Truce: I feel like generally it has made me happier and more enthusiastic about life so I guess it will affect my music. I took a break from recording, I haven’t been in the studio for a while, only recorded a few times but I haven’t been in the studio working heavily so I can’t tell if my romantic relationship has had any direct impact on my music just yet, so i guess I will find out.
