wazzzzzup everybody! Bless Roxwell back at it and this week we are going north to Toronto and we have…
TRUE DALEY
<
born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, True Daley is one of Montreal’s first Woman MC’s, hosting ‘The Masters at Work’ on McGill University Radio in the early 90′s. discovering she had a knack and passion for mixing Hip Hop and Broadcasting, True relocated to Toronto and went on to earn her degree in in Broadcast Journalism.
she also was making a name for herself in Toronto’s Hip Hop collectives and her Factor-awarded demo, “‘…In the beginning” became the launching pad for her first single ‘Comin’ In’. the release of the video saw her winning a Much Music Videofact Award, as well as being screened at the Reelworld Film Festival in the short film category and winning the BFVN’s ‘Reel Black’ Award.
all this while being the first voice heard on the airwaves of Canada’s first urban music station while working for Flow 93.5 as the morning news anchor.
As a freelance writer she’s interviewed (one of this authors faves) Grammy Award-winning artists Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, India Arie and Canadian icons k-os and Little X, as well as Nobel Peace Prize Winner Bishop Desmond Tutu.
as an MC she’s rocked NXNE, Toronto Urban Music Festival, Honey Jam, When Sisters Speak, The Urban Music Awards, and been on MuchMusic’s ‘Much Vibe’, CBC’s ‘Zed’, and HBO’s ‘Soul Food’ among others. She has also been profiled in print media such as Maclean’s, The Toronto Star, Now Magazine, and Peace! Magazine.
she has defined her sound as afrocaribbean.folkdafied.soul, also the name she’s chosen for her debut full-length album which will be released on Jahmecca Recordings, the independent label she co-owns with her brother MicMitch. True cites the likes of The Skatalites, Gregory Isaacs, Sinead O’Connor, Prince, Rakim, KRS-ONE, Tracy Chapman, Beyonce,and Coldplay as some of the influences on the evolution of her sound
In 2009, True is excited to release her new album, starting with the single ‘I Used To Love H.I.M.’ (Hip-Hop’s Inspirational Messages), which is a response track to Common’s classic ‘I Used To Love H.E.R’.
of course, I had questions:
me: what’s different, if anything, between being a Woman MC in Toronto and in the US that you can tell?
True: To my knowledge, the struggles are the same. The overt sexism, or under-estimation of our skills seems like a global phenomenon. However, what I do find is that the Canadian women in this biz always take their careers to the next level and have made significant strides in this industry. For example, the Queen of Canadian hip-hop is the youngest and first hip hop artist in Canada to be signed to an American label, when KRS-ONE signed her First Priority/Atlantic in 1988. She is also an actor and spokesperson.
In addition, another female rapper Motion, is the first Canadian hip hop artist to publish a book. She has two titles under her belt ‘Poetry In Motion‘ & ‘40 Dayz‘. She is also a teacher and community activist.
So, in these ways..Canadian female artists have a lot to aspire to, in regards to becoming professional artists with cross-promotional avenues for their music.
me: what is your honest perception of Hip Hop in the US?
True: Honestly, I think that those who are doing something experimental or unique should just head out to Europe or Asia because generally speaking American marketing and media discourages being unique — so audiences aren’t likely to try something new, the way other communities might. Maybe, I’m generalizing to certain areas of the states …cause I find that stuff coming out of the Bay area is always on some different ish…and even if I don’t like all the content with some music from the South…there’s always a heavy bassline and as someone of Jamaican descent, I can’t help but move to the music. Americans are hustlers…they don’t take anything for granted…so everyone is always on their grind and that’s the most admirable quality about hip hop artists and the indie industry. Having recently returned from New York after years of not visiting, the grime and the grit was still there and it refreshed my passion to make my dreams happen!
me: as a woman of color NOT from the states, what is the impact you see on the Toronto Hip Hop scene as a result of the Hip Hop product being exported by US?
True: What’s ironic is that many hip hop icons and public figures that New Yorkers and others admire are from the Tdot. Video Director – Little X, Video Vixen/TV Host – Melissa Ford, Rappers -Drake & Kardinall Offishall, the dancers in Sean Paul videos are mostly from Toronto-based Blaze Ent. and the list goes on… Canadian culture overall is a hybrid of American and European culture. Like the British, Toronto is more cautious and conservative than they’d like to admit. I’m originally from Montreal, a french-speaking city and we’re very laid back, experimental, and courageous when it comes to art. We’re also very outspoken and loud at times. I find Torontonians are heavily influenced by New York when it comes to wanting the swag, shine and rep that New York has. Many pride themselves on being the ‘New York’ of Canada. The T-dot is also called the ‘Screw-face Capital’, meaning they rarely show love to artists and make it difficult to be won over. However, I don’t find that to be an attribute. Especially, when audiences are afraid to freely express their appreciation for an artist until he/she is relatively popular. We as Canadians have free healthcare and government grants available for college and university education so our lifestyle is not filled with the kind of struggle that many Americans face. Which is why I feel that Torontonians don’t generally travel to the states on a regular basis to push their product or line up gigs. If there’s one thing about New York I think Tdot rappers should mimic…it’s the hustle.
me: you lived in Taiwan for a bit, did you feel more embraced or less as a Woman Hip Hop Artist?
True: In Taiwan, I had the most memorable experiences as an emcee. Overall, there is overt racism in the education/corporate field. I was told numerous times ‘We don’t hire black people’. There’s an obsession with having white skin and NEVER getting a tan or you’re viewed as ‘lower class’. Also, although many women were highly educated in positions of power, they had to down-play their roles at home because the traditional mindset is that the husband should be higher educated and more prominent than the wife. So sexism and racism was widely accepted as the norm. However…with all that being said–I have NEVER gigged at so many high-profile events in my life. I felt like Josephine Baker going to Europe when her own audiences didn’t accept her. She got mad love in a foreign country despite experiencing hardships based on her colour. There is an obsession with African-American culture and entertainment and they assume that all black people can sing, dance, rap, act, etc. So I took that stereotype and rode with it 
and luckily for me my talent was never in question. Being a broadcast journalist, actor and singer…I was able contracted by Moet Chandon & Marc Jacobs at their corporate parties, and also performed for the President of Taiwan as part of their ‘Africa Day’ Celebration, and last but not least…I formed an all-female crew with 2 DJ’s called ‘Jahmecca Soundcrew‘ and we opened for Missy Elliott. I mean, I could go on and on and on about how blessed I was to get all these opportunities. I am also the first black woman in the country to host her own TV show and I was also a morning news anchor on their only English radio station. The only struggle was ensuring I got paid fairly and on time. I remember one promoter told me that I was charging way too much and that he could get a Russian singer to sing for half the price. I told him to call her up, but I bet she couldn’t put on a show like me. Needless to say, I got the gig.
there you have it folks, her name is True for a reason. shouts out to True Daley, in Toronto and worldwide, holding it down for the Woman MC and Women in Hip Hop! Check her out: True Daley
til next week, y’all stay tuned for details for the upcoming “She’s So Fresh” Showcase on 11/5!
She is also a True pisces…. good look on the post
very dope.