A fresh banger from Ty Bru gives off an honest and deeply impactful recollection of youth and present day with lyrics that crawl under your skin in the best ways possible along with heavy hitting beats and a conscious approach to the hip hop genre.
"Legacy" is one that makes you listen, then it makes you think. It's got a deeper meaning and a struggle that makes you want to stop what you're doing and race for your dream with the knowledge of how hard it is going to be.
The track is full of memories and youthful accomplishments and difficult times that all must be hard to talk about so Bru lays it down on paper, then on the beat.
He's calling out so the people he loves know he's doing it for them as well as for himself and it's inspiring to say the least.
This is an incredibly relatable single that peels back layers of reality and talks about fighting though whatever you have to.
It's smart, the phrasing is crisp, and the swagger is tight.
Ty Bru does it for his undying love of hip hop and the way he tells stories and the way he portrays them paint vivid pictures that leave a mark with the listener.
This was some of the best hip hop you've heard in ages.
Ty Bru has his own way and his form of spewing out emotion and honesty is something to be in awe of.
With the release of "Legacy" we had to know exactly where this all came from and where it may be headed.
Here's what happened when we talked with Ty Bru.
RAG: Okay so let's start with "Legacy". This track had a vibrant and powerful feeling to it! Where did this single come from?
I remember when I got the beat from Westtopher. I kind of thought I was pretty much done with the album, but he sent over four new beats as I started booking the final sessions to complete ‘Triple Bypass: Extraction.’ This was his way of saying, there might be an untapped style or concept we haven’t gotten to yet, so let’s see if these bring that out of you. I had gotten home with my wife and my 3 year old son and we were in great moods. I laid out on the bed and told my son, “hey buddy you are going to help me pick some beats and make a song” this wasn’t anything new, but the overall atmosphere of the day was one of profound love within our family so it was prime for inspiration. We went through 30 seconds of each and he quickly had me go back to the beat that was eventually turned into ‘Legacy’ and he began humming, I woke up early the following day with the idea that I was going to encompass as much as I could about my past, present and future of my hip hop career and family and make it into this song which has become one of my most beloved songs I’ve ever created.
RAG: I'm hearing some great styles on this release. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Biz Markie was one of my first influences, followed by B.I.G., Jay-Z, Wu-Tang, Master P and Kanye West but in my early 20s I began dipping hard into other genres and quickly latched onto Norah Jones, Rob Zombie, Nick Drake and Bob Dylan. By the time I reached 30 I was really expanding into learning Chopin, YoYo Ma, Miles Davis, Brahms and Haydn. Then at 35 my influences from past decades just started blending together with all the aforementioned added with Troye Sivan, Conway The Machine, Smoke DZA, Lord Huron, Machine Gun Kelly, $not and A$AP Twelvvy.
RAG: So how did this all begin for you really? When did you know that you needed to be making music?
I’m an 80s baby. Born 1980 in small town Asheboro, NC. I wrote my first rhymes in 7th grade, wasn’t until 9th that I really let anyone hear it, and even when I did they were to my most trusted friends at the time, Michael, Derrick and Ian and these rhymes were usually filled with comedy and wild language, but I knew it was easier to get a reaction that way. I kept writing but I wasn’t until 1999 that I knew I needed to be making music, I was a DJ for a fraternity at AppState and one night to clear the party out I decided to play instrumentals and the mic was right there, so I began rhyming the verses I knew like the back of my hand. The party lasted a few more hours and that gave me the confidence and validation I needed to pursue professionally. It took a few years to put out a single as part of a group and then in 2004 we had our first album. Never really looked back.
RAG: What's next for you as an artist?
This album drops June 11 and we just recorded four songs this week to add to the deluxe version and hoping for a June 25 or July 12 release for that. I also work as a full time videographer/photographer and have several projects dropping soon. Ed E. Ruger & Platinum Max’s music video for ‘Barely Felxin’ and Mr. Rozzi’s music video for ‘Do Lang Rock’ are two that will be premiered in June.
I picked up fashion design back in 2015 and we are having our second public fashion showcase on June 11, which integrates as the album release brunch. This is something I really take pride in and have finally decided to incorporate with my music. You can see our last showcase here. https://youtu.be/S97ZFIqFuCs
After that I have a month long exhibit starting July 11th at the Randolph Arts Guild that will highlight my visual artistry blended with various lyrics from my 20 year hip hop career followed by another month long exhibit at Lumina Wine & Beer that showcase visuals from living in China for 5 years.
RAG: What inspires you to write a song?
Recently it’s been my family, honestly. I have a four year old son, my wife and I have been married nearly seven years, although working on music usually takes me away from them both, it’s the feeling I get when I am with them that provides the pen to be pushed. And of course there is always a level of inspiration that comes along with the music itself, that can never really be replicated, its like a brand new canvas that someone has already provided a background, so whatever that background inspires me to feel, do or say I run with it and apply that to the already high level of inspiration I get from my family.
RAG: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music?
Lots and lots of filmmaking and photography. I work closely with many musicians, businesses, events and collectors in my community that I have been doing that full time since the pandemic. It’s a beautiful way to use my creatively artistic eye and pay the bills as I do so. I also really have been focusing a ton of my time into fashion design and that is beginning to pay off. The buzz generated for my ‘Sensational Summer’ line is super high around my city. I have an excellent team of models and I have begun to make dresses and articles of clothing to match their personalities, skin tones and shape. With this mixture of different art forms, I really feel I found where I am supposed to be artistically.
RAG: Who are you listening to right now?
Lord Huron. Conway The Machine. Piano versions of Studio Ghibli soundtracks. Boldy James. Little Simz. Ed E. Ruger. Mr. Rozzi.
RAG: Are you doing live performances?
Yes most certainly. I have over 2000 live shows under my belt, but I am beginning to see the end of this, or at least a long hiatus. I will be performing at The Flat Iron June 25 (hopefully the album deluxe version release party) and will do performances at The Randolph Arts Guild July 12, July 25 at Middle East Micfest and October 1st at the 48th Annual Asheboro Fall Festival. We are waiting on the exact date in August for the Lumina Wine & Beer show.
RAG: This single seems like a big undertaking. What kind of advice might you have for other up and coming artists out there?
Take a deep dive into yourself. Writing and recording should be used as a tool to understand yourself better and to be more comfortable with who YOU are. what YOU like. who YOU want to be.
As hard as it is most times, shed the need for other people to like what you are saying or creating. Of course we all need that validation, but remember art is always subjective and there is ALWAYS a place for your artform.
RAG: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
I appreciate all that who have ever listened to, bought an album, a ticket to see us live or just liking, commenting, subscribing, sharing whatever we have online, we survive on being an active part of your lives! Be on the lookout for all the cool stuff we have going on! Westtopher produced this entire album and recently signed with Cool & Dre’s Epidemic music and last week he won the Dave East/Traklib competition and will be flying out to NYC to make a song with Dave East the weekend after we release this album! So I wanted to flex for him a little bit before I finished up! https://linktr.ee/tybrueilly