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504.481.5959 / www.truthuniversal.com

Venue Capacity: Charts: Gypsy Tea Room, Dallas,TX -Capacity 300 Club Harlem Toronto, ON Capacity 300 Zen Sushi, Silverlake, CA -- Capacity 350 House of Blues(Parish Room), NOLA -- Capacity 400 House of Blues(Main Room), NOLA -- Capacity 800 Blind Pig, Ann Arbor MI -- Capacity 400 Independent, Austin, TX -- Capacity 300 White Rabbit, San Antonio -- Capacity 1000 Back Alley Social Club, Austin, TX -- Capacity 450 Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA -- Capacity 250 Vino s Pizza, Pub & Brewery, Little Rock, AR -- Capacity 550 AC Supper Club, Los Angeles, CA -- Capacity 300 Hidden House, Phoenix, AZ -- Capacity 50 Sports on Congress, Tucson, AZ -- Capacity 250 Remy Lounge, Manhattan, NY -- Capacity 250 Nuyorican Poets Cafe, New York, NY -- Capacity 200 Guerilla Business: CMJ Hip Hop Chart -- #12 PEAK (8 weeks on) Rapnetwork Record Breakers Chart -- #2 PEAK Rapattacklives.com -- #1 PEAK Self Determination: CMJ Hip Hop Chart -- #7 PEAK

Biography Born in the Diego Martin, Trinidad, Truth Universal became a New Orleans residentat age four. In the Crescent City, he grew up on hip hop, brass bands, calypso, bass music, reggae, soul, jazz, and gospel. Some of my first memories include going to the mall and my Mama buying me my first tape, which was the Fat Boys first album, Truth says. I also remember the Merly Merl s (this cat named Merlin from a neighborhood close by mine) mixtapes, going by my friend Ralph s house across the street and listening to his 12 inches, and digging in the dumpster at Read Supermarket for boxes to break on. Back then I wanted to DJ more than anything else. My family never could afford to buy me any 1200s. Through the years, he carefully studied the unspoken rules and examples set forth by the early practitioners of hip hop. I began dabbling in rhyming, Truth recalls. In 1991, per the suggestion of a friend, I started writing and really started taking it seriously. Truth Universal s ideals of hip hop preservation, contination and nonconformity, coupled with his social dialogue, make presence. The reason my music sounds like it does is a conscious effort to keep it in the vein of what influenced me to hip hop and a natural black music progression, he explains. I would just call it traditional. I m very mindful of the structure, feel, the DJ presence and a degree of provocative content. TU dropped his first 12 single Natural Disaster / Put It On Your Mind / Dashiki Dialogue and EP Plantation Graffiti: The Naked Truth Dressed to Kill in 2000 and 2001 respectively and he entered a contest called the Mic Check 2000. Even though he didn t win, this performance served to establish his presence on the New Orleans scene and win the respect of his peers. With his political messages, traditional Hip Hop sensibilities, and progressive lyrical content, Truth Universal has remained a consistent talent and a true voice from the South for over a decade. Truth released his full-length debut, Self-Determination, in 2008 to critical acclaim, including coverage in Source Magazine, OkayPlayer.com, and countless others. Truth is a leader of the New Orleans Hip Hop scene, an outspoken voice for social change and consciousness, and an invaluable member of the New Orleans cultural economy and the greater international Hip Hop community.

Discography Guerrilla Business LP Truth Universal Music / Select O Hits July 2010 CMJ Hip Hop Chart -- #12 PEAK (8 weeks on) Rapnetwork Record Breakers Chart -- #2 PEAK Rapattacklives.com -- #1 PEAK Mind Frame 12 Truth Universal Music / Select O Hits July 2010 Hard Truth Soldiers Vol 2 (Compilation) Guerrilla Funk Recordings and Filmworks, LLC May 2009 Self Determination LP Truth Universal Music / Select O Hits April 2008 CMJ Hip Hop Chart -- #7 PEAK

Move the Crowd Mixtape Truth Universal Music Fall 2006 traditional hip-hop sound and production, accordingly planting a political message in that habitat in the tradition of Public Enemy, KRS One, and Poor Righteous Teachers. Review, Okayplayer.com Restless Natives (Compilation) Dragon s Breath 2006 Another major talent displayed on this comp is Truth Universal, who contributes to Introduction and gives a solo joint, appropriately titled simply Heat. A lyricist that claims he s still more against the grain than the Atkins diet, Truth embodies that I m different and proud of it vibe of the whole disc, while giving us a complete package by using his commanding vocal presence to spit a little on everything from politricks and economics to upliftment. Review, Rapreviews.com Hard Truth Soldiers Vol 1 (Compilation) Guerrilla Funk Recordings Feb 2006 Decolonization Mixtape Truth Universal Music 2005 Truth hits it right on, in the last track, calling what he makes grown folks hip hop. His music is not for the ignorant, socially unaware youngsters that do not want to make a difference. One of the biggest questions in hip hop is What do you represent? Truth Universal represents a higher echelon of knowledge. In Mind Frame, which features Zion I, he includes a vocal sample: We pride ourselves on the high moral standards of our program which reflects the vision he conveys through his music. Anna Farinas, review of Decolonization Mixtape

New Orleans Finest Remix/Statistically Speaking/Kamau 12 Truth Universal Music / Advanced Ideas Music January 2003 Quality, politically conscious hip hop music from Louisiana. No dirty in this southern-based hip hop crew s four track single which features four songs that will break any present stereotypes that you may have about southern hip hop. From the title track to Statistically Speaking, a frank song about the plight of the black males from the streets to the penitentiary system, Truth Universal brings a good release worth checking out. Raze, Insomniac Magazine, Issue #21 Four Track Mind/New Orleans Finest 12 Truth Universal Music / Advanced Ideas Music May 2001 Plantation Grafitti: The Naked Truth Dressed to Kill EP Truth Universal Music / Advanced Ideas Music April 2001 The thing that first caught my attention with this New Orleans hip-hop release was the excellent DJ skills. The scratching is fantastic and well-used, dancing cuts across the tracks and keeping the listener bouncing to the funktified beats. Once you absorb the dope wax-work, you ll notice that the rhyming skills are on point as well. The lyrics are intelligent, with amazing flows of enlightment that dance from the CD to the speakers to your brain. This is an impressive indie hiphop release. Craig Mazer, Impact Press, August/September 2001 issue Dashiki Dialogue/Put It On Your Mind/Natural Disaster 12 Truth Universal Music September 2000

Stage Plot Variations DJ Rig: (1) Rane TM57 Mixer (2) Technics 1200s Turntables (1) Pioneer Denon CDJ (1) Boom Microphone 1 Back up Vox Lead Vox Screen DJ Rig: (1) Rane TM57 Mixer (2) Technics 1200s Turntables (1) Pioneer Denon CDJ (1) Boom Microphone Projector Singer Congas 2 Back up Vox Lead Vox

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