TRUST

Music:

Member Since: 31/10/2006
Band Website: www.myspace.com/TrustLo
Band Members:
Influences:

Recording artist and songwriter Matthew Ayi Mawussi Atayi B.K.A Trust has been on the Music Scene for as early as he can remember, with influences such as Tupac Shakur, The Notorious BIG and the LOX among others, his many experiences during his life made him the person whom he is today.

Although born in Takoma Park, Maryland, Trust was raised in the streets of Silver Spring, MD by his Jamaican mother and African father, as well as in D.C. under his Grandmother’s care. One of his first experiences with music was when Trust was about 14 years of age, this experience occurred in church where a friend named Mike a.k.a Black Ceaser introduced him into Christian rap. During his first time in the recording studio, he felt his game was very flawed. Being his own biggest critic, Trust was not quite comfortable with his delivery and believed his lyrics were only amateur. Although creating music was, at the time, only a hobby to Trust, he knew then that it was something that he wanted to pursue. Soon after, Mike formed a rap group with Trust and his cousin Pascal, aka Petey Green, the group was called D.O.G. (Disciples of God). This would only last for a short period of time. Trust soon realized that he didn’t fit in with the “Christian Rap” category according to his way of life. After a while, Trust’s perspective about church changed due to precedents set by “Fake” or disloyal church members in his opinion. As a result Trust began to distance himself from the church environment and into, what some would call, a more dangerous one..…

Trust’s most memorable and valued recordings were The Point Blank Mix tape, Volumes 1 and 2 which were released in 2001/2002 as well as the Usual Suspects Mix tape which was also released in 2002. Both mix tapes featured a host of family members and friends.

The Majority of Trust’s most critical experiences occurred during his High school years where he attended Albert Einstein H.S. located in Kensington, MD.

A memory that will always stick in the back of Trust’s mind would be the summer of 2003 which he deemed the “Summer of Tears”. Losing someone close wasn’t new to Trust with respect that he had lost his cousin, Bala Sidibe during his Sixth grade year of school. Then in May of 2003, Trust lost someone else whom was near and dear to his heart, James “Coop” Cooper, a lifelong friend whom Trust used to hang out with during much of his adolescent life. To make matters worse, his friend’s murderer was acquitted because the jury ruled it as an accident. Still dealing with the loss of a friend, about exactly a month later with graduation coming, Trust was arrested along with four friends for armed robbery and assault in Montgomery County, MD. Trust’s parents did all they could to clear the situation at hand due to the fact that Trust was on the verge of not graduating. This would all be exactly two month’s prior to the death of another friend, named James “N.Y.” Grey.

Hoping to alleviate the negativity that was presently at hand Trust attended Hampton University during the fall of 2003, within the duration of his first visit back home from Hampton he received news of the death of another friend, Tristen whom he had known for most of his childhood years. Soon after the bad news he was expelled from Hampton University for possession of narcotics. After being expelled, Trust began to once again pursue his music career and master his trade, reuniting with his cousin Petey Green to record music. During this time he began to develop his own individual and unique style. With school out of the question, at least for the time being, Trust began to work, in order to take care of himself and lighten some of the financial stress at home. Due to insufficient wages, he left the job.

During the summer of 2004, Trust resorted back to the streets to hustle, selling anything from toys for the kids, to Avon products, as well as products of the illicit sort, targeting different people of all needs, in efforts to bring in a larger revenue.

With the aggressive influence of both his parents, Trust decided to expand his horizons as well as use his abilities to the maximum extent by going back to school. In the fall of 2004 he attended Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, about 4 hours from home. He looked at college life as a way to network, as well as experience new endeavors. While in college he met Dain Shoaf, the CEO of an underground record Label called Sonora Music Group. He also formed a group which consisted of three college peers from Philadelphia, called N.P.B.K, in addition to another group he formed in the DMV area, called The 211 Crew. Today Trust tries whatever he can to make ends meet but would much rather prefer it be something “Legal” as he would quote. Still in college he is studying Marketing and Business Entrepreneurship. He looks at Business as a way to learn another aspect of his passion which is music, and which in the end he will always pursue.

-written by Moshe
Sounds Like: I sound like Trust Nigga! D-Block, UGK, Nas, Wu Tang Clan, Scarface, Three Six Mafia, DMX, Mos Def, Talib Kweil, Devin The Dude, The Hot Boyz, 8ball and MJG, Mr. Cheeks(old shit), and of course Tupac and Biggy Smalls.

Record Label: Sonora Music Group
Type of Label: Indie