On Thursday, April 22nd, EmEz sat down with Troyman Official, the fan favorite of the Netflix show, “Rhythm & Flow.”Although he did not win the competition, he believes that he won by stating the following, “I don’t care what these people saying, what they tell you, what they tell the people at Netflix, victory is truly defined by the person holding it, and I won.” Wow, what a bold statement to make to open up the show! EmEz proceeds to ask more about who Troyman is as a person, and for him to explain why he almost gave up on his dream of being a rap artist before he premiered on the show. Troyman shared that he did in fact almost give up because,
“I was at a crossroads. My mother had just passed, at that point and time, it was really hard for me, I was in and out of depression, and I was just trying to balance my mothers energy along with living with mine. It was hard to truly see inspiration leaking towards music and just the proper signal showed themselves, and proper auditions showed themselves and low and behold I found myself on ‘Rhythm & Flow."
While in production, he made sure to connect with the right people which helped to sustain his presence on the show. Troyman shares that his career before the show began around the age of 13, and by the age of 16 he had been on BET’s 106& Park twice, and between the ages of 16 & 17 he was on BET’sWild Out Wednesdays. All of these platforms helped Troyman to feel solidified as an artist, and confirmed his path as an artist by him being more aware of the type of demographic that appealed to his genre of rap music. From there he knew how much work he had to put into making his dreams come true not only as a teenager, but while he was becoming a man. He wanted to ensure he stayed true to who he was as an artist while also leaving a lasting impression within the music industry.
EmEz tapped into some of the things Troyman learned while being on the show, and he instantly shared how the camera definitely adds a lot of pressure to the equation, as we can imagine! He shared that it teaches you how to carry yourself “not only as a human, but as an artist..and I can not take back anything I shared while being on that platform.” What you see is what you get with Troyman, and I am sure for the ones that did watch the show, Troyman, was one artist that was truly unforgettable. Troyman also shared that he drew inspiration from “Tupac, Street Thugs, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Drake, Jay-Z, Pusha-T. The greats that truly left their mark in the industry and that has made an impact on virtually every artist. The biggest one being that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I signed up for the show until I was in it.” The theme of the show was basically, “rap or go home,’ and so Troyman maintained the ‘go big or go home’ mentality and I think it is safe to say that Troyman definitely went big!
Troyman Official is from the Bay Area of California, and he believes by growing up there, it has been the “biggest blessing in his life thus far.” He says that because it has allowed him to compare and contrast how hip-hop sounds from both coasts and in the South. His move from the West coast to the East coast is very educational and inspiring as the motivation behind the fusion of sounds you can hear in his music today.
He currently has two EP’s out entitled, “Godspeed” which came out in January 2020, and “Chocolates & Diamond,” which came out in February 2020. Troyman shared that the pandemic which caused us to be quarantined for over a year, has provided him the focus and creative outlet needed to put these two projects out. “Godspeed'' is for the person who believes in the development and progression of all human beings, while Chocolate & Diamonds is for my ladies…. I feel like there are a lot of Queens within our midst and it was time to display that; all women should be uplifting, and it was time to uplift the women & Queens I have come in contact with.”
EmEz continued the conversation by asking Troyman his opinion on some of the current affairs surrounding the recent verdict in the George Floyd case, and the recent killing of 16yr old Ma’khia Bryant. He appreciated being asked his take on such triggering matters because
“as a young black man, it is bittersweet….but the tables are turning…we have a ton of people that feel a way about our government in general, but it feels good to know we are being heard; It is a bittersweet feeling.”
To hear more about Troyman’s thoughts on the matter, watch him answer some fan questions, listen to him freestyle & learn more about what is next for him, watch the full interview below on EmEz’s Youtube Channel to really get to know Troyman Official.
For more info on Troyman Official, follow him on his YouTube Channel, IG, and Facebook.
(Photos Courtesy of Troyman Official’sInstagram Page)