Trae

Trae tha Truth, the prolific MC based in south Houston, launched his recording career with a guest appearance on Z-Ro's Look What You Did to Me before establishing deeper roots inside Guerilla Maab, the crew that issued multiple albums from the late '90s into the early 2000s. A string of solo projects—Losing Composure in 2003, Same Thing Different Day in 2004, and Drama in 2006—reinforced his standing as a lyricist centered on street realities rather than riches. Membership in the Screwed Up Click accompanied an extensive run of mixtapes that eventually circulated well beyond his home region. Restless, another 2006 effort, moved into national release once J. Prince's Rap-A-Lot label and its Warner-affiliated Asylum partner picked it up for wider distribution. Life Goes On arrived in 2007, fronted by guest turns from Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, and Slim Thug atop a lengthy list of additional contributors, while The Beginning followed in 2008 with Slim Thug returning alongside Paul Wall and Z-Ro. Street King, a 2011 ABN release, gathered leftover tracks, and in 2015 the label joined forces with T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint to issue Tha Truth; its sequel, the rapper's eighth overall LP, surfaced the next year.