Sawwed-Off Ru aka Tank is a 36 year old hip hop artist with a powerful message. Locked up at 21 and currently fighting a life sentence, the rapper who hails from Augusta, Georgia is down, but not out. Despite his current circumstances, he found time to devote to his music. A rapper in prison; he's not the first, and probably won't be the last, but the feat is remarkable nonetheless. Without access to a major recording studio, sound booths, pro-tools, m-audio, or condenser mics he recorded an entire album from behind the wall. His sound is a mix of trap, southern rap, and gansta rap. He's from the streets, lives the street life, and is not shy about it. His lively, upbeat yet rough personality really shines through his music.
Ru has been rapping since he was a youngin'. During our chat, he revealed, "I started rapping at the age of 13 and was incarcerated at 21 thinking that album would never be possible but now I know that the mind is far too powerful."
Perhaps it was that early exposure and dedication to the rap game that has kept him focused behind bars. Whatever the case, the bars are not the problem. He drops some dope one on the album which he released in February, aptly titled, "Aquarius".
Government Buildings talks about coming up on the rough end. The beat is dope, and his word play is rough. He sings about growing up in government housing and hard times and tear drops being his blood. The trap beats continue onto the next track, Big Homie, where Sawwed-Off Ru comes alive as he explains what it means to be an "OG" and the difference between being on the street and in these streets. The track also features Drought King.
"Look, I'm Piru and they Hebrews, and its eat food or I be food."
Debo has a mellowed down, chopped and screwed kinda feel. On Strip Club Forever, Ru spits, "I thought I saw a pretty cat, but not Sylvester..." The vibe on this song is a mix between Boosie and Rick Ross, but Sawwed-Off Ru's energy and lyricism and truly unique.
Another notable track on the album is Pressure. Ru's raw, gritty sound really comes through on this song. The beat, the instrumentation, the lyrical content, all seem to jive on Pressure.
Just Begun which also features MVP is an interesting track that has a driving pulse with dope vocals, and some really powerful bars, "if the dawn of the dead is a angel in hell, he can hit you through the bars off a chain same as a jail. Never Sawed-Off. Did they wanna see me hang in a cell."
Overall, Sawwed-Off Ru delivered a high quality, creative, and entertaining album. The production quality is surprisingly high, his lyrical content is measurably different, and his ability to flow over different beats, whether they be mellow, dark, lively, or trap; this big homie has the chops.
The album is available on Spotify. You can stream it here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0EBh7mjFgXCOs1hTXTMFjJ?si=PSBwhrymQ7ukz8j0YYvIPw&utm_source=copy-link
Whats the story behind your music? Why do you write? Whats the inspiration?
I was inspired by man who would die for the things the held to be true. Especially our biblical ancestors and later the prophets of the Americas. It would always leak into my early writings of prose and poetry. Later I was influenced by tracks by Tupac like Hail Mary, Fiend's Waiting on God, DMX Slipping and the like. I love art and I know that any time I haven't left a part of my being on a track than I haven't made music just a whole lot of noise.
How did you get locked up?
I'm the typical Hebrew make in America when it comes to my situation. I was incarcerated for being present during a drive by shooting.
How did you record while you were locked up? How did you get your beats?
Once I got access to one of my homies devices behind the wall and an app called audio Evolution my homie Ayojbo, a producer from Atlanta end up getting his hands on my skills using one of his beats. He helped me get my voice out and inspired me the entire way. I would record on the device (phone), break down the tracks in an email to him where he would then mix and master the music. Since then, sites like dicer have linked me up with supporters of the struggle like you and ice even made videos from behind the wall. I would download beats from the internet and purchase beats here and there.
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