Taj Torrence, a 21-year-old hip-hop artist from Mansfield, didn’t understand why his mother kept him from his neighborhood friends, but now he has a better understanding.
When Torrence was a young boy, his mother worked at Ocie Hill Center at 445 Bowman St. She wanted to protect him from life on the streets, so she took him with her to work instead of allowing him to run along with his friends who were “getting in trouble.” It is in Ocie Hill’s computer lab where Torrence first started making his own music.
But his natural knack for music goes farther back than his days in Ocie Hill’s computer lab.
“My father is a funk bassist. I can remember being a little toddler sitting on his bed and him walking around the house ad-libbing on his guitar and making his own rhythms,” shared Torrence. His father and mother divorced when Torrence was 7 years old, but they have always shared a musical bond.
When Torrence was a little older, he started noticing unique bass lines in songs from Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” album. The bass lines struck a familiar chord in Torrence’s young mind. They also inspired him.
“Hearing those bass lines instantly made me reminisce about my father and how I fell in love with the bass and it was cool how you could come up with those patterns. But also, the vocal patterns – it was fun to rap to, so I knew it would be fun to make,” said Torrence.
Torrence’s curiosity for music was piqued at a young age. When his mother brought him to Ocie Hill as a youngster, he took the opportunity to start creating electronic beats. As a result, he produced his own album at the age of 12 called “Taj on Top.” He found his first audience in friends eager to hear his new beats and songs.
Torrence seeks to create and produce music that departs from elements of material excess and glorified living he sees in hip-hop music. Those elements are something he describes as “the rapper’s box.” When he started listening to Kanye West’s “College Drop Out” album, he came to a realization.
“We all human. We all wake up in the morning and we all fall asleep at night,” he said. The emotion and vulnerability depicted in the lyrics of West’s song All Falls Down inspired Torrence to humanize his music in an effort to stand apart.
“I definitely like to talk about experiences because I try to touch on something that we all have – rich, poor, happy, sad – emotions. It’s universal, you know?”
And he is up for the challenge; being a hip-hop artist is a full time job for Torrence. He writes, records and produces his own music. His music videos feature familiar locations around Mansfield, but are targeted to a broader audience. Being a hip-hop artists has not come without challenges.
According to Torrence, his hometown has no example for aspiring hip-hop artists to emulate and people cringe when they hear the word “rapper.” He thinks of himself as an example that others will hopefully look to when inspired to chase after their dreams.
“I hope that people hear my music and they think ‘it’s okay to be me.’ It’s okay to be yourself. It’s okay to discuss your fears and your insecurities and things like that. You don’t have to go around forcing anything. Be yourself and be genuine,” implored Torrence.
According to Torrence, this approach takes confidence and a willingness to learn new things.
Torrence did just that when he moved to Greenville, South Carolina, and Atlanta for close to two years. He said he originally moved to expand his music career. He described his time away from home as a time in which he learned about himself and he learned to not be afraid.
“Fear holds so many people back. Sometimes fear is ‘I’m afraid this isn’t cool right now.’ It’s not cool to talk about what you fear or what you struggle with. But that’s what makes you unique. There’s so many artists I can go to right now to hear about guns, hear about cars, hear about women, hear about money,” said Torrence.
“But who’s going to tell me about their friend that just died? … Where do you turn to in times of need? That’s what I want to hear.”
To follow Torrence’s music, individuals can visit his Youtube channel, Facebook page, band camp page and follow him on Twitter.
