We recently connected with Duane Eichelberger and have shared our conversation below.

Duane, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

I’m the owner of Truthis, llc which houses Isay Podcast network and Truthis the label. Our focus on the podcast side is to provide cultural educational content that’s deeper with substance than the average online blog sites. As far as the record label we have myself performing under the name istherealtruth, co-owner of Truthis llc and hip hop artist Victoria Rose, R&B sensation Vocalz and the young 22 year old phenom, Kaynine da G.A.W.D. Unfortunately there has been a horrible trend in hip hop that has spilled off streams and entered into our neighborhoods causing mass destruction of our youth and society along the way. I’m from a street culture and have been involved in music over 20 years, however I always was taught and understood you don’t mix the streets with the music and visa versa. When I started the label back in 2020 it was my aim to ensure I stayed away from artists currently in the streets with gang affiliations and no plan of leaving. I wanted to create with likeminded creatives who in a tainted hip hop world, never lost the love that made them passionate about it in the first place. I also watched the collaboration with music and political agendas and knew it wouldn’t be long that hip hop would be weaponized to program rappers to continue to hate and promote hate to those they should be loving most. With the change that I see coming to the industry, now that the heat has been turned up on the facilitators (record execs), there will be a push to squeeze the last little bit of talent out of the gangsta rappers for a little more bank account padding, and within the next year and a half to two, placing independent labels with artists such as myself that love everything hip hop started on in prime position to return it back to it’s greatest art form, that created friendly competition that may have divided but didn’t kill.

Duane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in Newberry South Carolina. I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness so all of my childhood and early teen years focused on solely religion. I lost my father in a car wreck at 16 and my mother a few years later to cancer. I was forced to live on my own in some of my most pivotal years and during that time I made some mistakes I was not proud of which resulted in numerous arrests, a few court cases, one of which I faced a possible sentence of 12 years. When I turned to the streets, I didn’t join any street gangs, although I hung around gang members and violence wasn’t my focus, getting money was. I also found a love of hip hop when I would sneak and listen to rap music which was banned as a Jehovah’s Witness. I remember my first single I stole that my brother was hiding was a cannabis and LL cool J diss that had the instrumental on the other side. I just thought the way Cannabis put his bars together was crazy and I just kept listening to it over and over. Well when I got older and was hanging out in the neighborhood one night, my homeboy bought out a Karaoke machine and said he was going to freestyle but didn’t have a beat. Well I had the cannabis tape and we put that on . I listened to him freestyle and was impressed. I didn’t freestyle that night but I worked on it privately over the next couple of days. The next time we got together I rapped what I had been practicing and i’ve been on it ever since. Years later looking back i’m proud of through it all we, my partners and I have stayed the course on doing what we set out to do. Remain true to ourselves and always do good business to ensure longevity and strong relationships. This year we recently partnered with other creatives to form the Kontent Kreators panel that will focus on services that are housed in one building that will give you a one stop creative shop to podcast, record, mix and master music, have a photo shoot, get your graphics done, merch printed up and videos edited.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my business partner Marvin in corporate America. He was fresh out of college and I was fresh out of the streets. We were both adjusting to the corporate world. An older lady I knew that was in his training class said I think you should meet this guy I think ya’ll would hit it off. She introduced us, we started talking music and ownership. We started out going to studios and paying other people for beats and recording, however my partner learned the engineering as well on top of the production he already knew. With that we now had a situation where we could churn out music at a high clip. Since we met in 2011 we’ve made hundreds of songs together. Four years ago he introduced me to my significant other, artist and co-owner Victoria Rose. She’s very ambitious with an eye for talent and visual creativity. In any business I believe you’re only as strong as your team, Marvin and Victoria are definitely my strengths.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I manage my team through servant leadership. There’s nothing that i’m going to ask my team to do that I won’t do. My teams safety and well being is at the core of every decision I make. However, I trust them to make decisions as well. I preach the motto, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission. When running a business as well, especially one such as mines, in a highly competitive market you will have your ups and downs. As the leader, when maneuvering through these times, I feel it’s important they are unable to tell if I just made $5,000 or lost it. I want my temperament to always been consistent and genuine. I never like to be predictable to my team either. If i’m calling they don’t know if i’m calling to check on them and their family or if I need something. I’m blessed to say as a result, I have a team of people that would run through a wall for me when I would be perfectly fine with them walking around it,.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.truthisllc.com
• Instagram: @istherealtruth @isaypodcast @truthis_the label
• Youtube: I Say Podcast Network

Image Credits
kontent kreators, lifestyle international and my business partners