TREAL

Treal History (Genesis)

Representing Orange County, Orlando, Florida, this group of artists has managed to establish their own sound in the rap game, mixing a perfect blend of Dirty South, Crunk, R & B, and Hip Hop. The groups four members; Cheeze, Tsick, Poetic, and Eliseo (a.k.a. 50/50) have also managed to critique and perfect their skills and crafts over the years they have been together as well as accomplish many other things along the way. First starting as two separate groups, Curbside and Manifest each consisting of four members, the two groups would unite to form the eight member group 9.1.7., which represents the band room of the high school where everyone first met. However, creative differences caused the group to disband and only three members remained in contact and continued to pursue the local rap scene. Cheeze, Tsick, and Eliseo (a.k.a. 50/50) decided to claim the name 9.1.7. for themselves after they recorded their first song, “P.I.M.P.I.N.G.” together and decided to become a group in early 2000. The group recorded a whole 14 track strictly underground album under the name 9.1.7. and released the last song that they recorded for the album, “Entering Orange County,” which was a tribute and anthemn to the natives home, Orange County Florida. This song wasn’t in “no type of way” mixed or even ready for the streets when it was released. It played on the local underground radio station and caught like wildfire throughout Orlando’s hip hop scene. However, the name 9.1.7., which actually was a group consisting of 24 or 25 members had a problem with the three claiming the name for themselves. So the three members decided not to use the name 9.1.7. and decided to use the name that the streets had given to them, TREAL, a saying that dates back to lord knows when and which means too real or as they like to say real to the T.

Poetic was a local rapper and d-boy on the streets of Orlando before he met up with the group TREAL. In fact he was in several groups of his own. When he finally started working with TREAL, he actually was setting out to establish his name as a single independent artist. However he felt that doing that would be irrelevant as to seeing that the main focus of RaKeGa Records, the independent label that TREAL is on. So he proposed in joining the group. Able to hold his own and bringing tight concepts, lyrics, and production to the table, poetics addition to the group didn’t come until way later.

TREAL (in the present)

TREAL’s first album titled after their two year straight, number one, underground single, “Entering Orange County,” managed to sell a few thousand copies, mainly because of that one song, but had other songs such as “Ya Know” and “P.I.M.P.I.N.G.” which the street loved. However, that one song “Entering Orange County” was heard all over Florida and earned the group the name Kingz of tha County or Tha Orange County Kingz. Now the group is working on their debut album “Crunk Tested and Approved” which is the _expression given to the method of how they approve songs for an album. The group would study the industry, listen to what sound is going on, create a song of the same formula but give their twist on it and release it to the streets for opinions. If the song was a sure winner, then it was approved, if it wasn’t it was dropped. This method allowed the group to be featured on many mixtapes especially in the Central Florida area and helped TREAL establish a core fanbase, which is growing.

Throughout the start of their career, TREAL has managed to do countless shows, especially in Orlando Florida. The have opened up for such acts as, 8 Ball and MJG, Lil Wayne, Pastor Troy, Lil Jon, Trick Daddy, Lil Scrappy and the list goes on. Many people have described their shows in one word, “Crunktivity!” “People love the energy that comes from them on stage. You can’t help but to get involved because subconsciously they make you,” a TREAL fan stated. “In fact, there has been many cases when TREAL opened up for a big act and had the crowd more involved and more energized as the opening act, than the official act itself.”

Also the have accomplished getting three of their own songs played on the hip hop radio station in Orlando as well as radio stations in Tampa, Miami, Tallahassee, Gainsville, and Panama City, as well as a collaboration they did with another Orlando artist “Bedo.” The four songs include Entering Orange County, Swang On Everybody, Don’t Worry Bout Mine, and the collaboration they did Buss a Move.

TREAL in the future

Mainly TREAL is working on putting all of their energy into promoting their own official independent album “Crunk Tested and Approved.” However they are still working on other projects with artists like; Wes Fif, Billy Kane, Bedo, Tha Gutta Boyz, Grand Daddy Souf and many other local Orlando artists as well as other artists fr