Tru 'Dat' Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment or plainly Tru Dat was a Los Angeles, California-based firm founded in 2006 by Hysear Randell, a wealthy African-American entrepreneur
, as a recruitment platform for urban talent in music, sport, film and fashion. Tru 'Dat' Entertainment also aimed to aid the poor by providing them with opportunities for recruitment at one of their establishments. The company was still in its first stages of development so their rosters were not lengthy.
with hopes of establishing a lengthy roster of talented artists in the genre of hip hop
. Tru Dat signed former Death Row Records
artist, Tha Realest
, and also employed Bosko, a talented young producer
. Tha Realest released his first music video
for his intended debut single, "Eurry Now And Then", on the label, which was also set to distribute Tha Realest's upcoming debut album, Witness Tha Realest, in early 2007.
, a 2006 film about a father, whose son is kidnapped by members of a criminal organization, must collect a ransom amount of $100, 000 by taking on a criminal persona. Tru Dat's production of the film was successful through various affiliates and subsidiaries, such as such as Tycoon International Holdings and Radar Pictures.
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment was working on other film projects including PITBULL and Ear 2 Da Street which were due for release in late 2007 to early 2008 http://www.trudatent.com/film/index.php.
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment was working on establishing an urban clothing brand. The line of clothing was aimed at footwear fashion and hip-hop style clothing.
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment established a subsidiary for sports. This way, Tru 'Dat' Entertainment focused on promoting boxing matches and skilled boxers. Tru Dat was determined to recruit youth and train them to become tough competitive boxers, who in turn will shape the structure of the Tru Dat industry.http://www.trudatent.com/sports/index.php
was issued for Tru 'Dat' Entertainment founder and owner, Hysear Don Randell. According to The Denver Post
and Rocky Mountain News
, Hysear's girlfriend Michelle Cawthra, a revenue supervisor at the Department of Revenue in Denver, authorized phony tax return
s to Randell and Holliday by forging former Revenue Department employees' signatures. Sources say that she transferred approximately $5.3 million ($5,327,278) with a total estimate of $8 million to bank account
s held by Randell. Randell was arrested on May 2, 2007 and held, along with Cawthra and Holliday, in Arapahoe County jail on $10 million bail
.
Andre Holliday was released on lack of evidence of involvement in the scheme but Cawthra was charged with 27 counts of racketeering, theft and forgery (violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, conspiracy
to commit computer crime
, conspiracy to commit theft, and 18 counts of forgery, embezzlement of public property, theft and conspiracy to commit embezzlement of public property).
Following the incident, in 2008, it was alleged that Tru Dat had officially been discontinued. Its back catalogs were sold to Rapp Records.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, as a recruitment platform for urban talent in music, sport, film and fashion. Tru 'Dat' Entertainment also aimed to aid the poor by providing them with opportunities for recruitment at one of their establishments. The company was still in its first stages of development so their rosters were not lengthy.
Music
Tru 'Dat' Entertainmen was based as a junior record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
with hopes of establishing a lengthy roster of talented artists in the genre of hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
. Tru Dat signed former Death Row Records
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...
artist, Tha Realest
Tha Realest
Jevon Jones is an American rapper better known by his stage name Tha Realest, and formerly Tenkamenin The Vigilante . His debut album, Witness Tha Realest, was released on July 14, 2009, following numerous delays...
, and also employed Bosko, a talented young producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. Tha Realest released his first music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for his intended debut single, "Eurry Now And Then", on the label, which was also set to distribute Tha Realest's upcoming debut album, Witness Tha Realest, in early 2007.
Other ventures
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment worked as a project company for urban-style films. Tru Dat worked on the production of Waist DeepWaist Deep
Waist Deep is a 2006 drama-action film directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good. It is loosely based on the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, including some similar subplots including the two main characters on the road, trying to avoid police, and committing bank...
, a 2006 film about a father, whose son is kidnapped by members of a criminal organization, must collect a ransom amount of $100, 000 by taking on a criminal persona. Tru Dat's production of the film was successful through various affiliates and subsidiaries, such as such as Tycoon International Holdings and Radar Pictures.
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment was working on other film projects including PITBULL and Ear 2 Da Street which were due for release in late 2007 to early 2008 http://www.trudatent.com/film/index.php.
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment was working on establishing an urban clothing brand. The line of clothing was aimed at footwear fashion and hip-hop style clothing.
Tru 'Dat' Entertainment established a subsidiary for sports. This way, Tru 'Dat' Entertainment focused on promoting boxing matches and skilled boxers. Tru Dat was determined to recruit youth and train them to become tough competitive boxers, who in turn will shape the structure of the Tru Dat industry.http://www.trudatent.com/sports/index.php
Tax-scam controversy
On April 28, 2007, an arrest warrantArrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
was issued for Tru 'Dat' Entertainment founder and owner, Hysear Don Randell. According to The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
and Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
, Hysear's girlfriend Michelle Cawthra, a revenue supervisor at the Department of Revenue in Denver, authorized phony tax return
Tax return
A tax return is a tax form that can be filed with a government body to declare liability for taxation in various countries:* Tax return * Tax return * Tax return * Tax return...
s to Randell and Holliday by forging former Revenue Department employees' signatures. Sources say that she transferred approximately $5.3 million ($5,327,278) with a total estimate of $8 million to bank account
Bank account
A Bank account is a financial account recording the financial transactions between the customer and the bank and the resulting financial position of the customer with the bank .-Account types:...
s held by Randell. Randell was arrested on May 2, 2007 and held, along with Cawthra and Holliday, in Arapahoe County jail on $10 million bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
.
Andre Holliday was released on lack of evidence of involvement in the scheme but Cawthra was charged with 27 counts of racketeering, theft and forgery (violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to commit computer crime
Computer crime
Computer crime, or cybercrime, refers to any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Netcrime refers to criminal exploitation of the Internet. Such crimes may threaten a nation’s security and financial health...
, conspiracy to commit theft, and 18 counts of forgery, embezzlement of public property, theft and conspiracy to commit embezzlement of public property).
Following the incident, in 2008, it was alleged that Tru Dat had officially been discontinued. Its back catalogs were sold to Rapp Records.