II Tru: Lullabies Laced with Gun Smoke and Grace

Released in 1997, A New Breed of Female by Cleveland rap duo II Tru is laced with fast flows, melodic menace, and the kind of street-taught wisdom you can’t fake. Born from the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony camp, the project successfully blends raw lyrics with ghostly melodies.

Two of the album’s standout tracks showcase the duo’s emotional range and lyrical power. The vivid storytelling in “Ballers Flossin’” plays like a cinematic ride through Cleveland’s East Side, as it perfectly captures the spirit of patience during the grind. Then there’s, “Mothers Reminisce,” the emotional anchor of the project. A grief-stricken, unflinching reflection on death and the heartbreak of mothers left behind to mourn children lost too soon. It’s Brina and Jhaz at their most exposed—peeling back the layers of bravado to share something real, raw, and universally human.

The production, heavily influenced by the sonic palette of Bone Thugs, is layered with eerie harmonies and street-soaked beats. It creates a backdrop that lets you feel the streets, the loss, the hustle, and the hunger embedded in every verse. A New Breed of Female is a slept-on gem, that deserves to be played like it just dropped yesterday.