Stone Mecca facts for kids

Stone Mecca, also known as Tru James or James "Tre" Rabb, is an American musician, singer, and producer. He plays many instruments and writes his own songs. Stone Mecca has worked closely with RZA, who is a founder of the famous hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Together, they have created many studio albums, movie soundtracks, and live concerts.

Stone Mecca's Music Journey

Stone Mecca taught himself how to play music. He grew up in Inglewood, California. He started playing drums when he was nine years old. Later, as a teenager, he learned to play the guitar and bass.

Early Music Work

He began his career playing music for other artists. He often played guitar and keyboards on their songs. He worked on records for many hip-hop artists. Some of these included albums by Mack 10, Snoop Dogg, and Eazy-E.

Working with Wu-Tang Clan

Stone Mecca's long partnership with RZA began in 2007. He played on the Wu-Tang Clan's album 8 Diagrams. He was featured on their song "My Heart Gently Weeps." This song also included singer Erykah Badu and guitarist John Frusciante. Later that year, Stone Mecca and his band played as the backing band for Wu-Tang Clan at a concert called Rock the Bells.

He also appeared on several songs from RZA's album Digi Snacks. In 2008, Stone Mecca's band opened for RZA's tour. They also played as RZA's backing band during the tour.

Solo Albums and Soundtracks

In 2008, Stone Mecca released his first album, First Contact. This album featured soul and R&B songs. One of his songs, "The Walk," was on the Afro Samurai soundtrack. He also produced another song called "Oh" for the same soundtrack.

In 2010, Stone Mecca was featured on the RZA Presents: Afro Samurai Resurrection soundtrack. He sang on "Blood Thicker Than Mud - Family Affair" and "Girl Samurai Lullaby." He also helped mix many of the songs on this album.

Stone Mecca worked on movie soundtracks with RZA. In 2012, he produced and mixed a version of the song "White Dress" by Kanye West. This song was for The Man with the Iron Fists Soundtrack. That same year, he helped produce and perform on the song "Ode to Django (The D is Silent)" for the Django Unchained OST.

In 2014, he worked with the Wu-Tang Clan again. He helped record and played guitar on their album Wu-Tang Clan - A Better Tomorrow. In 2016, he worked as an engineer on a project called Banks & Steelz.

Alienman Album

Stone Mecca released his third album, Alienman, on November 9, 2018. He produced this album himself. The music video for his first song, "If Experience Was Money," was shown on Afropunk. His second song, "Boogeyman," was first shown by Billboard.

Alienman is different from his earlier hip-hop and R&B music. On this album, Stone Mecca plays all the instruments and sings. He mixes psychedelic rock, funk, and blues music. He told the Dallas Observer that this album truly shows who he is. He said it was like going back to his roots and having fun playing guitar.

What Does "Stone Mecca" Mean?

Stone Mecca explained his stage name in an interview. He said "Stone Mecca" was an idea for a movement of people who love music. He wanted his music to have strong beats like hip-hop.

He chose "Stone" because it means solid and strong. "Mecca" is a place where people go to feel grounded and at home. So, putting them together means a "solid home." That's the idea behind his name.

Stone Mecca's Albums

• First Contact (Touch the Music Records, 2007)
• Live on 54th (Touch the Music Records, 2010)
• Alienman (Touch the Music Records, 2018)