Compiled By Lisa J. Coleman
Jawaharlal Nehru once said that, "Facts
are facts and will not disappear on account of
your likes."
A quote so befitting of the Dade County bred
Trick Daddy ne' Maurice Young because fact
is that while he's had his critics, no one
on earth can accuse him of not "keeping
it real." He has been the quintessential
poster-boy for the term since he first earned
his stripes via an appearance on Luke's
1995 hit "Scarred" and has unfailingly
taken his thug campaign beyond city limits only
to be embraced by the mainstream. "When
you keep it real, you tell the truth. When you
tell the truth, you keep it real…some people
want to act like nothing's wrong, like problems
don't exist. I tell the truth. I'm
just myself and I'm very motivated by the
haters," he expresses." Now, after
a decade of booty bouncing, x-rated, true to life
anthems, a handful of platinum records, movie
soundtrack contributions, hot collaborations,
and just plain notability, Trick Daddy, the self-professed
Mayor of Dade County is looking to be re-elected
with his seventh project Back By Thug Demand.
"My last album I was catering to the radio
a little bit and my fans were like ‘Trick
let them ni***'s know that you ain't
gone soft.' They felt like I had forgotten
about them. So, now they feel like I gave it back
to them."
A well-balanced account of everything Trick,
Back By Thug Demand is what he says
his fans have called his "best album"
yet. While he won't agree or disagree with
that statement he will be the first to tell you
that it is and has always been about them. "I
put the album together with my fans in mind. Like
I've said before, I am motivated by them."
From the raw reality of "10-20-Life"
which demonstrates Trick's amazing storytelling
capabilities, to the raunchy "Tonight"
featuring Jaheim and Trina or the lighter side
of things in "Bet That" featuring
Chamillionaire and Goldrush the music runs the
gamut from the sordid ("Straight Up"
featuring Young Buck), to the sexy ("Booty
Doo" featuring Weebie and International
Jones) to silly ("The Big Pookie Interview"
and "TDD") and back again. He has
used this formula of ying and yang proportions
since his first induction into the game and it
has never failed him since. All the while he has
stuck to the basics and in the same breath has
managed to keep up with the flow of the times.
Trick is the same person on wax that he is in
real life so there have never been any inconsistencies
with what he says or his actions. A writer once
commented that Trick's ‘warmth and
coldness were inseparable' and his ability
to translate that to his music has helped him
create quite an eclectic body of work. His albums
speak to the everyman that feels that there is
no way out and his power to capture their reality
is what has truly made him a star throughout his
musical candidacy. " Thugs is who I represent.
Some fans will say well, ‘Trick you did
that song "Thug Holiday" and I had
just lost my brother and that got me through it.'
Those are the people I do my music for. I don't
do my music for the people that are filthy rich,"
he proclaims…and therein lies the beauty.
Trick will be the first to tell you that he's
‘the real deal' and once he does you
realize that there is no room for argument. Not
just because he said it, but because through each
and every track he gives entirely of himself and
lays to rest any ideas that he is just a one-dimensional
rapper. He has been an advocate of giving back
through his Trick Luvs The Kids Foundation.
Its mission is to ‘inspire and encourage
underprivileged youth to achieve a better quality
of life thorough educational, social, and musical
development.' This is something that is
very close to his heart and by no means does he
take for granted. They sponsor yearly Back to
School and Christmas Toy Drives and are supported
by the community and Trick's celebrity friends
from the entertainment and sports worlds. "My
first step is making these kids smile. It is very
important that children remember to smile, take
pictures of their moments at a young age. It is
important that they remember their teachers, their
birthday parties. It is very important that we
give these kids these things so that they can
be motivated in the long run. When I was growing
up I didn't have a lot of things…I
didn't have a lot of help. I didn't
have the aunts and uncles, the father at home
…I inspired myself to give these kids what
I never had," he relays. That same willing
attitude has made doors open for him like his
recent appearance on the John Meyer Show. Trick
accompanied John on a trip to Nashville to "seek
out their shared country roots" and what
might have seemed like a most unlikely pairing,
was nothing new under the sun for the rapper.
"I‘m not scared to try things out
its just got to make sense. It was a different
experience and I like doing different things.
I'm from a city where we have not only us
black folks, but we have Cubans, Haitians, Guyanese,
Chinese, Jamaicans, every nationality has their
own community. I grew up like that and I have
gotten used to different things. " He's
lent his skills to other genres of music like
Plan B's reggeton remix for "Friketona,"
and he just finished shooting a pilot for a cooking
show on MTV that he won't say too much about
(yeah Trick knows how to cook-stay tuned for updates).
He's also been in the studio perfecting
his craft and working on keeping things tight
for his label and crew at Dunk Ryder Records.
It seems all in days work for the Mayor and sure
his plate is full, but with his determination
and just sheer will Trick Daddy has done what
many have not dared to do: just be himself. When
it's all said and done he feels that it
really just comes down to these things, "Representing
my city, my manhood, the thugs, and making kids
happy." You can't help but love that.
Trick's 3 Favorite Tracks from
Back by Thug Demand
