9 gems from Trick Daddy's "Drink Champs" interview
This week, Trick Daddy made his second appearance on “Drink Champs.”
Beats, rhymes and life are three of the corners where hip hop intersects. Few other TV shows have been able to cover all of these angles in-depth and authentically quite like REVOLT TV’s “Drink Champs,” which thrives on its candid conversations with the biggest and most influential figures in the game. In honor of such a one-of-a-kind show, REVOLT will be recapping each weekly “Drink Champs” episode, so you can always catch the gems that are dropped in each lit interview.
This week, Trick Daddy made his second appearance on “Drink Champs,” during which the Miami rap legend entertained the audience with hilarious anecdotes mixed in with a bit of real talk. Initially rapping under the name Trick Daddy Dollars, the rapper turned heads with a guest spot on Uncle Luke’s 1996 release “Scarred,” which led to the release of his debut album, Based on a True Story, the following year. In 1998, Trick Daddy dropped the Dollars from his name and became a breakout star with his sophomore album, www.thug.com, which was powered by the Trina-assisted hit single “Nann Nigga.” Following up with classics like “Shut Up,” “Take It to Da House,” “I’m A Thug,” and “Let’s Go,” the Slip-N-Slide Records flagship artist earned a reputation as one of the most respected MCs out of the south. An elder statesman whose opinions are raw and uncut, Trick Daddy stopping by “Drink Chinks” to break bread with Noreaga and DJ EFN was bound to get wild, and it did just that.
To help give fans a recap of the conversation, REVOLT compiled a list of nine highlights from the Trick Daddy episode of “Drink Champs.” Take a look at them below.
1. Becoming A Registered Voter
After refusing to partake in the election process for the entirety of his life, Trick Daddy recently made the decision to make his vote count. “I’ve registered to vote for the first time in my life. They sent the paper. I didn’t know, I was like, ‘Am I supposed to do this?’ I’m gonna vote because people think that voting is all about the presidency and it’s deeper than that. You have to get all the way down to it.” One reason the rapper had a change of heart was his support for Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election. “That’s why I registered, really,” Trick Daddy says, in reference to Gillum’s campaign. “He from my hometown, he from Miami, he from my neighborhood and not only that, he’s a stand-up guy. And I see a lot of dirty commercials [about him], but that’s what they do. If we got to go by what they say on commercials, ain’t nobody in politics. And if Donald Trump can be the president, come on, man.”
2. His Relationship With Lil Wayne
Back in 2013, Trick Daddy made headlines after exchanging words with rapper Lil Wayne. But, according to Trick Daddy, any issues the two had is now water under a bridge. “I never had no smoke with Lil Wayne. It was just some things said about the Miami Heat. I ain’t like these other dudes around here, I ain’t from around here, I’m from down here. If I’m a Miami Dolphins and I say it proud and loud, and we ain’t won shit since 1972, you better be careful about what you say about my Miami Heat. He had something to say, I had something to say, we ain’t ever have no altercation like everybody said we had and all that. Me and Lil Wayne was born on the same day. So, since everybody was beefing, we done had parties together. So, my thing is, if you consider yourself a real dude, you shouldn’t beef with other real dudes. Everybody got their own style, their own way, their own preferences.”
3. His Feelings About Birdman
Birdman has ruffled a few rappers’ feathers over the years, one of them being Trick Daddy, who addressed his issue with the Cash Money CEO during his conversation with Noreaga and DJ EFN. “Birdman is older than us, I expect a certain level of courteous from [him]. Birdman is somebody that I looked up to, somebody I respect, I got a lot of songs with Birdman. And I still got a lot of respect for Birdman, if anybody know me, I’m gon’ tell it how it is. I’m gon’ tell you what’s on my mind. I couldn’t personally get into the fact that whatever the financial situation between him and Lil Wayne ’cause I can’t argue about nobody else money. But, when everything was going on [between me and Lil Wayne], Birdman could’ve nipped that in the bud. And instead, Birdman made a comment, ‘And I got his back, whatever Junior say, I’m down with it.’ And then a couple months later, they beefing.”
4. The Pioneers He Respects From The South
Considered by many as someone who helped pave the way for the southern explosion of the early aughts, Trick Daddy thought it was only right to pay homage to a few prominent figures who helped open the door for himself and others. “There’s certain people I’ma always respect from the south, Luke, for instance. I’ma always respect Betty Wright and Michael Sterling, I grew up on them ’cause Betty Wright’s my godmama. I’ma always respect J. Prince, a real original O.G. from day one. Ted Lucas of Slip-N-Slide records, I’ma always respect him and I’ma demand for him. A lot of people don’t like DJ Khaled, but they don’t got no motherfucking choice, that’s my main man. I’ma always respect Baby and Slim, especially Slim, me and Slim talk more. He’s not as talkative, you don’t see him [in] a lot of videos or interviews. But Slim, he’s a real guy. And before I forget, Master P. Baby, Slim, Master P, Ted Lucas, Luke, these are the dudes that opened the doors for people like us.”
5. Meeting Kool Herc
Meeting the man credited as the creator of hip hop would be a moment many rap artists would cherish. But for Trick Daddy, the encounter didn’t go so well. “Let me tell you a story about New York. I used to always hear stories about The Tunnel. So, I’m like, ‘I can’t go in there’ ’cause I had met the guy Kool Herc. So listen, this is no disrespect to him. He was like, ‘Young man, when I first met you, I wasn’t feeling that.’ I know who he is, I’m excited he talking to me. But, I didn’t expect him to say that. So, my feelings is hurt and I’m playing like I don’t know who he was. I thought he was gonna say, ‘But now…nigga, do your thing.’ But, he was like, ‘But now… you’re all right.’”
6. His Favorite Rap Artists
Not unlike many other rap artists who came of age during the ’80s and ’90s, Trick Daddy reveals that some of his biggest influences as a rapper can be traced to New York City, which produced some of his favorite artists of all-time. “It’ll surprise you. Some of my favorite artists was Special Ed. Kool G Rap was one of our favorites. Scarface. I’ma fuck your head up with this one right here… Cam’ron. I just love the fact that he didn’t ever sound like nobody. And who I think the baddest thing ever came out New York — no disrespect to Biggie or JAY-Z — but, they better never forget DMX. And I’m talking on live show, no hypeman, and nothing but a few adlibs on the track like a show mix. My favorite female artist will always be Trina.”
7. His Father Is A Miami Legend
One interesting jewel dropped by Trick Daddy during his “Drink Champs” interview was his father’s street rep in Miami, as well as a certain reality TV star who he knows very fondly. “My father created a lot of household names when it comes to strip clubs. My father introduced the world to Tip Drill before she fell off the pole the first time. And Shenellica. Y’all don’t know who Shanellica is? Joesline Hernandez, her dance name is Shanellica. And my dad sold a lot of cocaine, too, and we know a lot of gangsters. He was doing a lot of things.”
8. How His Childhood Molded Him
Growing up in Liberty City’s notorious “Pork-N-Bean” projects, Trick Daddy’s upbringing was far from glamorous. However, the rapper credits his hardscrabble environment and humble beginnings with shaping him into the man he’s become today. “You gotta understand, being that we are the melting pot, nobody left us inheritance. So, that means we were grown before our time. So, all the kid shit we did, we did it in a small time and we did it fast. I never learned how to swim, but I can cook. I thought words like nanny and babysitter, I thought those words were pretend to me. That’s like when a Haitian woman saw me and she saw the bone structure in my face, and she went to talking to me in Creole, and I didn’t even look at her because I’m like, ‘She talking to her brother or somebody with her.’ And then, she got in front of me and she was like, ‘Are you ashamed of your culture?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking ’bout. Five years old, my mom said, ‘Lock my door, don’t open it for nobody, ain’t no babysitter. Grilled cheese sandwich, fried bologna, fried tomatoes, egg and rice sugar water, mayonnaise sandwich; that was our Hot Pockets and Capri Sun, you understand what I’m saying? That was our thing. So, we learned to appreciate things. We had respect, we had structure, even if the daddy wasn’t there. The structure was Jesus Christ, then your mama, then the devil.”
9. Lessons Learned During His Career
When asked about what he wants to be remembered for after his career in rap is over, Trick Daddy shared a few sobering words, including his perspective on navigating through the industry and life. “You know what everybody always tell me? They always asking me, ‘How do you keep it real for so long?’ I never thought about it. I never answered it because I be busy asking myself, ‘How they be so fake for so long?’ I just want them to know that I had a wonderful time. I had a wonderful time and my new rule in life, and my New Years resolution for the past five years has been the same. It’s like, everybody can’t go ’cause when we get there, everybody ain’t gonna be able to get in. Everybody ain’t gonna have no money. Some people, you’re gonna have to pay their way. Some people gonna be having to use fake IDs. All those people, the homewrecker, the thieves, the crackhead; everybody is not invited.”
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