Trick Daddy, one of the most tough rappers appreciated by the general public, emerged from the South in 2001 with the song “I’m a Thug” and became an unexpected national celebrity. A few regional singles preceded his breakthrough. He gained notoriety especially for the club hits “Nann Nigga” and “Shut Up,” which include energetic beats and boisterous lyrics. When Trick Daddy eventually became popular with the aptly named “I’m a Thug,” it was a bit of a surprise.
Trick Daddy, one of the most tough rappers appreciated by the general public, emerged from the South in 2001 with the song “I’m a Thug” and became an unexpected national celebrity. A few regional singles preceded his breakthrough. He gained notoriety especially for the club hits “Nann Nigga” and “Shut Up,” which include energetic beats and boisterous lyrics. When Trick Daddy eventually became popular with the aptly named “I’m a Thug,” it was a bit of a surprise. Although his look, which included a gold grill, prickly whiskers, a bald head, forearm tattoos, and a ubiquitous grimace, was unlike those of other mainstream rappers, no one questioned his abilities. Trick Daddy went on to become a national celebrity, thug or not. He received multiple RIAA awards, including a platinum certification for Thugs Are Us in 2001. From the release of seven straight albums to 2009’s Finally Famous: Born a Thug, Still a Thug, he made the Top Ten of the Billboard R&B/hip-hop albums chart. Even though he wasn’t as active the next ten years, the rapper kept on touring and putting out the odd mixtape and EP while still accepting requests for guest verses.
Uncle Luke
The rapper, formerly known as Trick Daddy Dollars, was born Maurice Young in Miami, Florida. He gained notoriety in 1996 as one of the main rappers on Luke’s “Scarred,” the first song on the former 2 Live Crew leader’s Uncle Luke album. Trick Daddy Dollars’ unusually smooth and fast tempo drew listeners in, and the song became a big hit among the booty crowd. Ted Lucas, a former concert promoter who signed the rapper to his newly established Slip-n-Slide Records, was one among those lured to him. Not long after, in late 1997, Trick Daddy Dollars released their debut album, Based on a True Story. Driven by a few localized hits, the album performed well for an independent release and debuted in the Top 60 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart.
thug.com
Everything changed a year later when www.thug.com (1998) was launched. After removing the “Dollars” from his moniker, Trick Daddy had success with “Nann Nigga,” a club hit that included a female adversary, the then-unknown Trina. The rapper Trick Daddy’s first of seven consecutive Top Ten R&B/hip-hop albums, www.thug.com, was widely distributed by Atlantic Records after the single became popular throughout the South and even reached the Midwest and Southwest. Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47 (2000), the rapper’s first official Atlantic album, lived up to the hype and helped launch his mainstream career. Book of Thugs, propelled by “Shut Up,” a boisterous club song akin to “Nann Nigga” and again featuring Trina, helped Trick Daddy attain national recognition and solidified his position as one of the Dirty South’s most promising artists.
Holiday Thug
The major payout arrived a year later with the release of Thugs Are Us (2001), the album that made Trick Daddy, along with Ludacris and Mystikal, one of the few nationally acclaimed Dirty South rappers. It also instantly put him on the playlist of every American urban radio station and MTV. The album featured, in particular, the Top 20 pop song “I’m a Thug.” Trick Daddy achieved widespread radio, climbed the Billboard charts, and received a platinum plaque to complement the gold plaques from the two prior albums—all in spite of his tattoos, gold grill, and all-around thuggish persona. Thug Holiday (2002), his fifth album in six years, and its lead song, “In da Wind,” possibly his most creative piece to date, including fellow Southerners Big Boi and Cee Lo Green, helped to maintain the success. Releasing two years later, Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets (2004) featured the popular song “Let’s Go,” a Lil Jon track that gained notoriety for its extensive sampling of Ozzy Osbourne’s heavy metal classic “Crazy Train.”
Returning on Thug Demand
Eventually, the rapper went back to his original street vibe, which can be heard on the more conventional Trick Daddy album Back by Thug Demand (2006). His seventh Top Ten R&B/hip-hop album, Finally Famous: Born a Thug Still a Thug (2009), was released on the Dunk Ryders label following his departure from Slip-n-Slide/Atlantic. His production during the following ten years was quite uneven, consisting of a few mixtapes and EPs, such as Dick & Dynamite (2013), U Already Know (2014), and Thug Mentality (2018), as well as intermittent guest appearances. This music was either supported by Fast Life Entertainment or self-released through Trick Daddy Music.
