ARTIST

Trick Daddy

Trick Daddy broke out of the South in 2001 and established himself as an unlikely national superstar. Before his breakthrough, he scored a few regional hits here and there, but remained largely an underground rapper. In particular, he became known for his club anthems, which were characterized by their rousing beats and his rowdy lyrics.

When Trick Daddy finally did break into the mainstream in 2001, it came as somewhat of a surprise. No one questioned his talent, but his image hardly matched that of other mainstream rappers. He was known as much for his rapping as his trademark omnipresent grimace, bald head, prickly whiskers, forearm tattoos, and gold grill. Nevertheless, Trick Daddy became a national superstar, earning substantial mainstream airplay and climbing atop the Billboard charts.

Born Maurice Young in Miami, Florida, the rapper originally known as Trick Daddy Dollars earned his stripes in 1996 as one of the lead rappers on Luke's "Scarred," the leadoff track from the former 2 Live Crew leader's "Uncle Luke" album. The song became a sizable hit, and listeners were drawn to the remarkably fluid and quick flow of Trick Daddy Dollars. Among those drawn to him was Ted Lucas, a former concert promoter, who signed the rapper to his newly formed Slip-n-Slide Records. The debut Trick Daddy Dollars album, "Based on a True Story," came soon after, released in late 1997. The album sold well for an independent release, driven by some regional hits, but didn't impress too many people outside of the Miami area.

A year later everything changed with the release of his next album in 1998. Trick Daddy dropped the "Dollars" from his name and scored himself a breakout hit, a club-banger that pitted him against a female nemesis, the then-unknown Trina. The hit spread throughout the South, and even trickled out into the Midwest and Southwest, so much so that Atlantic Records took interest and signed Trick Daddy to a record deal. The first Atlantic release fulfilled its promise, setting the stage for the rapper's eventual commercial breakthrough. Driven by "Shut Up," a rowdy club hit and again featuring Trina, the album extended Trick Daddy's reputation from coast to coast and established him as one of the South's more promising talents.

The big payoff came a year later with the release of his next album in 2001, which catapulted Trick Daddy alongside Ludacris and Mystikal as one of the few nationally championed southern rappers. It similarly catapulted him onto the play list of every urban radio station in America, not to mention MTV. In particular, the album boasted Trick Daddy's biggest hit yet, and more importantly, his most accessible. Despite his tattoos and gold grill, Trick Daddy earned mainstream airplay and climbed the Billboard charts. A year later, he did so again with his fifth album in six years, and its lead single, "In Da Wind," perhaps Trick Daddy's most inventive work yet.

Written by Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide