Certified Fresh: Trinidad James Shows You How To Make It In 10 Months

Every once in a while, a song breaks out that becomes a phenomenon that nobody can quite explain. The song that makes even the snobbiest of rap snobs turn off their brains and just enjoy themselves. Trinidad James’ “All Gold Everything” is that song in 2012.

Whether he is the next big thing remains to be seen, but he is this week’s pick for Hip-Hop Wired’s Certified Fresh. We chopped it up with the rising star, but before you read that, get to know a little bit more about him down after the clip.

Who: Trinidad James is a 25-year-old Atlanta resident whose mixtape Don’t Be S.A.F.E. (Sensitive As F**k Everyday) has spawned the breakout single, “All Gold Everything.”

Fun Fact: As you may have heard, Trinidad James has only started rapping for about ten months. Before that, he was well-known in Atlanta for running a clothing boutique in downtown called “Top Of The Underground.”

“I ran that boutique for about three of four years, and when I started doing music this year I was still running the store,” Says James. “Opening up the store at 10 in the morning and coming back and closing it around seven or eight. I would be the first one in there every day. It’s cool for the most part, you know? It’s all good.”

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Photo: Goodfella Media

Credentials: Trinidad James’ rise has been far from typical. Although his slowed down and sloppy yet charismatic rhyme scheme looks to be catching on, James’s debut mixtape Don’t Be S.A.F.E. has amassed close to 35,000 downloads in a little over two months on DatPiff.com.

His single “All Gold Everything,” is one of the biggest songs in the clubs right now with one of the most memorable visuals in recent memory directed by Motion Family. Since the success of his single artists like Tyga and Kevin McCall have thrown out remixes of his single on their own.

The artist has been recently seen in the studio with the likes of Young Jeezy and T.I. to work on new records for the Atlanta veterans. He’s also nabbed the latest edition of The Source’s Unsigned Hype and has been covered by XXL, The FADER, Spin and many more.

Hip-Hop Wired: The video for “All Gold Everything” is one of the most talked about videos in recent memory. What was the inspiration behind it?

Trinidad James: I had the idea for it and I just wanted to show people I can be myself. Whether i’m with my hood friends or my white friends, my Asians, I don’t see race I just see people. In the video was just showing that I’m never going to change the man that I am for anybody, I don’t care who you think you are.

Hip-Hop Wired: A lot of people are clamoring for that “All Gold Everything” remix. Who can we expect on it?

Trinidad James: Just sit back and watch man. I don’t want to call names out yet, but you’ll see man. Just watch. You can expect that very soon.
Hip-Hop Wired: What made you want to start rapping ten months ago?

Trinidad James: I’ve always been a fan of music, and last year around Thanksgiving time, I jumped on a couple of tracks with my cousins because they do music. When I laid my verses down, my cousins said that they thought I got it and I should put more effort into it and take it more serious. I had too many things going on I just ended up leaving it alone around Super Bowl time. I told myself I was going to leave it alone because it wasn’t getting nowhere.

Then after that I just figured I’d do my own thing. It took me about two months to do the mixtape, then I just started putting it out myself slowly but surely, now we turned up.

Hip-Hop Wired: It seemed like this all happened relatively overnight. Some people really spend their whole lives trying to get a song like you got. How are you handling this?

Trinidad James: I mean, I can’t speak for the next man. Who am I to say if they were doing the right things or the wrong things. I just know I was focused on what I had to do and it paid off for me. I could’ve been just like them and never pop off, but i’d still be happy because I’m content with what I did. I know in my heart I made music that felt good to me and I really didn’t give a f**k what anybody else thought. People think its really good and appreciate it for what it is, then that’s what it is. I can’t speak for everybody else.

Hip-Hop Wired: You’ve been getting all this love independently, and since you ran this store for a couple of years you weren’t exactly a starving artist. How are you taking the success of this single into something more concrete?

Trinidad James: Right now i’m just turned up and happy doing these shows, man. The record labels, they are always going to be there. They are just doing their job, if you hot they want you. That’s how they rock, that’s how labels are, I ain’t mad at em. If they wasn’t hollering at me, I wouldn’t be that hot. I’m just trying to focus on my fans and building a strong fanbase.

Hip-Hop Wired: What’s your endgame? What do you want out of all of this?

Trinidad James: I just want people to know that you can turn yourself up. You don’t need a cosign from no n***a, no b***h, nobody. You can do anything yourself if you want to. No record labels or nothing. All you have to do is believe.

The Essentials: Trinidad James – “All Gold Everything”