Trick Daddy Albums (8)
'Finally Famous: Born a Thug, Still a Thug'
Release Date 9/15/2009
Tracks 20
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What The Critics Say
After leaving the major-label imprint Slip-N-Slide, veteran thug Trick Daddy created the independent Dunk Ryder and launched this new venture with Finally Famous. Free of big business' influence, the godfather of Florida rap doesn't have to worry about the crossover single or the high-profile collaboration, and turns in an album that's homegrown and uncompromising to a fault, running a little long at a whopping 20 tracks. Old-school fans craving the T-Double-D of the mid-'90s won't mind much and will instantly gravitate towards the simple and effective, heavy-hook monsters like "What Dey Do" ("Whatever we tell 'em") and "Why the Jock" ("I'm still dealin' with my haters/Eight albums later"). Some of the redundant tracks in the middle seem more an excuse to introduce the FLA-based set of up-and-comers Trick has hand-picked, but to its credit, the album's fourth quarter works hard to remain fresh. Kicking off with the furious "That's How We Do It" -- a dream collaboration with R&B singer Betty Wright -- the album cruises to its finish in style with the smooth roller "Homie Song," the empowering "Strong Woman," and the classic swaggerfest "Ghetto Supa Star." Well done and a welcome return to the underground. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Back by Thug Demand'
Release Date 12/19/2006
Tracks 15
Label Atlantic / Wea
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What The Critics Say
It took Trick Daddy two years to follow up the great Thug Matrimony, and while that doesn't seem like much to most folks, in pre-release interviews Trick was apologetic and promising this album will be followed up next year; no long wait. After a couple of spins it becomes apparent that Back by Thug Demand is a very good album but short of being one of his best. The problem seems to be Trick's over-anxiousness to get back in the game and prove he's still vital. This attitude makes for one hungry, down-low beast of an album, but the overall product isn't as well crafted as Thug Matrimony and even if the redundant numbers are shuffled skillfully into the play list to help hide them, they are there. Luckily the highlights are all hard winners, sometimes with that Trick wit and sometimes with his gargantuan, intimidating attitude. The good-timing "So High" finds the rapper working some "this is your captain speaking"-type airline talk into a polished bud smokers anthem, while "Straight Up" with Young Buck is just about the most fun you can have while threatening a rival crew. "Lights Off" is Trick at his trashy, strip-club best while both "Bet That" and "Tuck Ya Ice" have inescapable hooks with high-profile guests -- Chamillionaire and Baby, respectively -- giving their all. The skits with the character Kiki are back and still funny, and at 15 tracks it's a pleasingly tight album, at least when compared to the over-stuffing that ran rampant across hip-hop full-lengths in 2006. While it's not as ambitious or astonishing as the last one, if Trick's plans were to hold it down and keep the longtime fans happy, Back by Thug Demand is a success. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets'
Release Date 10/26/2004
Tracks 17
Label Atlantic
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What The Critics Say
Growing in strength like his Southern brothers OutKast, Trick Daddy has released one high-quality album after another, each one expanding on the best moments of the last one. Being a true, sleazy thug might always keep him from reaching OutKast's poptacular, always-on-MTV success. Too bad, since Thug Matrimony is his Stankonia and would have him blowing up big time if it weren't for his awfully nasty, MTV-unfriendly mouth and the widespread fear of down-bottom Southern rap. It's an ambitious album with 17 tracks and packed with guest stars -- ones you'd expect and one you wouldn't, like Ron Isley. Isley's soulful voice on the guitar-filled "I Cry" is just one of many astonishing curve balls the album throws the listener, every one of them crossing the plate. An obscure Talking Heads track, "Sugar on My Tongue," is the oddball basis for the excellent jam "Sugar (Gimme Some)" with Cee-Lo and Ludacris guesting. Ozzy Osbourne's yelp from "Crazy Train" adds to the chaos of "Let's Go," featuring Twista and an especially hot Lil' Jon. If that isn't enough star power for you, Jazze Pha, Money Mark, Ying Yang Twins, and that long-lost Southern diva Khia join the party, but this is Trick's album all the way. He's corrected some errors made last time out by tightening up his poignant numbers to be more on-point, and the production is light years ahead of anything else he's ever done. Even the skits are worth repeated listens, and although the album runs over an hour, you'd be hard-pressed to find a track to skip. Be warned: while the music is glittery gold, Trick's mouth can get porno-store filthy and "J.O.D.D." could make Larry Flynt blush. If you can handle that, Thug Matrimony is nothing short of fantastic and required listening for fans of the Dirty South. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Even after releasing more than an album each year since 1997, Trick Daddy kept up the quality control with 2002's Thug Holiday. The production's a bit amateurish and a bit skeletal in places, but the South's most consistent rapper still has a lot to offer, especially when he gets together with Cee-Lo from Goodie Mob and Big Boi from OutKast on "In da Wind." The title track is a bit too dramatic for such a usually enjoyable hip-hop name, but great party tracks like "Play No Games" and "All I Need" more than make up for a few half-baked message tracks. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With every subsequent album of his throughout the late '90s, Trick Daddy took a step further toward his long-awaited national breakthrough, and with Thugs Are Us he finally reached his elusive commercial summit, breaking out of the South and into heavy rotation on every urban radio station in America. "Shut Up," the club anthem from his previous album, Book of Thugs (2000), had almost broken him through, just as "Nann Nigga" had nearly done so even earlier. Yet neither of those hits compare to what Trick Daddy delivers on Thugs Are Us. This is by far the Miami rapper's most impressive work to date, in terms of not just lyrics and beats but also commercial sensibility. Trick Daddy and his Slip-n-Slide team pull it all together on Thugs Are Us, especially on the album's highlights: the club-banging "Take It to da House," the commercial radio-serviced "I'm a Thug," and the Dirty South-rallying "Can't Fuck with the South." On these songs, and to a lesser extent the others, Trick Daddy retains his thuggish posture yet also manages to integrate just enough of a wink to make Thugs Are Us as accessible to the streets as it is to the suburbans. This shift is subtle yet nevertheless noteworthy. Trick Daddy's tongue-in-cheek charm offsets his gold grill and tattoos, more so here than on any previous album. On the downside, like Book of Thugs before it, Thugs Are Us frustratingly incorporates a plethora of guests, none of them superstars in their own right. Yet as it stands, unwanted hanger-ons and all, Thugs Are Us places Trick Daddy alongside Mystikal and Ludacris among the elite class of nationally sanctioned Dirty South rappers. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47'
Release Date 2/15/2000
Tracks 17
Label Atlantic
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What The Critics Say
Trick Daddy takes his career to the next level on Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47, moving to a major label, Atlantic, and delivering his first coast-to-coast hit, "Shut Up." His previous two releases, Based on a True Story (1997) and www.thug.com (1998), had established him as one of the Dirty South's most promising rappers, particularly after "Nann Nigga" became an underground hit, but these gritty releases never crossed the Mason-Dixon Line nor the Mississippi River. On the contrary, Book of Thugs burst out of the South, thanks largely to the financial backing of Atlantic. For the first time in his career, Trick Daddy had a sizable budget to work with, and the results are wonderfully evident. Both the beats and the vocals sound incredibly vibrant, on a par with anything coming out of New York or Los Angeles at the time; furthermore, two big-name guests, Mystikal and Twista, make notable appearances, finally giving Trick Daddy some impressive talent with which to tangle. Above all though, Book of Thugs boasts "Shut Up," his rowdiest club-banger yet, also notable for reprising the dynamic Trick Daddy-Trina collaboration that had made "Nann Nigga" such a success two years earlier. Elsewhere, Book of Thugs features a few other highlights ("Boy," "Get on Up," "Thug for Life"), but it's by no means a solid album. The excessive guests are a bit frustrating, tempting you to fast forward through lackluster verses far too many times, and the production of Righteous Funk Boogie and Black Mob Group is spotty, sounding less impressive as the album creeps toward its distant end. Book of Thugs nonetheless raised the bar for Trick Daddy, elevating him to national status and setting the stage for his commercial breakthrough. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Trick Daddy's album www.thug.com features the rapper at his best. Not only is www.thug.com his album name, it's also his own website. Trick Daddy recruited rappers such as Trina and Righteous Funk Boogie to record tracks with him. "Nann" got decent radio airplay, but some confusing lyrics muddled the album overall. ~ Amanda Nusbaum, All Music Guide
'Based on a True Story'
Release Date 7/29/1997
Tracks 17
Label Warlock
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