His debut single, "All Gold Everything" has charted at 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It's from his debut mixtape, Don't Be S.A.F.E., released on October 16, 2012. Like many other artists in the Hip-Hop industry, Trinidad James found his way to the mainstream audience via The Source Magazine's Unsigned Hype column.
There's no hotter commodity in hip-hop right now than Trinidad James. After we named him one of the new Atlanta rappers to watch out for, the 25-year-old rapper has blown-up overnight, propelled by his viral smash “All Gold Everything," thanks in large to an irresistibly charming music video and a really catchy lyric about Molly.
... he played his first headlining show in NYC and it was absolute pandemonium with fans, celebrities, and industry insiders stuck standing outside after the venue was packed to capacity. Inside, James proved that even if you're skeptical of the hype, he puts on one hell of a show, and the hundreds of camera phones on-hand caught video clips that serve as sufficient proof of that.
If you sit down with James, it’s obvious that he's intelligent, self-aware, and a natural born hustler. He hasn't been rapping professionally for long, but he clearly understands hip-hop, its culture, and most importantly, the genre's trends.
The day after his Big Apple performance, we had ATL's newly-minted star stop by the Complex office (he showed up on time, the rarest of feats for a rapper) for a conversation in which we attempted to find out, Who Is Trinidad James? James told us about being recruited by labels, his relationship with A$AP Rocky, hustling Pokémon cards, his city's buzzing music scene, and much more.
As told to Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)"
Sneaky vs Selfish
Trinidad Jame$ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we was getting some food
And mom decided to tell us a little joke
But shit it kinda stuck with me and hopefully it will stick with you too
She said that it was 9 men and 1 woman one time, hanging from a rope
That was attacked to something of course that was gonna fall
Everybody is getting nervous
And somebody gotta get out this muthafucking rope
She starts crying being emotional, wahh wahh wahh
She tired of doing this, she been doing that, she den had 4 kids
I'm sick of giving up but fuck it
This what she say
So niggas being niggas dont give a fuck
Started goddman feeling good like "oh this bitch about to jump, she about to jump"
Niggas stared fucking clapping
So come on bruh, you know what happened to these niggas
And of course you know what happened to her
So all I got to say is "Fuck these bitches bruh"
Real nigga shit
The lyrics to Trinidad Jame$'s song Sneaky vs Selfish tell a story of a joke that the artist's mother shared with him and his friend while they were getting food. The joke involves 9 men and 1 woman hanging from a rope that was going to fall. As the tension builds and everyone grows nervous, the woman begins to cry and express her exhaustion from "doing this" and having had 4 children. In response, the men around her begin to ignore her and take pleasure in the thought that she might jump. They start clapping and cheering her on, ultimately leading to her demise.
The lyrics display a sense of misogyny and a lack of empathy for the woman in the joke. The men in the story are portrayed as selfish and sneaky for ignoring the woman's plight and taking enjoyment in her potential death. The use of the phrase "Fuck these bitches bruh" at the end reinforces this sexist attitude and suggests a broader lack of respect for women.
Overall, the lyrics to Sneaky vs Selfish convey a message about the negative aspects of toxic masculinity and the importance of empathy and understanding towards those who are struggling.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, you know so I was with my homie and my mom one day
Let me tell you a story about me, my friend, and my mom
And we was getting some food
We went to get some food
And mom decided to tell us a little joke
My mom shared a joke with us
But shit it kinda stuck with me and hopefully it will stick with you too
The joke made an impression on me and I hope it will do the same for you
She said that it was 9 men and 1 woman one time, hanging from a rope
The joke was about 9 men and 1 woman hanging from a rope
That was attacked to something of course that was gonna fall
The rope was attached to something that was going to fall
Everybody is getting nervous
Everyone was getting anxious
And somebody gotta get out this muthafucking rope
Someone needed to get off the rope
So the woman being the woman
As expected, the woman started to show emotion
She starts crying being emotional, wahh wahh wahh
She began to cry and whine
She tired of doing this, she been doing that, she den had 4 kids
She complained about how tired she was and mentioned that she had four kids
I'm sick of giving up but fuck it
She expressed frustration and gave up
This what she say
Then she said something
So niggas being niggas dont give a fuck
The men didn't care about her struggle
Started goddman feeling good like "oh this bitch about to jump, she about to jump"
The men started to feel excited, hoping that the woman would jump off the rope
Niggas stared fucking clapping
The men started clapping and cheering
So come on bruh, you know what happened to these niggas
You can guess what happened to these men
And of course you know what happened to her
And you know what happened to the woman
So all I got to say is "Fuck these bitches bruh"
The singer expresses contempt for women
Real nigga shit
This is a reflection of the sexist and dehumanizing attitude towards women that still exists in our society
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.