Trinidad James is one passionate dude. HotNewHipHop had the pleasure of interviewing the rising ATLien during a stop on Wiz Khalifa & A$AP Rocky's Under The Influence tour, and the rapper had a message for his fans and for his haters, which is centered around his brand new mixtape 10 Piece Mild.
The project dropped this morning on HNHH, and it serves as somewhat of re-introduction to the rapper. This is because Trinidad's reputation is greatly wrapped up in his massive single "All Gold Everything"-- and while that's the song that helped propel him to where he's currently at (touring with A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa and Taylor Gang, Joey Bada$$, a deal with Def Jam etc.) he doesn't want that to be the song that defines him, something he makes clear in our interview.
We also got word on Trinidad's 'fro and what it all means, as well as if Trinidad looks to start trends when he steps out in his unique style, and more, but it seemed like everything was coming back to one thing: listen to 10 Piece Mild and judge Trinidad by his music.
"Nah this is just a hat, I put it on when I wanna feel cute," Trinidad joked about his hair before explaining a pact he made with himself to not cut it until he blew up. "I just believe in my hair. I don't believe in cutting my hair or whatever, I kinda got it from my Dad, kinda, in a weird way. But it's something in me not to cut my hair. The reason my hair kept growing was before I got poppin' I made a pact with myself to not cut my hair until I made something of my else. So I started doing music a year and seven days ago, and as time just went along, before getting signed to Def Jam, or my song taking off, or people knowing who Trinidad James is, my hair got so long, I'm like I'm just gunna keep it, why cut it now, people love me for me."
Trinidad James continued to get more serious on us, "People might say a lot of bad things about me, per say, but you can't never call me not real. I'll letchu know. You got a problem with the way I look, I can't help that, God made me that way. Judge me by my music. Listen to my first album," Trinidad said. "Don't listen to one song that was the #1 song in the country, you can't help but hear the #1 song in the country where you like it or not, 'cause they gunna play it 72 motherfuckin' times just to bother you. So just in general, that's why I like getting people back into the mindset of listening to whole projects, don't listen to a single. Fuck a single."
The Atlanta native is hoping the mixtape has one effect on you--"For you to realize that you shoulda listened to the first project."
The rapper continued to vent, "It wasn't on me that my video went viral or my song was #1 in the country. I recorded in the closet. I didn't record it in a multi-million dollar studio, I don't know other rappers to get in the game. I did the music 'cause I purely just like music, and I felt like I could make a difference, and obviously I did 'cause I'm having this interview right now."
"I sound so passionate about it, 'cause I'm not playin', I'm dead serious. Just listen to the full project...I make it ten songs so you don't have a problem listening to it again. I don't have a long drawn-out-ass mixtape or project. I don't wanna hear that shit, it's boring.'"
Are you gunna listen to the whole project now? Download it here. Watch our full exclusive interview below. Peep some photos of Trinidad on stage during the tour in the gallery above.
Photos By: Cyril Agard