Two years after thugged-out Miami rapper Trick Daddy put out the gold-selling Thug Holiday, he’s still doggedly professing to critics that he “love the kids.” This after he got popped at a high school football game for coke and marijuana possession (mere blemish). And while a few tracks here (“Fuckin’ Around” and “Gangsta Livin’”) reference drug-dealing and hustling, Daddy busts right back with three inspirational songs for kids. “These are the Daze” is a nostalgic look at the glory of getting an ass-whupping from your parents and finds Daddy actually urging ghetto parents to whip their kids to keep them in line. On “I Wanna Sang,” Trick’s do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do sentiment encourages kids to stay in school; the tune is the album’s real jewel. “Children’s Song,” however, sounds like a ghetto Sesame Street with the Wee Gee’s (yes, a real group) harping lifelessly on the chorus. Still, Thug Matrimony (his sixth album of the last seven years) is further testament that Daddy’s rhymes are a stellar reflection of life on the block. Hence, Daddy keeps much of it grimy. The ditty “Ménage a Trois” (with Jazzy Pha and Money Mark) catches the rhyme-slinger living up to his name with nasty lines about freaky sex and his craving for threesomes. In short, there’s an unlikely balance here between saint and sinner, between thug and artist, that makes Trick’s message come off so powerfully.
Jonathan Cunningham writes about music for Metro Times. Send comments to [email protected].
