Trilly has only been making music for a year, and he already has a song with one of the biggest African artists to ever do it: Davido.
With the release of “1942” at the end of last year, Trilly quickly proved he was a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.
The Nigerian artist prides himself in his versatility, with the confidence to do any type of music from trap to hip-hop to Afrobeats.
Standing as the proud founder and CEO of Trillion Dollar Records, Trilly is the definition of a go-getter — someone who went after his dreams and his putting in the work to turn them into a reality.
First, the basketball player turned rapper hopes to tackle his home country back home in Africa, before swooning the hearts of those in the States.
Additionally, Trilly shows no hesitation in giving back to his community. This year, he plans to do a Trilly Toy Drive in light of the holidays, just one of his many ventures to come.
AllHipHop: You’re Nigerian, how long have you been in America?
Trilly: Actually, I was born here. Both of my parents were born there, but I’ve been there plenty of times. I got a lot of charities and a lot of things going on out there, so that’s the scene I’m trying to take over first. I have a tour starting out there, so I’ma be out there for a month doing shows. I have a song with Davido, he’s the hottest Nigerian artist out there right now.
AllHipHop: I see you got the 1942 here, very on brand!
Trilly: Gotta brand it. That’s what the song is called, “1942.”
AllHipHop: Davido’s huge, how did that collab come about?
Trilly: It was pandemic time, the liquor was really popular around that time. That’s all I was really drinking. That’s how the song goes: “she drinking Patron, but she really want that ‘42!” It just came that way. That’s how a lot of ideas come in the studio. You really be sitting there talking s###, then we’re like “okay, that’s the hook.” Put it together like that.
AllHipHop: Did y’all have a relationship before?
Trilly: I didn’t know him before but I’m Nigerian, he’s Nigerian. We all know the same people. Really, it was a call away like “Okay, you in LA?” I pulled up to his crib and we knocked the song out right there. I already had the song, I just put him on a verse.
AllHipHop: He was perfect for it or what?
Trilly: Yeah definitely. It already had an Afrobeat sound to it, so I said “yeah, let’s do it.”
AllHipHop: How was that session?
Trilly: The session was pretty dope. He had a mansion out here in the hills. Pulled up, vibed. He heard the song, he knocked it out. I was really surprised because he’s a big artist. We did the song, 2 days later we shot the video and it was ready to go.
AllHipHop: Best memory from the video shoot?
Trilly: The video was shot in Sherman Oaks. It was this big mansion type house, pretty dope. The best memory was getting it accomplished. It was a lot of work put into that, then getting it done ya know. ‘Cause that was my first record with a real big artist like that, he’s really big. It was a good time.
AllHipHop: This was your first Afrobeat record? How are you Nigerian and you’ve never made an Afrobeat record?
Trilly: Yeah I know. When I started rapping, it was really what came to me. We’re releasing new music back to back, trying different types of things and different types of sounds. Then we got to the point where okay, this your sound. We need to stick to this sound right here. I still make trap s###, different s###. Some of my fans still want to hear that type of stuff so I’m really trying to work on an album where I mix all of it together: with the trap, the Afrobeat, all this stuff.
AllHipHop: How much music are you sitting on?
Trilly: Man, we probably got over 100 songs. 150 songs. I’m trying to release it properly, that’s why I got Julius right here trying to help me orchestrate that situation. I don’t want to be just dropping music. Even with the Davido record, it should be bigger than what it is, but the only platform I’m really working on right now is releasing it on Instagram. It’s gon’ come.
AllHipHop: You released it during the pandemic. Do you feel that had an effect on the song being seen?
Trilly: Right now, I really started doing music last year. I was playing basketball [before], so I literally just started doing music. So you know, different avenues, different plugs, different connections you gotta get. Some people get lucky, release a song and go viral. But then how long is that gonna last? We’re trying to build a foundation so that when I release my music, it could stand forever. Because I make real good quality music.
AllHipHop: Where were you hooping at?
Trilly: I played overseas in Spain. It was cool. I did it for a little bit, maybe a year. That’s when I started doing music because I wanted to be my own boss. I don’t got time to be waking up, doing this and doing that. I had a friend, his name was LJ. He did Iggy Azalea’s album, we grew up together, he worked at Capitol Records. I was chillin’ one day, literally beginning of the pandemic. I said “man, I”m coming to the studio!” He said “pull up!” We did a song, man that song’s actually good!
AllHipHop: You literally just tried it?
Trilly: Yeah, I literally just tried it. It was my first song, it was called “I Like.” It went crazy so I said “alright, then we could probably do this.” It was hard because it was the beginning of me doing music. I was nervous working with new people. It took me a while to get back and make another song after that.
AllHipHop: How are you liking the music-making process now?
Trilly: Everything’s good. Everything’s a certain type of vibe to make a certain type of music, everybody has their little things. Some people smoke weed, some people drink, different things like that. There are a lot of key factors that go into making a hit record.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
Trilly: I need Trilly girls. I need ‘42, and the vibe really. Sometimes we knock records out with just the homies, it depends on the day.
AllHipHop: Was any of it a learning curve for you?
Trilly: Yeah, it actually was. I had TLZ be come in and help me out, help me structure a lot of different things. When you rap different: sometimes you could do a rap song or a singing song, a trap song or an Afrobeat song, there’s different tones for different things. When I started doing music. I didn’t really know how hooks and verses worked. There’s a lot to it that I didn’t know about. He helped me a lot of that type of stuff.
AllHipHop: What does Nigeria mean to you?
Trilly: Oh man, that’s home. It’s me, I love it. When I go back there and I see everybody, I’m really from there. My mom, my dad, we go to parties. We do all that type of stuff, like my mom wants me to marry a Nigerian woman and have a Nigerian wedding, all that cultural stuff. Going back there is real dope. I went there 2 to 3 years ago, but I wasn’t doing music back then. I went back there, I started building a house and giving back to the schools. I can’t wait to go back now.
AllHipHop: You said you’re trying to take over Africa before the States?
Trilly: Yes. When it’s cultural. For instance, lot of LA artists don’t really blow up in LA. They go somewhere else first, get that, then come back here. LA, nobody really wants to stamp you until somebody else stamps you. When you like a certain type of artist, maybe you’re a cultural artist or an artist from different places, those places take you in more. I have Nigerian fans that love me for being me. They haven’t even heard my music, they love me for being me. I want to go where the genuine love is, start there first and build my way up.
AllHipHop: You’re known for these great Christmas charity events. What inspired you to do that?
Trilly: First year we did it at Gardena, Rowley Park. It’s something I wanted to do, I like giving back. It’s not no tax write-off stuff, it’s literally me going in and doing it for the kids. Last time in Gardena, we had In-N-Out there, we had Hot Dog On A Stick. We had over thousands of toys to give away to the kids. This year, I switched it up. I did a charity event but I also did a flag football game with it. I had some NFL players come out, ex some NFL players, rappers. Kalan.FrFr came out. Shoutout to Kalan, he came out and got whooped on. You know Trillion Dollar Records, we won. We went undefeated of course. I had my other boy Chris Matthews, he played for the Seahawks. Hakeem, couple people came out. I had to show them that you played football but I’m the best at what I do, everything. We whooped on them, we won the Championship. That was a dope event.
AllHipHop: Do you miss hooping?
Trilly: Yeah, I still hoop. I still will ball up anybody up in the world, at all times. I’m ready.
AllHipHop: What was your position ?
Trilly: I played small forward.
AllHipHop: What could we expect next?
Trilly: Right now, I’m working on a single release. That’s what we’re working on now, release I’m trying to release a single before I go on tour.
AllHipHop: How much music do you have out?
Trilly: People don’t really know, I got a song with Davido called “1942.” I have a song with Sada Baby called “T-Shirt.” I got another song that was nominated for some records, it’s called “I’m Tired.” It’s like a civil rights record. I got a song called “Aybishhh,” that was doing wild numbers that I didn’t even expect. And “EDD Me.” Crazy record, crazy video. Check it out.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself?
Trilly: Just be the best that I can possibly be. Get to the top, take my people with me.