Trick Trick, the infamous independent selling artist from Detroit is as real as they come. He was framed for murder by the Detroit Police, fought the charge and beat it, so it is not surprising how thankful he is for his ability to hit the streets and the skies to travel, all be it for business or for pleasure. His legend grew in leaps and bounds when he had a “situation”with Miami’s Trick Daddy, who reportedly didn’t appreciate their similar names.
But for Trick Trick, it is all about the music.
Being multi-talented isn’t really a rarity in today’s music industry, but being good at being multi-talented is. Rapper, producer, director, actor and father are all roles he plays pretty damn well. Trick Trick talked to AllHipHop.com about just how his role as an angel encouraged the thespian side of him, and why “There’s no place like home.”
AllHipHop.com: Being on the road, a lot of artists complain about the getting to and from venues, how do you deal with that?
Trick Trick: I’m a warrior, you know what I am saying, it’s like when I get home I am ready to get going to somewhere else.
AllHipHop.com: So do you like traveling in general?
Trick Trick: Yeah, I love traveling. Traveling is the most wonderful thing that can ever be done by a human being. I appreciate being able to get up any morning and walk anywhere, let alone be able to get in a car and drive anywhere. Driving up in the country, I couldn’t be mad at all.
AllHipHop.com: A lot of controversy surrounds the buses that get you from venue to venue, you cool with those?
Trick Trick: My bus driver is a wild and crazy guy, so I like him. [laughs]
AllHipHop.com: In terms of personal travel, where’s a favorite of yours to visit?
Trick Trick: Well I like to go to family places, like going to Orlando, Florida.
AllHipHop.com: So you have children?
Trick Trick: Yeah, I got kids. I love that s**t because you have a lot of people from the hood ain’t even seen across Eight Mile, you know what I am saying, they haven’t seen where my office is located let alone be able to pick up and take their kids to Disney World or Universal Studios or anything. I just appreciate being able to do different things with different people.
AllHipHop.com: You turn your hand to everything. You also have a movie coming out with the same title as your next album, The People Versus.
Trick Trick: The movie is actually based on a true story – what I went through with the Detroit Police, I was framed for murder and it’s based on a true story, just showing how people can be framed. I was just fortunate to be set up and be an individual who knew people who had money and had money myself and be able to fight it and come out of it okay. I am a voice who can speak on it so the whole situation with the movie is what went down with me. The movie and album will be packaged together.
AllHipHop.com: It appears you are quite the thespian…
Trick Trick: Yeah I love it. I acted when I was young, plays at school and stuff. I toured with a play when I was like six or seven years old where I played an angel. It toured all over the country. Actually my Mother and Father were in the play so it was like they needed an angel for the final scene and they got me to do it. [laughs]
AllHipHop.com: So where do you find the time to do everything, you are an artist, a producer, you are a Father, you act, and I mean there are only so many hours in a day.
Trick Trick: Everyday is a work day outside of Sunday; all of my offices are in one building. My film studio is down the hall from my recording studio. When I go into work everyone is already in working, so it’s just a matter of scheduling. You know like from the 15-18th you’ll be filming, then from the 20th to the 30th you will be recording with such and such. It’s all down to scheduling. Then once I get a break I grab the kids and get on a plane.
AllHipHop.com: So you are not afraid of flying?
Trick Trick: No, not really. I’m mot afraid to fly at all because if there was to be a terrorist on my plane he’s going to wish he wasn’t there. I’ll whoop his mothaf**klng ass. [laughs]
AllHipHop.com: Some people only drive, you know what I mean, they hate flying.
Trick Trick: No any means of traveling is good for me. Just being able to move around from one place to another, I’ve been in jail for along time, so freedom is priceless. However we gonna get there we gonna go.
AllHipHop.com: Is it hard being out on the road, away from your family?
Trick Trick: It can be. I miss them but we talk so much on the phone, its okay.
AllHipHop.com: What about the kids?
Trick Trick: Now, I really miss them. I talk to them like five or six times a day. They call me up “Daddy, what you doing? You being careful?” My baby brother is my DJ; he is out here with me. My older brother, my older sister, my Mother, my Father, my Uncle, my sister, my girl we all e-mail each other back and forth , e-mail jokes, e-cards, all kinds of s**t. [laughs]
AllHipHop.com: Back to the movies, if you were going to go and watch a movie, what would you go and watch?
Trick Trick: I like comedy and I like action movies and then if I can get a movie that has both action and comedy like Bad Boys with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence that’s a great movie, because you got the action and they funny as hell.
AllHipHop.com: Is that your favorite movie then, Bad Boys?
Trick Trick: No actually my fave movie is The Godfather trilogy. I got that in the back of the bus right now. My sister and girlfriend bought me it so it goes with me wherever I go. It’s either that or The Wizard of Oz. Believe it or not, The Wizard of Oz is some funny s**t. I be back there on the bus watching that cracking up and the boys be in the front laughing at me “What the hells wrong with him?” they’ll be saying. “He’s laughing so don’t bother him.” It’s the lion that makes me laugh and the dog Toto. I like the Wizard a lot too, when he is saying, “Go home.”
AllHipHop.com: You got too extremes right there.
Trick Trick: Well you can’t be mean and gangsta all the time you know, I like to laugh.
AllHipHop.com: So if your girl wanted to go to watch a chick flick would you take her?
Trick Trick: One of those girly movies? I can’t do it. It only turns into an argument. The only thing about them is they end in marriage so then we have to fight on the way home. Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutchner, I went to see that movie thinking it would be a Bernie Mac type of movie, it ended up being a girly movie and it p##### me off. We argued the whole way home about marriage.
AllHipHop.com: When is the album dropping?
Trick Trick: Right now we are in a bit of a war between labels. Yeah there is a lot of interest from a lot of labels right now.
AllHipHop.com: What are you looking for? Distribution?
Trick Trick: No, actually 50/50. I’m bringing a lot to the table.
AllHipHop.com: Independently you have moved close to two million units which is pretty impressive.
Trick Trick: Yeah if I could take this project and do it independently I would. Financially, I can afford to do it, but Jimmy Iovine will not release any of the tracks Eminem and I did together, it’s just corporate bulls**t and I just got to deal with it.