For those who didn't check it, check this out....
Artist: Trick Trick
Interviewer: Melanie J. Cornish
Unfortunately we live in a society where having ‘beef’ with fellow artists brings you more attention than the truly important things in life; such as freedom and success. Trick Trick’s ‘beef’ with Styles P and Trick Daddy was actual ‘beef,’ not fabricated cow dung just to sell records. But, there is a lot more to this entrepreneur than fighting with fellow artists. A whole lot more! He has sold more than a million records independently. He produces. He acts. But, perhaps the most notorious thing about Trick Trick is that he fought the Detroit Police over a fantasy murder charge that had him sitting in a cell for close to seven months. Thankfully due to a strong family, a healthy bank balance, a competent team of lawyers and, and the fact that innocence reigned, Trick Trick came out as the Champ.
However, this undoubtedly has a lasting effect on a person and it is unsurprising as to why on December 13th, we will see The People Versus on the shelves exemplifying just what Trick went through during that somewhat turbulent chapter of his life. Due to industry tussles with Jimmy Iovine over releasing Eminem, to features on the Summer anthem “Welcome to Detroit,” which is on the album, Trick Trick had to shed his independent apparel for a Universal/Motown outfit. Not necessarily what he had hoped for, but when you understand just how business minded this Detroit superstar is, the offer just had to be in his favor.
SoundSlam: If you were to show someone around Detroit, where would be the first place you would take them to?
Trick Trick: I would take them to the Seven mile area as that is where I am from. It’s a cool area. You know it transformed from a nice neighborhood to a place where you really don’t want to raise a family. The block where I grew up was a nice block, but it’s gone and now it’s a new generation and further up the area is notorious.
SoundSlam: Is Seven Mile an area of Detroit then?
Trick Trick: It is actually a street, which runs from the far west side to the far east side. It’s like Eight Mile is the border between the hood and the suburbs. You actually change cities and change counties across Eight Mile, Wayne County to Oakland County. There is the difference for getting probation for a sack of cocaine and getting ten years.
SoundSlam: So what was it like for you growing up in Detroit?
Trick Trick: You know we didn’t have everything, we didn’t have a lot. My Mother struggled you know.
SoundSlam: So you were raised by just your Moms?
Trick Trick: No, my Father was there for my early years but by the time I turned twelve my Mother and Father separated. It was a serious transition for me as I didn’t have that guy on my back, you know so I could do what I wanted to do. I mean I tried to steer my brothers away from getting into all types of shit.
SoundSlam: So as an older brother you took the role of Father figure I guess? Did that take its toll on you?
Trick Trick: Yeah I had to get out there and work for them so I could support them. I did a job here and there but that wasn’t enough.
SoundSlam: You made a serious name for yourself with the Detroit Police by fighting a murder charge and winning through your innocence. What was the real story there?
Trick Trick: I don’t like no police really but there was one Detective with the Detroit Police who locked me up for the murder charge and took a statement from the second or third witness who has already said she didn’t know me and I was down the street when their brother was killed. These detectives kept harassing me and seriously the Detroit Police have got to be the laziest and most stupid Police Department in the whole country…There are so many people incarcerated for things that they didn’t do but they don’t have the money to acquire proper representation to get out of their situation, which is messed up as it is all the fault of the Detroit Police.
SoundSlam: How long were you inside on this charge?
Trick Trick: I was inside for six and a half, seven months.
SoundSlam: You were innocent, you had a strong legal team on the outside fighting for you, but was there any time when you thought you weren’t going to beat this?
Trick Trick: There was a few, but towards the end there was one point where something happened and I was like ‘I know I am getting out of here.’ The evidence that my representation had raised enough doubt to where there was no way possible to convict a person. There was no way they could have convicted me, a jury of twelve 75 year old white women would have said not guilty. The case was that weak. The police will do what they do to set a person up ,but if you got money to go all the way with them and fight it out with them, you will come up with new innovative ways to beat the way they work. They think you get a suspect and a witness it is a done deal. Witnesses were coming in and saying that I was in my car and this detective wouldn’t take their statement.
SoundSlam: How hard was it though finding a team to represent you when you were on the inside? Was this a lawyer you already had?
Trick Trick: No, I let one of them go and then hired another one. It took a minute to find the right team. My family was always out there working, trying to find the witnesses that would increase my chance; there were some incredible witnesses for that matter. I knew who did it but it wasn’t my job to tell them. If someone don’t stand for what they believe then everyone will fall. We had the right investigator who went out and found the witnesses and got those witnesses into the court room, get them in front of the judge and tell him that it wasn’t this guy. Everyone seen this murder take place. If Trick Trick is on the corner, then he is not the killer when the guy is shooting in the middle of the block. It took those witnesses to come in and let them all know that I wasn’t the guy. My family worked day after day with the lawyers and the investigators making sure sh*t got done and help finding the witnesses.
SoundSlam: This whole chapter has been a big influence on your life and that is obvious with your up coming album The People Versus, and the same titled DVD, when can we expect to see those on the shelves?
Trick Trick: December 13th, there is a bonus CD where the DVD is going to be packaged with that. Originally I was putting the CD out with the DVD but when I went with Universal and Motown sh*t changed.
SoundSlam: Yeah I know you were having problems back in the summer with Jimmy Iovine releasing Eminem, who featured on your track “Welcome to Detroit,” is that why you ended up with Motown/Universal?
Trick Trick: Well, there was this A and R at Motown and he just wouldn’t give up and him and his boss made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I wanted to go independent as I had everything in place but the only thing was Jimmy would not clear the track I did with Em as I was an independent.
SoundSlam: So that was what made you take the deal as opposed to staying indie?
Trick Trick: Yeah because if he would have cleared it for me I wouldn’t be where I am right now. Everything happens according to God’s grand plan so we just let it play out.
SoundSlam: You are one of the biggest selling independent artists in the country if not the biggest. I guess that could be seen as a threat.
Trick Trick: (Laughter)All it takes is one hit record that goes gold and you don’t have to split it with nobody and I distributed those myself. I took boxes upon boxes of cassettes up to distributors, and mom’s and pop’s store myself in my Jeep Cherokee and I would drive the records to Indiana or I would drive them to Ohio. I went gold and that’s 500,000 right there and you keep going over the years you got 30,000 here and 50,000 there, then you produce this guy and he sells and he moves 40,000. It’s easy to make big money that way.
SoundSlam: So now with your new album what can we expect to see from you?
Trick Trick: A lot of drama and a lot of emotion, a lot of great music and a lot of realness.
SoundSlam: Who do you have on there with you?
Trick Trick: It has Eminem on there, Proof, Mr. Porter, Obie Trice and the only outsider I have on the album is Jazze Pha and he produced one song and featured on the same song.
SoundSlam: Did you do much producing?
Trick Trick: Yeah I did the majority of it, Mr. Porter did two, Eminem did two and they featured on those and then Jazze did the track that he featured on. I have 16 songs on that album.
SoundSlam: You really get involved in all your projects as you have everything in the same building, recording studios, movie studio, offices etc. Is it hard for you to switch off at the end of the day?
Trick Trick: As long as I know I work all day to do something to get toward where I am trying to get to, then I can sleep. But then the next day it is hard to get up but once I get up I am back on it again.
SoundSlam: So where are you trying to get to?
Trick Trick: I am trying to go as far as I can until I die. I want to leave my kids and my grand kids something behind. You know so they can turn around and say their Granddaddy was Trick Trick.
SoundSlam: What was the deal with you and Styles P, you know how people blow up a situation by exaggeration, etc., can you break it down for me?
Trick Trick: We squashed all that in the Bahamas. It was just a situation where he was supporting his people and his friends were out of line, but it’s over with. He is a real man for confronting that situation the way he did and we ironed it out and he is welcomed back to my city any time he is ready.
Artist: Trick Trick
Interviewer: Melanie J. Cornish
Unfortunately we live in a society where having ‘beef’ with fellow artists brings you more attention than the truly important things in life; such as freedom and success. Trick Trick’s ‘beef’ with Styles P and Trick Daddy was actual ‘beef,’ not fabricated cow dung just to sell records. But, there is a lot more to this entrepreneur than fighting with fellow artists. A whole lot more! He has sold more than a million records independently. He produces. He acts. But, perhaps the most notorious thing about Trick Trick is that he fought the Detroit Police over a fantasy murder charge that had him sitting in a cell for close to seven months. Thankfully due to a strong family, a healthy bank balance, a competent team of lawyers and, and the fact that innocence reigned, Trick Trick came out as the Champ.
However, this undoubtedly has a lasting effect on a person and it is unsurprising as to why on December 13th, we will see The People Versus on the shelves exemplifying just what Trick went through during that somewhat turbulent chapter of his life. Due to industry tussles with Jimmy Iovine over releasing Eminem, to features on the Summer anthem “Welcome to Detroit,” which is on the album, Trick Trick had to shed his independent apparel for a Universal/Motown outfit. Not necessarily what he had hoped for, but when you understand just how business minded this Detroit superstar is, the offer just had to be in his favor.
SoundSlam: If you were to show someone around Detroit, where would be the first place you would take them to?
Trick Trick: I would take them to the Seven mile area as that is where I am from. It’s a cool area. You know it transformed from a nice neighborhood to a place where you really don’t want to raise a family. The block where I grew up was a nice block, but it’s gone and now it’s a new generation and further up the area is notorious.
SoundSlam: Is Seven Mile an area of Detroit then?
Trick Trick: It is actually a street, which runs from the far west side to the far east side. It’s like Eight Mile is the border between the hood and the suburbs. You actually change cities and change counties across Eight Mile, Wayne County to Oakland County. There is the difference for getting probation for a sack of cocaine and getting ten years.
SoundSlam: So what was it like for you growing up in Detroit?
Trick Trick: You know we didn’t have everything, we didn’t have a lot. My Mother struggled you know.
SoundSlam: So you were raised by just your Moms?
Trick Trick: No, my Father was there for my early years but by the time I turned twelve my Mother and Father separated. It was a serious transition for me as I didn’t have that guy on my back, you know so I could do what I wanted to do. I mean I tried to steer my brothers away from getting into all types of shit.
SoundSlam: So as an older brother you took the role of Father figure I guess? Did that take its toll on you?
Trick Trick: Yeah I had to get out there and work for them so I could support them. I did a job here and there but that wasn’t enough.
SoundSlam: You made a serious name for yourself with the Detroit Police by fighting a murder charge and winning through your innocence. What was the real story there?
Trick Trick: I don’t like no police really but there was one Detective with the Detroit Police who locked me up for the murder charge and took a statement from the second or third witness who has already said she didn’t know me and I was down the street when their brother was killed. These detectives kept harassing me and seriously the Detroit Police have got to be the laziest and most stupid Police Department in the whole country…There are so many people incarcerated for things that they didn’t do but they don’t have the money to acquire proper representation to get out of their situation, which is messed up as it is all the fault of the Detroit Police.
SoundSlam: How long were you inside on this charge?
Trick Trick: I was inside for six and a half, seven months.
SoundSlam: You were innocent, you had a strong legal team on the outside fighting for you, but was there any time when you thought you weren’t going to beat this?
Trick Trick: There was a few, but towards the end there was one point where something happened and I was like ‘I know I am getting out of here.’ The evidence that my representation had raised enough doubt to where there was no way possible to convict a person. There was no way they could have convicted me, a jury of twelve 75 year old white women would have said not guilty. The case was that weak. The police will do what they do to set a person up ,but if you got money to go all the way with them and fight it out with them, you will come up with new innovative ways to beat the way they work. They think you get a suspect and a witness it is a done deal. Witnesses were coming in and saying that I was in my car and this detective wouldn’t take their statement.
SoundSlam: How hard was it though finding a team to represent you when you were on the inside? Was this a lawyer you already had?
Trick Trick: No, I let one of them go and then hired another one. It took a minute to find the right team. My family was always out there working, trying to find the witnesses that would increase my chance; there were some incredible witnesses for that matter. I knew who did it but it wasn’t my job to tell them. If someone don’t stand for what they believe then everyone will fall. We had the right investigator who went out and found the witnesses and got those witnesses into the court room, get them in front of the judge and tell him that it wasn’t this guy. Everyone seen this murder take place. If Trick Trick is on the corner, then he is not the killer when the guy is shooting in the middle of the block. It took those witnesses to come in and let them all know that I wasn’t the guy. My family worked day after day with the lawyers and the investigators making sure sh*t got done and help finding the witnesses.
SoundSlam: This whole chapter has been a big influence on your life and that is obvious with your up coming album The People Versus, and the same titled DVD, when can we expect to see those on the shelves?
Trick Trick: December 13th, there is a bonus CD where the DVD is going to be packaged with that. Originally I was putting the CD out with the DVD but when I went with Universal and Motown sh*t changed.
SoundSlam: Yeah I know you were having problems back in the summer with Jimmy Iovine releasing Eminem, who featured on your track “Welcome to Detroit,” is that why you ended up with Motown/Universal?
Trick Trick: Well, there was this A and R at Motown and he just wouldn’t give up and him and his boss made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I wanted to go independent as I had everything in place but the only thing was Jimmy would not clear the track I did with Em as I was an independent.
SoundSlam: So that was what made you take the deal as opposed to staying indie?
Trick Trick: Yeah because if he would have cleared it for me I wouldn’t be where I am right now. Everything happens according to God’s grand plan so we just let it play out.
SoundSlam: You are one of the biggest selling independent artists in the country if not the biggest. I guess that could be seen as a threat.
Trick Trick: (Laughter)All it takes is one hit record that goes gold and you don’t have to split it with nobody and I distributed those myself. I took boxes upon boxes of cassettes up to distributors, and mom’s and pop’s store myself in my Jeep Cherokee and I would drive the records to Indiana or I would drive them to Ohio. I went gold and that’s 500,000 right there and you keep going over the years you got 30,000 here and 50,000 there, then you produce this guy and he sells and he moves 40,000. It’s easy to make big money that way.
SoundSlam: So now with your new album what can we expect to see from you?
Trick Trick: A lot of drama and a lot of emotion, a lot of great music and a lot of realness.
SoundSlam: Who do you have on there with you?
Trick Trick: It has Eminem on there, Proof, Mr. Porter, Obie Trice and the only outsider I have on the album is Jazze Pha and he produced one song and featured on the same song.
SoundSlam: Did you do much producing?
Trick Trick: Yeah I did the majority of it, Mr. Porter did two, Eminem did two and they featured on those and then Jazze did the track that he featured on. I have 16 songs on that album.
SoundSlam: You really get involved in all your projects as you have everything in the same building, recording studios, movie studio, offices etc. Is it hard for you to switch off at the end of the day?
Trick Trick: As long as I know I work all day to do something to get toward where I am trying to get to, then I can sleep. But then the next day it is hard to get up but once I get up I am back on it again.
SoundSlam: So where are you trying to get to?
Trick Trick: I am trying to go as far as I can until I die. I want to leave my kids and my grand kids something behind. You know so they can turn around and say their Granddaddy was Trick Trick.
SoundSlam: What was the deal with you and Styles P, you know how people blow up a situation by exaggeration, etc., can you break it down for me?
Trick Trick: We squashed all that in the Bahamas. It was just a situation where he was supporting his people and his friends were out of line, but it’s over with. He is a real man for confronting that situation the way he did and we ironed it out and he is welcomed back to my city any time he is ready.
