Disclaimer: You may be wondering why this is being posted here now, months after Trinidad Jame$ has seemingly become a well-known name in what feels like the blink of an eye. Well, while doing some winter cleaning behind the scenes, I found this post I wrote on Trinidad back in August. August 28th to be exact. On everything, these were my words then, not now. For whatever reason, I never hit “publish” and hence me looking like an idiot months later.
With the process of finding new believable talent in today’s landscape more difficult than attempting to mute “Stevie J” from your Twitter timeline on Monday night, the actual thought of doing so can be exhausting. It’s the exact reason why discovering someone worthwhile is so rewarding. Last week, my big homie Maurice Garland hit me on G-Chat with the message, “Take a listen to this guy name Trinidad James. He may be the next one out of the A to get a real push.” Or at least something to that extent.
Because I was at work when he sent it – and I’m paranoid clicking on anything music related there – I saved the link in my inbox and made it a mission to later return to Trinidad’s music. Maurice’s opinion on music is one of the highest I hold (sometimes higher than my own), so I knew he wasn’t feeding me any bullish*t. Now off first glance, the cover can come off as somewhat of a joke. That being said, try not to let the sheer outlandishness of it deter you because clicking play unveils an authentic journey through the mind of one of Atlanta’s – at this time – best kept secrets.
While he isn’t reinventing the lyrical wheel in the manner Outkast or other forefathers from the city did, James’ Don’t Be S.A.F.E. is a fresh listen and all around entertaining voyage. And that’s all the way down to the acronym standing for (Don’t Be) Sensitive As F*ck Everyday. From the first few listens, “One More Molly,” “All Gold Everything,” “Gold On My Macbook” and “$outh$ide” stand out as my personal favorites, but is subject to change upon future spins.
Other quality aspect about the project is its duration. Clocking in at exactly 10 tracks, Trinidad doesn’t allow for the listener to become tired of the music given the fact it’s over as quickly as it begins. Or at least that’s how it seems. An often misstep new artists (or any artist for that matter) can embark upon convoluted releases with upwards of 17-20 tracks.
Anywho, James’ future is as uncertain at this point as his music is certainly worth a listen. Maybe he’s a flash in the pan. Possibly, he’s the next big thing to emerge from Atlanta. One thing I do agree on Maurice with, however, is “he’s probably the first person I’ve seen stick out like that since Young Dro came out back in ’05.” Indeed.
