Trinidad James facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Trinidad James
James performing in 2013
Background information
Birth name	Nicholaus Joseph Williams
Born	(1987-09-24) September 24, 1987 (age 37) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter music video director
Years active	2011–present
Labels	APG Warner Gold Gang Think It's a Game (T.I.G.) Def Jam

Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut single, "All Gold Everything" commercially that same month. The song peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album.

In the late 2010s, he shifted from recording to songwriting. He has been credited as a co-writer for primarily female artists such as City Girls, Kehlani, Flo Milli, Queen Naija, and Lakeyah, among others. Trinidad James has co-written songs including Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk", Fifty Fifty's "Barbie Dreams", and Bhad Bhabie's "Hi Bich". He signed with Artist Publishing Group in 2018. Furthermore, he has directed music videos for the songs "Made for Me" by Muni Long and "Gas You Up" by Kaliii.

Early life

Nicholaus Williams was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. His family moved to Canada and Florida before settling in the Bronx, New York City. As a child, he went to Catholic school. He has stated he cannot remember any parts of his life before the age of seven because of a head injury. In the eighth grade, he moved to Atlanta, where he began playing basketball. He began rapping in November 2011. He has listed Jay-Z, Cam'ron, T.I., and Young Jeezy as his influences.

Career

In December 2012, James released his debut single, "All Gold Everything", which charted in the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100. ..... On December 13, 2012, it was announced James had signed a record contract with Def Jam Recordings worth approximately US$2 million. In January, Def Jam re-released Don't Be S.A.F.E to iTunes, which included the remix to "All Gold Everything" featuring 2 Chainz, T.I., and Young Jeezy. ..... This would later mark his final song to reach the latter chart to date. Later that year, he would perform alongside French Montana, ASAP Rocky, and Schoolboy Q for the remix of ASAP Ferg's single, "Work". Both features would receive platinum certification from the RIAA.

In August 2013, he announced and subsequently released his second mixtape, titled 10 PC Mild, through Def Jam and Think It's A Game Entertainment. The mixtape garnered generally mixed reviews, although many of whom considered it an improvement from his previous effort and praised the slew of guest performers which included Childish Gambino, Travis Scott, Fabo, Cyhi the Prynce, and Gucci Mane. After months of not releasing any new music, James announced that he had been dropped from Def Jam on August 1, 2014. He also indicated that instead of releasing his album through the label, he would make it available for free, and that the producers and rappers who contributed to the project should not expect any compensation because he had "no money." In April 2016, James released the single "Just a Lil' Thick (She Juicy)" featuring Mystikal and Lil Dicky. On December 31, 2016, James released a mixtape "The Wake Up 2" to streaming services such as Spotify and to mixtape websites alike.

On June 9, 2018, James released a single titled "M.M.M. (Marilyn Maryland Marilyn)" to streaming services. The music video, directed by Mike Marasco was uploaded to YouTube on the same day.

On November 27, 2019, in an interview with popular rap talk show "No Jumper", James stated that his current favorite rappers were "Doja Cat and Lil Nas X, I love those guys, partly because their flows remind me of myself" and later in the interview when asked about what his hopes for his current favorite rappers James proclaimed "I would hate to see them quit. You know. The last thing I'd want to see is for them to fall off just like I have."

As of 2018, James is a host on a YouTube talk show, Full Size Run. and he appeared in the Safdie Brothers' film Uncut Gems.

Discography

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Music videos

See also

In Spanish: Trinidad James para niños