Trinidad James

Biography

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 commercially release his debut single, "All Gold Everything×All Gold Everything20 December 2012 · Single · RemixSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1All Gold Everything3:09" 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 release a debut album.
In the late 2010s, he shifted from recording to songwriting. He has been credited as a ghostwriter for releases by recording artists including City Girls, Kehlani, Flo Milli, Queen Naija, and Lakeyah. He co-wrote 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×All Gold Everything20 December 2012 · Single · RemixSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1All Gold Everything3:09", which charted in the Top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was taken from his debut mixtape, Don't Be S.A.F.E. (Sensitive As Fuck Everyday), which was released on July 31, 2012, and re-released with a music video on October 16, 2012. 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. In the same month as his record deal signing, he made guest appearances on Gucci Mane's single "GuWop Nigga" and Wale's eighth mixtape Folarin. In February 2013, he would also make a guest appearance on Def Jam labelmate August Alsina's debut single, "I Luv This Shit", which became a hit on Rhythmic Contemporary radio, reached number thirteen on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number forty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100. 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×The Wake Up 21 January 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Taylor Swift4:132Conceited3:503Meek N Nicki3:404S.M.B.A.L2:505Henny Cup$2:536A Lobster Pizza Bitch3:357Ooooo Child Freestyle1:568Collard Green Suit Freestyle1:049Never5:06" 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."
Until the shows series finale in December 2023, James was a host on the YouTube talk show, Full Size Run. He appeared as himself in the Safdie Brothers' film Uncut Gems (2019).