Trick Daddy Thug Matrimony: Married To The Streets CD

Personnel: Trick Daddy; Betty Wright's Kids (vocals); Scratch Track (guitar); Miri Ben-Ari (violin); Dave Palmer (keyboards); Mike Caren (programming); Deuce Komradz, Dirtbag, Jazze Pha, Ludacris, Money Mark, Ronald Isley, Tampa Tony, Trina, Twista, Ying Yang Twins, Young Jeezy, Kase 1, Trey Songz, Smoke, Cee-Lo.
Audio Mixers: Jim Jonsin; Kevin Krause; Manny Marraquin; Luis Diaz; Ray Seay.
Recording information: 4-Star Studios, Miami, FL; Circle House, Miami, FL; Platinum Recording Studios, Miami, FL; Sho Nuff, Atlanta, GA; TDD Studios, Miami, FL; The Orange Grove, Los Angeles, CA.
Editor: Luis Diaz.
Photographer: Jonathan Mannion.
Arranger: B.O.X.
Growing in strength like his Southern brothers OutKast, Trick Daddy has released one high-quality album after another, each one expanding on the best moments of the last one. Being a true, sleazy thug might always keep him from reaching OutKast's poptacular, always-on-MTV success. Too bad, since Thug Matrimony is his Stankonia and would have him blowing up big time if it weren't for his awfully nasty, MTV-unfriendly mouth and the widespread fear of down-bottom Southern rap. It's an ambitious album with 17 tracks and packed with guest stars -- ones you'd expect and one you wouldn't, like Ron Isley. Isley's soulful voice on the guitar-filled "I Cry" is just one of many astonishing curve balls the album throws the listener, every one of them crossing the plate. An obscure Talking Heads track, "Sugar on My Tongue," is the oddball basis for the excellent jam "Sugar (Gimme Some)" with Cee-Lo and Ludacris guesting. Ozzy Osbourne's yelp from "Crazy Train" adds to the chaos of "Let's Go," featuring Twista and an especially hot Lil' Jon. If that isn't enough star power for you, Jazze Pha, Money Mark, Ying Yang Twins, and that long-lost Southern diva Khia join the party, but this is Trick's album all the way. He's corrected some errors made last time out by tightening up his poignant numbers to be more on-point, and the production is light years ahead of anything else he's ever done. Even the skits are worth repeated listens, and although the album runs over an hour, you'd be hard-pressed to find a track to skip. Be warned: while the music is glittery gold, Trick's mouth can get porno-store filthy and "J.O.D.D." could make Larry Flynt blush. If you can handle that, Thug Matrimony is nothing short of fantastic and required listening for fans of the Dirty South. ~ David Jeffries
In the middle of "I Wanna Sang," Trick Daddy muses about how he "started off with a poem and turned it into a song." The track, off his sixth record, THUG MATRIMONY, is a sweet song of hope akin to Nas's "I Can;" it's infused with a gentleness certainly at odds with Trick Daddy's harsh, thuggish image, but this contrast and complexity is not unusual for the Miami rapper.
Considering his millions of records sold and his crossover airplay, Trick Daddy is sometimes overlooked as an immense talent and deep thinker. THUG MATRIMONY, however, may just be his STANKONIA. Stylistically, the record unfolds in a playful and highly unpredictable manner. Many of the samples are comfortably familiar, but twisted into unusual shapes, as Trick Daddy lets loose his steady, natural flow with powerful, provocative lines and an understated manner (in the vein of Mos Def). Even the bouncing, dance-floor-ready "Let's Go" (with Lil Jon & Twista) features a surreal Ozzy Osbourne sample from "Crazy Train" and clever turns of phrase, in addition to the requisite chanted hook. Trick Daddy was already quietly ahead of the game for years, and, with THUG MATRIMONY, he reaches a new level of artistry.Entertainment Weekly (p.81) - "Still nasty, yes, but there's also a measurable maturity, with Trick delivering didactic and empowering lines..." - Grade: B
Vibe (pp.213-14) - 4 discs out of 5 - "Still equipped with the kind of street-savvy cuts that make him a true contender for the King of the South title, THUG MATRIMONY's pop sensibilities elevate Trick above a congested sea of thugs."