Dunk Ryders

Did You Know?

• Trick Daddy appeared in the 2010 film Just Another Day playing Roman, a drug dealer.
• In 2018, Trick Daddy started appearing in the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop: Miami.
• In 2017, he started his podcast co-hosted by Supa Cindy.

Early life

Maurice Samuel Young entered the world on September 27, 1974, at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. His mother, Pearl Brockington, originally from South Carolina, moved her family from Goulds to the Liberty Square housing project in Liberty City, where she raised Young and his ten siblings. Their apartment building was nicknamed "Pork-N-Beans" because of the color of its doors. Young's father, Charles, worked as a local pimp. During his teenage years, Young lived with his father and his brother Derek "Hollywood" Harris, and together they sold crack cocaine. At age 15, Young was arrested for drug and gun charges; on the very day he got out, he was picked up again for attempted murder after shooting a man in a street fight. Convicted, he entered prison at 20. That same year, his brother was killed. Upon his release, Ted Lucas, the founder of Slip-n-Slide Records, pushed Young to focus on rapping and leave the street life behind.

Music career

Trick Daddy got his start on the 1996 track "Scarred" by Luther "Luke" Campbell, a former member of 2 Live Crew. The song, produced by Darren "DJ Spin" Rudnick and featured on Luke's album Uncle Luke, was a hit that grabbed the attention of both fans and record producers. Ted Lucas, a former concert promoter who was then CEO of Slip-n-Slide Records, signed Trick to the label. Under the name Trick Daddy Dollars, he released his debut album Based on a True Story in 1997, which found success in the Miami area. For his 1998 follow-up www.thug.com, he dropped "Dollars" from his name. The club track "Nann Nigga," featuring Trina, became a national hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. Later that year, Atlantic Records signed Trick and released Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47, with "Shut Up" as its lead single. His next single, "America" (featuring Society), was a political song. In 2001, Thugs Are Us dropped, featuring the hit "I'm a Thug," which peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. His fifth album, Thug Holiday, included the singles "In da Wind" and the title track. Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets arrived in 2004, with the hit "Let's Go," produced by Lil Jon and featuring Twista, which sampled guitar riffs from Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." That same year, Trick appeared on the Ying Yang Twins' "What's Happnin!," which hit number 30 on the Hot 100. "Let's Go" peaked at number seven on the Hot 100. In 2006, Back by Thug Demand was released, with singles "Bet That" and "Tuck Ya Ice" charting on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. This album also launched Trick's group, Dunk Ryders, with their track "Damn Right" featuring Dray Skky, and marked his joint venture label deal with Cash Money Records.

Legal issues

Trick Daddy's legal troubles began in 1993 when he was found guilty of cocaine possession, carrying a concealed weapon, and violating probation, leading to a 15-month prison sentence in Florida. A decade later, in February 2003, he was arrested on gun charges after a dispute at a basketball game. That September, police discovered cocaine and marijuana in his pocket, resulting in a guilty plea to cocaine and weapons charges, for which he received probation. On April 3, 2014, he was arrested outside his Miramar home. Police had been watching the property, suspecting it was a grow house. With a warrant and drug-sniffing dogs, they searched the home and found one gram of cocaine in his bedroom, plus a 9mm pistol and ammunition in another room. He faced charges for cocaine possession, firearm and ammunition possession by a convicted felon, and driving with a suspended license. He was released the next day after posting a $6,100 bond. On January 11, 2020, he was pulled over in Miami on suspicion of driving under the influence. Officers smelled alcohol on his breath, and after failing a field sobriety test, he was taken to the Hammocks District Station. During the booking process, police found cocaine wrapped inside a dollar bill, adding a cocaine possession charge. His bond for both charges was set at $6,000.

Personal life

Trick Daddy has lupus, a condition that has caused changes to his skin, but he has chosen to stop treating it. He explained that each medication required a monthly test or another drug to monitor for potential kidney or liver damage, leading him to quit all of them. The rapper has also struggled financially, filing for bankruptcy three times, with the most recent filing occurring on the same day his home was scheduled for foreclosure and auction. Additionally, his ex-wife Joy filed for divorce, a fact she disclosed during the second part of the Love & Hip Hop: Miami Season 2 reunion.