Over the weekend, controversial rapper Trinidad James announced he was dropped from Def Jam after signing a lucrative deal in December 2012. In a since-deleted tweet he vents: I should tell yall. I got dropped by the Label. My Album is now free. If u hear ur beat or verse on it. I hope u want dap cuz i got no money. James' run in the rap world was never met with open arms. He was a flamboyant Atlanta rapper that spoke against the rap holy land of New York City, and struggled move beyond the ever-increasing shadow of his viral hit "All Gold Everything", which FADER premiered. Last night, he dropped "Doin' Me," a dismissal of those that claimed to help him win but secretly waited for him to lose. We've heard this kind of talk before: paranoid, spiteful rap about those who pray and pray for my downfall. But coming from a voice like James, who for better or worse became an industry scapegoat for the flood of viral rap stars that have dominated narratives and boardrooms over the past few years, those concerns ring too loud and is ripe with genuine emotions. As the rap industry continues to champion young black artists when they prove profitable and abandon them during tougher times, it sounds like Trinidad James will be better off with this chapter of his life closed.
