Trina and Trick Daddy Kick Off 2020 With 99 Jamz Radio Show

The discographies of Miami rappers Trina and Trick Daddy have become synonymous with 305 culture. Since sharing their gritty flows with the world on the 1998 hit single “Nann,” the pair has helped to soundtrack the city and shape the direction of its hip-hop scene.

Fans who can't get enough of the Love and Hip Hop: Miami cast members through their TV show or their music will soon have a chance to tune into the TNT (Trick and Trina) dynamic through the recently announced The Trick & Trina Morning Show on 99 Jamz (WEDR-FM). The radio show will begin airing Monday, January 6, and replaces the syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show that occupied the 6-to-10 time slot.

Hailing from Liberty City, Katrina “Trina” Laverne Taylor and Maurice Samuel “Trick Daddy” Samuels are local pioneers whose careers span more than two decades. Trick’s street smarts and raw delivery earned him spots on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while Trina, AKA “Da Baddest Bitch,” rose to fame with the captivating, raunchy flow she showcased on her gold-certified debut album, 2000's Da Baddest Bitch.

The two told New Times that adding radio host to their robust resumés was a seamless transition. When the longtime collaborators were approached by Cox Media Group with the proposal to control a segment on the South Florida station, it was an easy “hell, yeah,” Trick Daddy says.

“We understand the importance of radio,” he says.   

Though fans witnessed an explosive feud between the former Slip-N-Slide label mates on a Love & Hip Hop: Miami reunion earlier this year, the two continue to collaborate. The radio format will allow them to offer a more nuanced insight into their working relationship.

“With the radio show, I am giving you a mix of Trina the MC and entertainer, as well as Katrina the businesswoman and the personality speaking to some of your favorite stars,” Trina says. “I have become the interviewer at the forefront of our show. Infuse this with Trick Daddy’s raw personality, and the listeners will hear a different side of our chemistry.”

Instead of representing themselves solely through their musical talent, Trick and Trina will spark conversation on topics specific to neighborhoods such as Liberty City that often go overlooked in mainstream media.

“We want to discuss deadbeat dads, current events, parenting... all of it. We just want Miami to have this,” Trick says. “We want to help the community. The problems in the hood come out of homes. These are our kids, so we need to pay attention.”  For Trina — who was recently honored with a dedication plaque from the City of Miami — it all boils down to representation and continuing to open doors for the next generation of female MCs, AKA femcees.

"I am so proud to hold my city down beyond the dreams I aspired to conquer, but also to represent the community and their voice in a sense," she says. "I want to continue making my mom proud of my growth. I want the younger women growing up in the same community I'm from to know they can conquer any goal and it doesn't have to be in one area of business or one industry."

The “Shut Up” duo will also be sure to integrate local music into the show. "We will definitely awaken Miami with the heart of what makes Miami's music and entertainment culture so diverse," Trina says.

However, Trick says the cutthroat nature of the music industry will ultimately determine who does and doesn't get featured on the radio show.

“As far as any artists, if you don’t have buzz in your city, you’re not getting buzz anywhere," he says. "We decide which artists are going to get played. Not every record is a hit record."

Knowing that programs such as the syndicated New York-based The Breakfast Club have already cornered the radio-morning-show market, Trick and Trina are not aiming to compete per se, but rather to portray Miami in a way that hasn't been done before.

Trick says the only difference between The Trick & Trina Morning Show and its contemporaries is the ten-second delay time for "his cussing."

Though the "Sugar (Gimme Some)" rapper might violate an on-air censorship rule or two, he and Trina agree morning radio will look quite different after they've shared their spin on it.

"It's an explosion of personalities from both spectrums," Trina says. "The TNT show will be one radio show for the books that will not be matched in any manner on morning radio."