Day 316: “Don’t Trip” feat. Lil Wayne – Trina, Glamorest Life , 2005
The November 2005 issue of XXL, published in the lead up to Tha Carter II, sets out Lil Wayne’s narrative post-“Go DJ.” It discusses his renewed success, the coup that was the Destiny’s Child “Soldier” remix, his near-signing with Roc-a-Fella, his new role as president of Cash Money Records, his forthcoming collaborations with Chamillionaire and Paul Wall, the album to come, and a now oft-forgotten part of his story, his relationship with Trina.
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In 2005, Trina and Lil Wayne made a single together called “Don’t Trip.” According to XXL, it was “a song that got a lot of heads wondering exactly what was going on between the two.” The story then excitedly breaks the news of what was, in fact, going on:
An official statement on the matter showed up on Wayne’s bus just before it left Miami. Who should come walking on board but Miss Glamorest Life herself, looking straight chastened when she notices a stranger sitting there with a notebook. Wayne’s manager hooked them up a few months ago, and they’ve been spending time together ever since. Later, once Trina goes home and the bus is en route, Wayne opens up about their relationship… kind of. “We was like big sister and little brother at first,” he says. “We had never really kicked it, though. We was always like hi and bye. All it took was one sit-down with her, and you know…” He smiles.
It may sound bizarre now, given the way their careers diverged, but dating Trina was a big boost for Wayne. In 2005, she was a star, particularly in Miami, and the pairing made them a true rap power couple. That was especially valuable to Wayne, a recent Miami transplant. “Don’t Trip” wasn’t a huge hit—it peaked at number 78 on the Billboard rap songs chart, but it remains perhaps the most enduring document of the moment when Wayne had cemented himself as a rap star by landing a big name rapper girlfriend. There would be other milestones, of course. But this was a pretty good one.
Finally, shout out to the fact that Lil Wayne is wearing a Haitian flag on his head in this video. I don’t have any comment beyond that, but it’s cool!
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