Happy New Year to you. What’s been going on?

Trinidad Jame$: New album’s out now. It’s called No One Is Safe and it’s doing amazing for me online. We working, man. Looking forward to a great year.

Would you say you’ve changed much as an artist since your departure from Def Jam?

TJ: Yeah man, I’m just smarter now. I understand how the game works and I take it for what it really is. I feel like I got so much better too and I’m a way better artist. I’m working on putting a band together so that the live show comes all the way right.

What challenges are you facing as an independent artist that you didn’t face with a major?

TJ: Just being able to spread the music out to way more people. I feel like when people see the major label stamp, they feel like they have to listen to it. And when they see an independent artist, it’s like, “oh they fell off?” No. I’m going 17,000 times harder now without a label because I’m not some cage animal being told what to do and when to do it.

With everything that happened with Def Jam, do you feel like No One Is Safe is more or less a career-saver? 

TJ: I looked at this project like it was all about timing. I will tell you, if I just half-assed this project or whatever, it would be very hard to get my fans to stay believing in my music because of the fact that I’m new in music. What people don’t understand is, if you’re Wiz Khalifa, you can drop a horrible album, and another horrible album, and another horrible album, and it won’t matter as much because Wiz has already dropped so much music and has so many loyal fans. He’s already established, so it doesn’t matter. For me personally, I only have so much music out, so I’m still building my catalogue.

True. In that case, do you see yourself signing to a major again?

TJ: Hell no, bro. Hell no [laughs]. Me and the majors never really get on the same page, man. I’m too much of my own person and I don’t like people telling me what to do or stunting my creativity. So nah, I wouldn’t do it.