Songs about keepin’ it real, staying true to the game, bar-b-q’n versus mildewin’, and opting to ride or die always seem to find themselves laced throughout a rapper’s lyrics to prove his or her value and credibility. So much so it’s gotten harder and harder to tell who’s who and what’s what. The alternative? Keeping’ it trill. At least that’s what Atlanta ’s own Trillville believes. Instead of keepin’ it real, Don P., Dirty Mouth, and Lil LA, AKA Lil Atlanta, keep it trill: a culmination of what’s truth and what’s real.
“Trillville started because everybody else was being real so we decided to be three times as real,” which is trill, says Don P. That’s all fine and dandy, but where in the hell is Trillville? “Trillville is any city, any hood, [and] any state that’s trill about representin’,” he continues. “And we fa’trill about representin’ the A-town.” As a matter of fact, Trillville kept things so persistently trill, they convinced BME Recordings, Atlanta’s premier indie label, owned by and responsible for the success of artists such as Lil John & The East Side Boyz, to attend one of their packed-out shows. Soon after the i’s were dotted, the t’s were crossed and Trillville had a deal with the power-team that has crunk music eating from the palms of their hands. “They are a movement,” describes Lil Jon. “Sorta how Cypress Hill was a voice for weed, Trillville is a voice for anarchy and rebellion. Their focus is on the movement of young people in high school and college. Like heavy metal.”
Speaking in the lobby of BME’s offices, Don P. explains. “We are going to continue what Lil Jon has established as the King of Crunk. We are goin’ to keep the movement going and the energy moving. As the heirs to the throne we will be known as the Gods of Crunk.” Like most rappers and producers, Trillville began their music careers in 1997 within the confines of the public school system. As 9th grade homies Don P., Dirty Mouth, and LA learned of each other’s talents and decided to become a group.
Dirty Mouth, the school’s section leader of the snare drumline, had an innate musical talent that lead to writing and spitting rhymes. “I got my name from spittin' dirty rhymes,” Dirty claims. “Music has always been apart of what I do. Even in [Morris Brown] college I majored in music production.” This caught the attention of Don P. who already owned a keyboard and was making beats to add to his repertoire of being an MC. “Dirty Mouth was writing raps in the 9th grade and I liked his raps,” further explains the former Clark-Atlanta University Mass Communications major. “They were pretty cool. I met LA in the 9th grade too. He was a promoter, at first promoting for me and Dirty Mouth. One day he told me he could rap. He got on the mic, we liked it and ever since then we been Trillville.” Each concert featured Don P. and Dirty Mouth performing and also showed the savvy promo skills of LA. “I always guaranteed a packed house wherever I promoted,” LA boasts. With the trio’s rhyme skills cross-pollinated with the production of Don P., the lyrics of Dirty Mouth, and the promotional skills of LA, Trillville could not be stopped. It was this entrepreneurial spirit that caught the eye of BME.
Trillville is tagged as “that young crunk,” representing a new revolution in Hip-Hop’s movement. Trillville counts among their musical influences classic artists such as The O’Jays and Earth, Wind, & Fire, along with contemporary artists such as Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz and Three 6 Mafia. “Neva Eva,” produced by Lil Jon and Don P. garnered much attention from the Atlanta crunk scene is now getting played nationally and is the first Trillville single and video from the upcoming album. Other songs on their upcoming debut album are “Bedroom,” “which is for the ladies,” smiles LA. “Stay Low,” produced by Lil Jon, is a follow-up to the smash hit single “Get Low.” Instead of glorifying the strippers of the shake-ya-booty clubs, it is a cut about robbing and being robbed. “Last Day Of School” is the rebellious follow up to “Neva Eva” and is produced by Don P.
The music of Trillville will not only introduce Don P., Dirty Mouth, and LA to a new fan base, but it highlights a movement that has long since been a part of the ATL-style for over two decades. They are the next generation of crunk and feel that their debut release The King of Crunk & BME Recordings Present Trillville & Lil Scrappy will not only enhance the budding crunk movement, but also further establish Southern hip-hop as its own entity.
