Trigga tha Gambler

Trigga, also Trigger tha Gambler (born Tawan Smith), is an American East Coast rapper. He is the younger brother of Damon Smith aka Smoothe da Hustler,^[1] and first became known for his "aggressive hardcore flow" on his brother's 1995 hit single "Broken Language".^[2][3][4]

In 1996 Trigga was on No Doubt's roster.^[5][6][7][8] In 1999 the brothers were signed to Tommy Boy Records to work on an album Dying To Live.^[9][10]

Discography

With Smoothe da Hustler

• "Broken Language".^[11]
• "Fuck Whatcha Heard", "Murdafest" and "My Brother My Ace" from Once Upon a Time in America
• "My Crew Can't Go For That" (also features DV Alias Khrist) from The Nutty Professor Soundtrack^[12]
• His 1996 album Life's A 50-50 Gamble was supposed to be released on Def Jam Recordings, but he was dropped from the label, and the album was canceled.^[13]
• "Rap Game" from Violenttimes Day

On other artist's recordings

• Shyheim: "What Makes the World Go Round" with Rubbabandz, Trigga tha Gambler, Smoothe da Hustler and DV Alias Khrist (The Lost Generation, 1996)
• Blahzay Blahzay: "Danger, Pt. 2" with Trigga tha Gambler, Darkman and Smoothe da Hustler (Blah Blah Blah, 1996))
• SWV: "'96 Anthem - You're the One (All Star Rap Remix)" with Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Mr. Cheeks, Smoothe da Hustler and Trigga tha Gambler (SWV Greatest Hits, 1999)
• DJ Tomekk: Beat of Life single (Modul, 2002) with Ice-T, Sandra Nasić and Trigga Tha Gambla.^[14]

References

1. Vibe Feb 1997 - Page 26 "And so getting Trigger tha Gambler to play his brother, Smoothe da Hustler, in a game of Uno, the classic family card game, was a no-brainer. But we had to find a prize befitting such an epic encounter. We made a few phone calls, and, ..."
2. Adam Bradley Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop - 2009- Page 182 "Perhaps the classic example of rap kenning, though, is Smoothe da Hustler and Trigga Tha Gambler trading bars on 1995's “Broken Language."
3. The Anthology of Rap 0300163061 ed Adam Bradley, Andrew Lee DuBois, Henry Louis Gates (Jr.) - 2010 "It's impossible not to hear echoes of H. Rap Brown's signifying virtuosity when reading the lyrics to Smoothe da Hustler and Trigga da Gambler's "Broken Language.” "
4. Billboard - 23 March 1996 - Page 29 THE RAP COLUMN " Trigga, who has an aggressive hardcore flow, can be heard on Smoothe Da Hustler's smash street single "Broken Language" on Profile Records."
5. Billboard - 23 March 1996 - Page 26 "Currently, No Doubt's roster includes Trigga The Gambler (Smoothe Da Hustler's brother), D.V. Alias Khrist, and NME."
6. Vibe Apr 1996 - Page 50 "Even Smoothe's mother and his younger brother/occasional rhyme partner, Trigga da Gambler, panicked. It was easy to believe Smoothe's hustling days had caught up with him. But Smoothe chuckles at the memory. "I was in a hotel room, ..."
7. Billboard - 1 June 1996 - Page 75 ... winding up with clips from Trigga tha Gambler and As Yet Untitled (a new Babyface discovery that will have its single released through Arista/BMG, which retains the rights). "We've got it timed so that we can stop spending our money as soon as ...
8. Billboard - 22 March 1997 - Page 28 "The client roster of Osse & Woods includes producers the Hitmen (Deric Angilette, Ron Laurence, Nasheim Myrick, Carlos Brody) and Clark Kent; rappers Tragedy Khadaffi, Capone-N-Noriega, Big Jaz, Trigga The Gambler, Pretty Boy "
9. CMJ New Music Report - 16 Aug 1999 - Page 13 "FAMILY AFFAIR: Tommy Boy Records recently signed the Smith Brothers, individually known as Smooth Da Hustler and Trigga Da Gambler. The dynamic duo is currently working on its album Dying To Live."
10. HipHop DX
11. Vibe Apr 1996 - Page 50 "Over stripped-down drums, Smoothe and Trigga each Pdrop maxims Dolomite-style: "The money stasher / Gun-blastin' razor/The human asthma breath taker/ Body dump waster." It's gangsta rap, from a brother who's lived it. "
12. Billboard - 7 Sept 1996 - Page 24 MY CREW CAN'T GO FOR THAT (FROM "THE NUTTY PROFESSOR"! ♢ TRIGGA THA GAMBLER FEAT. SMOOTHE THA HUSTLER & D.V. AUAS KHRIST •
13. DiBella, Michael. "Smoothe da Hustler biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
14. Rapper, Writer, Pop-Cultural Player: Ice-T Dr Josephine Metcalf, Dr Will Turner - 2014 "“Beat of Life” (Modul, 2002)withDJ Tomekk, Sandra Nasic and Trigga Tha Gambla. "