Trick Daddy, Rick Ross Celebrate Miami

Miami rap stars Trick Daddy and Rick Ross will be among the stars celebrating the city’s growing entertainment scene at this year’s Miami Stand Up.

The event is set to kick off at 11 p.m. Sunday (July 20) with red carpet arrivals at the Mansion nightclub in Miami Beach.

Special performances will follow the 11:45 p.m. arrivals at 1 a.m.

Hosted by actress Gabrielle Union and model Deelishis, Miami Stand Up will cap off a weekend of events that include a private yacht and bowling party.

"Miami is looking real good right now and we're going to have a good time this weekend," Trick Daddy stated.

Other celebrities set to attend the event include Minnesota Vikings lineman Bryant "Big Mac" McKinnie and former Pretty Ricky member Pleasure P -who serve as co-CEOs of Swagga Entertainment - rap diva Trina, DJ Khaled and Dunk Ryders.

For McKinnie, the success of entertainers like Rick Ross and Trina further add to the event’s festive atmosphere.

Ross' latest album Trilla debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart while Trina garnered success on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with a number one debut of her latest release Still da Baddest.

While the event is supposed to be a peaceful, tensions between Trick Daddy and Rick Ross remain high, due to rumors that Trick Daddy allegedly claimed that Ross was once a prison guard.

Trick Daddy Plans New Album And New Label

After releasing seven albums together, 2006's Back By Thug Demand marked the end of a successful partnership between Trick Daddy and Slip-N-Slide Records' CEO Ted Lucas. With so many other acts from the "Sunshine State" gaining noteriety, many fans were wondering what happened to Trick. Now that his Dunk Ryders label is established, Miami's unofficial mayor is a free agent, and looking to make a power move. Trick Daddy spoke exclusively to HipHopDX about leaving Slip-N-Slide, his Dunk Ryders label and rumors of him joining Rick Ross at Def Jam.

"As far as me not being on Slip-N-Slide records anymore, that was a sore growing on my foot that I healed," Trick Daddy says. "I put Neosporin on it and I can walk now. Know that people have always thought and will continue to think that I am Slip-N-Slide."

While he wouldn't explicitly outline what led to the split, Trick Daddy obviously wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with Lucas anymore saying, "It was more than just the business aspect of why I’m not over there anymore. It’s crazy that I’ve sold a lot of records and made a lot of money for the company. I paid a lot of bills and my sales bought a lot of houses and cars for the people who work at and own these companies. It’s funny that our kids never played with crayons together. It’s funny that my kid can walk past your kid and not even know him."

During the two-year hiatus Trick founded Dunk Ryders Records and entered a joint-venture with Cash Money Records for his group, also named The Dunk Ryders. The Miami native is pleased with the arrangement, but he's not willing to give up too much information about his solo plans just yet.

"My album that’s coming out now, Finally Famous: Born a Thug Die a Thug, will give you the same treatment," Trick says of his forthcoming project. "I’m not gonna sugarcoat nothing, because I don’t know how to do that. I’ve got something for the club, something for the women and everything is strictly for the thugs. You’ll have to listen to it."

And what of the rumors that Trick Daddy is headed to Def Jam? Just rumors, says Trick, "I’ve got a lot of respect for Def Jam. Def Jam put out a lot of artists and they’ve had a lot of success in the music game. I’m leaning toward putting my shit out on my own. I have investors now and I have a business partner. If you call next week you can probably get that info, but I don’t want to spill the beans yet."