Magic City: Trials of a Native Son

Trick Daddy · Peter Bailey

Nov 2010 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

“A thug is someone who stands on his own. He lives by the decisions he makes and accepts the consequences. A thug is comfortable in his own skin. I wear mine like a glove.”

Trick Daddy was born a thug—just a stone’s throw from downtown Miami, yet a world away from its dazzling beauty and sparkling wealth. Where grinding poverty, deadly crime, and devastating racial tension taught kids to live by the ’hood rules. Remarkably, Trick came from nothing and made it big just when his chances had run out.

Magic City is the extraordinary tale of a boy whose father was a pimp, who learned to hustle to survive, and whose only role model was his brother, the drug dealer he watched plying his trade on the block. It’s the untold truth behind the cult movie Scarface, of the drug money that transformed the city into a shining mecca for the rich and famous while turf wars between smalltime pushers claimed countless lives. It’s also the incredible story of how that potent mixture of extremes—the electric pulse and glittering abundance of South Beach and the crime, corruption, and despair in its shadows—gave rise to the most dominant sound in hip-hop today. Magic City is an ode to Miami, a riveting tale of a paradise lost and a native son determined to infuse it with new life.

Ratings and reviews

If you are a hip hop fan it's a must read, Trick not only tells his story but gives you a history lesson on the other side of Miami, what they would call the ghetto. He gives you both sides bad & good telling the kids in the end that's not the path to go down. Thank you...Trick daddy $s

Always love trick for his say it way u feel it style and this book takes u into the world and mindset that born a thug life created the real man before us called trick daddy dollas

IT'S A GREAT BOOK IT TELLS THE STRUGGLES TRICK WENT THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE AND HIS SICKNESS WITH LUPUS I KNOW I'M TWO YEARS LATE READING THIS BUT IT WAS WORTH IT

About the author

Trick Daddy is widely recognized as the greatest rap artist Florida had ever produced and one of the godfathers of Southern hip hop. His 2001 hit, “I’m a Thug” has been credited with infusing hip hop with new life. Blessed with the chameleon-like ability to flip from a booty-shakin’ party starter to insightful educator, Trick has been one of the most prolific southern talents since his introduction on Uncle Luke’s timeless 1996 dance floor staple, alongside the likes of T.I., Ludacris and Lil Wayne. The former convicted felon and ex-drug dealer has engaged listeners worldwide by making the “thug life” relevant to audiences across racial and economic lines.

Peter Bailey is currently the host of NBC’s nationally syndicated entertainment segment "Niteside NiteCap”, his award-winning work has appeared in the Miami Herald, Time, Newsweek, and The Village Voice.