Trini To D’Bone: Watch Trinidad James’ “Females Welcomed” Video

Words by Jesse Serwer—

Atlanta’s Trinidad James continues to rep his Trini roots, this time with a video shot in Port of Spain by hip-hop photographer (and honorary Trini) Jonathan Mannion. “Females Welcomed” stands out on Trinidad James’ Don’t Be S.A.F.E. mixtape for its unusual structure—it’s basically two tracks in one, a fairly typical rap-and-hook thing to start, then a trippy club track. Mannion’s video, filmed during James’ first visit back to his native Trinidad since skyrocketing to fame late last year, reflects these dual energies. As with the music, the first half is more straightforward, giving us a look at some sexy females and typical Port of Spain scenery, while the second half absorbs the mystical vibes of Carnival —it was shot around Carnival time in February.

Also making a cameo is Machel Montano, who brought James out to perform at his pre-Carnival Machel Mondays concert in February (they also recorded a soca remix of James’ signature hit “All Gold Everything” with Pitbull) some footage of which is included here.