Taliban, Trimothy, Sith lord or as we more commonly know him – TRIM. Real name Javan St. Prix, Trim is a British born, East London bred MC with a catalog of history behind him. It’s no surprise that people still ask where a name like ‘Trim’ actually originated from, but he soon clarifies that it was actually a name given to him by his fellow football team mates for always turning up to practice or games with messy hair.
Once started, Trim quickly made a name for himself within the Grime Scene with his intriguing play on words, unique flow and sheer confidence whether it be a quick 16 bar or some of the most memorable war dubs we know of today (Wiley, Stormin and Big H to name a few).
Although being closely affiliated with the grime crew Bomb Squad in the early 2000’s, most of us have grown to know and associate him with the crew Roll Deep. Whilst a part of the collective, Trim featured on a number of albums and releases including ‘Creeper Volumes 1 and 2’, ‘In at the Deep End’, ‘Rules and Regulations’ and other Roll Deep releases including the crew’s Danny Weed and Target’s ‘Aim High’ series. Roll Deep took the scene by force with a number of their Eski-vibe beats, skippy flows and lyrics just about anyone could relate including unforgettable tracks like ‘When I’m Ere’ and ‘Heat Up’.
They toured up and down the country promoting their most formidable album “In at the Deep End” which even reached as far as performing over in the USA. The success came as a surprise to Roll Deep themselves, as at the time, Trim was quoted “I mean, this isn’t for the tugs dem. But when you’re with your bredrins you have fun so that’s what we’re doing like any other boys might. I don’t think anyone in Roll Deep expected to go in this direction but listen to it and don’t care about anything. That’s what we tried to do”.
As well as being the cousin to Roll Deep’s DJ Karnage and other former member MC Roachee, Trim was also like family to long time school friend and also Roll Deep member; Scratchy. Their infectious cheeky flows evidently worked well with each other as they went on to perform at sets and release tracks such as ‘Trim’n’Scratch’ as well as a load more hilarious dubs.
After over two years of being with Roll Deep, it was high time Trim spread his wings and ventured out into the musical world as a Solo Artist in 2006. In an interview[1] with GrimeDaily, Trim claimed it was difficult working with people he didn’t know as well as others which was fundamentally the reason he chose to leave the crew.
Being a member of Roll Deep or not hasn’t left Trim’s talents unnoticed. During and after being a part of the crew, Trim was also taken in by British musician Mike Skinner AKA ‘The Streets’ and was placed on a remix track to ‘The Mitchell Brothers’ original single ‘Routine Check’ alongside Kano, Scratchy & JME. Other tracks released whilst working with Mike Skinner’s (now defunct) label ‘The Beats’, include “Gave Him an Inch”.
Since taking the lead as a Solo Artist, Trim has released an abundance of singles, mixtapes and albums, some of which include ones we’re all very familiar with – Soul Food Volumes 1 – 4, Monkey Features Volumes 1 & 2, and most recently, Bandoolou. All of which include collaborations with the likes of Wiley, Tinchy Stryder, Scratchy, and more of his talented family including Nico Lindsey and Obese Obesity as well as many others.
More recently, Trim has delved deep into the heart of music itself and explored avenues further than just the Grime Scene. With Tracks like Hot Chip’s ‘Night & Day’ Remixed by 2 Bears featuring Trim himself, as well as Last Japan’s ‘East’, Trim has shown he is more than capable of exploiting his diversity in the delivery of his unique sound and flow whilst still remaining true to who he is.
Trim is currently working with Roachee on their first EP together called ‘The Nangest EP Volume 1’ – as the name suggests, you can be sure this won’t be the only EP you hear from the East London MCs. He has also spoken of releasing another album at some point before the end of 2012 so watch out for some more Sith Lord Music coming soon!
