Trenton P

Hard work, dedication and humbleness are the three things that up-and-coming music artist Trenton Pinckard – Trenton P – lives by and hopes are reflected in both his music and his life. Despite a rocky start, Pinckard is looking ahead to a music career glittering with prospects that include opening for Grammy-award winning rapper Murphy Lee on Oct. 26 at the Coliseum Music Lounge.
Pinckard, 21, of Glen Carbon, knows only too well how important it is to focus on the good in life and not let the bad take hold. Two years ago he was involved in an accident along with another driver that left a teenage girl in critical condition while drag racing in St. Louis. Pinckard said that at first he didn’t realize what had happened or that the girl was hurt. When he did, he immediately turned himself in the following day. In January, 2012, he was sentenced to five years probation. That night is a moment that haunts him still. As a result, he is determined to do everything he can to better himself and help others in any way that he can.
“I’m a good person. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I learned a lesson,” said Pinckard.
Pinckard describes his music as the “next generation of hip hop.”
“It’s hip hop from the Midwest at its best,” he said. “My music is all me and I’ve had fun doing it.”
Ironically, Pinckard never played in a band in high school. Instead, he was always the guy on the sidelines watching and listening while his friends played. Then, about a year ago, he got started doing freestyle rap at parties and also writing. One day, he decided he wanted to record a song and so he walked into a studio and recorded his first single, “I’ll Be the Best,” in January, 2011 with the help of producer Chris Avery. The song got airplay on local radio station Z107.7 and, according to Pinckard, has received 25,000 plays in total across the United States, Europe and China. It has also been viewed approximately 14,000 times on YouTube, said Pinckard.
“That’s the cool thing about this song is it’s so popular and so many people like it that nobody really knows that I actually went into the studio and did it off the top of my head. I didn’t have any lyrics written down or anything like that,” he said.
He also just released the music video for the song “Living the Life.” Pinckard is managed by Luke Thalmann of Star Music.
His first full-length album, “CYHMN,” was released on Sept. 1, 2012. It consists of 10 tracks and is available to download through his website, www.trentonp.net. One of the songs, “Triple M AKA Scooby Doo” is a hard-hitting rap that references the drag racing accident and Pinckard’s remorse. The lyrics include the lines:
“I wish I could look into her eyes; tell her I’m so sorry but I don’t think that’ll ever happen. I try to think how her parents must feel being woke up late at night being told that your little girl is in the hospital not knowing what happened; if she’s alive or she’ll survive...I’m a monster, I’m a machine, I’m a mystery…I’ll be payin’ for my sins until the day that I die…”
Another track, “Drinks on Me,” is a slick and sexy hip hop song that shows Pinckard can sing as well as rap. It’s a catchy tune that reminds this reporter of her college nights spent in Brothers Bar in Champaign listening to the pumping music and enjoying good times with friends.
Pinckard listed the usual suspects when it comes to his influences - Kanye West, Big Sean, MGK and hometown favorites Nelly and Murphy Lee. He also said he enjoys underground, as well as mainstream artists.
In addition to his own musical career, Pinckard co-owns an artist management and promotion company called Camco Entertainment with friend Craig Cannady. He also works full-time for CVS drug store in Edwardsville.
When Pinckard isn’t working, making music or helping other artists, he keeps busy helping out his friends and family. This included helping a buddy find a job. He’s also deeply devoted to his parents, who he describes as his “number one supporters.”
“There’re a lot of people that would probably say that I’m not a good person or something like that but that’s because people that would say that knew me five years ago or when I was in high school,” said Pinckard. “I’ve got a big heart now and I want to do good things. I want to change people’s lives.” He went on to say that, “I’m not doing this music for the money. I’m in it for helping others and making a positive outcome. When people hear my name, I want them to think ‘Trenton P, he’s a good guy.’”
See Trenton P perform live ahead of Murphy Lee on Friday, Oct. 26 at the Coliseum Music Lounge’s Go to Hell 2012 Halloween Party. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. The Coliseum Music Lounge is located at 2619 Washington Ave., St. Louis, Mo., 63103.
To find out more about Trenton P, download music or see his video, visit www.trentonp.net or visit his Facebook page by searching Trenton Pinckard. - The Edge

Local hip-hop artist Trenton P will celebrate the drop of his second album, "Remember the Name," with a CD release show on July 19 at the Wildey Theatre.
It will be the Wildey’s very first hip-hop concert. Supporting acts include local artists Language, P.R.E.A.C.H., Vega Heartbreak, and Cz. D-Roc, a gospel rapper from Memphis, will also perform.
Trenton P and his crew will host a food drive on the day of the show outside CVS Pharmacy at 126 S. Buchanan. All proceeds will go toward the Glen-Ed Food Pantry. Two percent of the ticket sales from the concert itself will go to the Metro-East Humane Society.
Trenton P is hopeful that both the prominence of the Wildey and his willingness to put himself out in the open will set the tone for a more visible local scene.
After Wildey Program Coordinator Katie Grable took him on his first tour around the renovated theatre last week, he said he was “amazed” with the venue.
“If you look back on it, there’s been a good amount of people that have performed there. So I mean, being able to perform in my hometown at the Wildey, and them being so cool to us – we’re the first hip-hop show to perform there. That right there says a lot about what we’ve done,” Trenton P says.
Trenton P, neé Trenton Pinckard, took his natural affinity for rap music and committed to it early. (He lists both canonized giants and current names – Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Nelly, Kendrick Lamar, Machine Gun Kelly, and Rick Ross, among others – as influences.) Pinckard began to hone his style and flow in his hometown of Glen Carbon about three years ago. He was just 19 years old.
Soon thereafter, he took his talent to St. Louis studios, compiling and recording material for his first album. In the process, he attracted the attention of local apparel entrepreneur Mark Mauer, who shot Pinckard’s music videos and sponsored Pinckard under his clothing brand, Hollow Wear. Trenton P’s 10-track debut, "CYHMN," was released digitally through his website in September of last year, just in time for his 21st birthday.
With the 12-song "Remember the Name," he’ll have the benefit of larger distribution. Along with the physical CDs, the album will be available for digital download on iTunes, Amazon, Google Music, and directly from his website, www.trentonp.net.
“It’s just me being myself, not trying to impress anybody, and just enjoying exactly what I do,” Pinckard says. “My music is something that a lot of people can relate to. My music is an outburst of the soul through a microphone.”
Producer, rapper, and Savage Life Entertainment label representative Chris (“Cz”) Wills says Pinckard is driven to make a difference.
“I’ve worked with a variety of different artists, especially pretty much every local artist that has a name in this area. As far as Trenton goes, he’s a one-man machine, even without management. Of all the artists I’ve seen, (he has) the drive and the consistent hunger, not only in pushing forward but also learning the business as a whole,” Wills says.
“I’m a very blessed artist. I very much appreciate everything everybody does for me. Anything helps,” Pinckard says. “I love Edwardsville, I love Madison County, I love the Midwest, I love the 618. I appreciate everything about where I’m from, and I really like to embrace it.” - The Edwardsville Intelligencer

Local hip-hop artist Trenton P will celebrate the drop of his second album, "Remember the Name," with a CD release show on July 19 at the Wildey Theatre.
It will be the Wildey’s very first hip-hop concert. Supporting acts include local artists Language, P.R.E.A.C.H., Vega Heartbreak, and Cz. D-Roc, a gospel rapper from Memphis, will also perform.
Trenton P and his crew will host a food drive on the day of the show outside CVS Pharmacy at 126 S. Buchanan. All proceeds will go toward the Glen-Ed Food Pantry. Two percent of the ticket sales from the concert itself will go to the Metro-East Humane Society.
Trenton P is hopeful that both the prominence of the Wildey and his willingness to put himself out in the open will set the tone for a more visible local scene.
After Wildey Program Coordinator Katie Grable took him on his first tour around the renovated theatre last week, he said he was “amazed” with the venue.
“If you look back on it, there’s been a good amount of people that have performed there. So I mean, being able to perform in my hometown at the Wildey, and them being so cool to us – we’re the first hip-hop show to perform there. That right there says a lot about what we’ve done,” Trenton P says.
Trenton P, neé Trenton Pinckard, took his natural affinity for rap music and committed to it early. (He lists both canonized giants and current names – Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Nelly, Kendrick Lamar, Machine Gun Kelly, and Rick Ross, among others – as influences.) Pinckard began to hone his style and flow in his hometown of Glen Carbon about three years ago. He was just 19 years old.
Soon thereafter, he took his talent to St. Louis studios, compiling and recording material for his first album. In the process, he attracted the attention of local apparel entrepreneur Mark Mauer, who shot Pinckard’s music videos and sponsored Pinckard under his clothing brand, Hollow Wear. Trenton P’s 10-track debut, "CYHMN," was released digitally through his website in September of last year, just in time for his 21st birthday.
With the 12-song "Remember the Name," he’ll have the benefit of larger distribution. Along with the physical CDs, the album will be available for digital download on iTunes, Amazon, Google Music, and directly from his website, www.trentonp.net.
“It’s just me being myself, not trying to impress anybody, and just enjoying exactly what I do,” Pinckard says. “My music is something that a lot of people can relate to. My music is an outburst of the soul through a microphone.”
Producer, rapper, and Savage Life Entertainment label representative Chris (“Cz”) Wills says Pinckard is driven to make a difference.
“I’ve worked with a variety of different artists, especially pretty much every local artist that has a name in this area. As far as Trenton goes, he’s a one-man machine, even without management. Of all the artists I’ve seen, (he has) the drive and the consistent hunger, not only in pushing forward but also learning the business as a whole,” Wills says.
“I’m a very blessed artist. I very much appreciate everything everybody does for me. Anything helps,” Pinckard says. “I love Edwardsville, I love Madison County, I love the Midwest, I love the 618. I appreciate everything about where I’m from, and I really like to embrace it.” - The Edwardsville Intelligencer