Trillian Speaks On His 'Klassy Fly' Movement, Upcoming Music & More

Trillian Wood-Smith is quickly becoming a popular trendsetter in the music industry, and he's just getting started.

When he dropped his debut single "10 PM In Miami" last year, Trillian rapped about hitting the stage at the BET Awards. Nearly a year later, the rising artist manifested his dreams by performing the song, along with his latest single "Show Me Your Love," during the Red Carpet Pre-Show at the 2025 BET Awards in Los Angeles.

"Doing the BET Awards was definitely a good experience," Trillian tells iHeartRadio. "A lot of time, effort, grind, pain, blood, sweat, tears went into this."

"I just want to thank BET for allowing me to operate as a visionary, as a creative, as an artist to actually give the people the opportunity to see me, see my talent, and see what I'm capable of on such a stage," he continues. "I used to pray for this and I'm finally getting my shot, getting my opportunity and the BET Awards was something I really used to pray for so I'm just glad I was given an opportunity to be able to perform, show my talent on such a main platform, and, most importantly, for my culture, for African-Americans, for Black culture. I'm now apart of that history and it feels good."

Music runs in Trillian's blood thanks to his father, Busta Rhymes. He spit his first rhyme at age six after his brother TK wrote his first verse. The New York native grew up playing instruments like the drums and eventually joined his high school's marching band. Trillian began to take his passion for music seriously after he enrolled at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. While studying communications at the esteemed HBCU near Oxford, Trillian cooked up his own genre, which he calls "Klassy Fly."

"I got my own wave, It's called Klassy Fly," Trillian tells iHeartRadio. "'Klassy Fly' is literally its own genre. A bunch of just creative, chaotic, dope, visionary madness and creativity going on, but in a good way."

Trillian keeps it klassy on his latest single, "Show Me Your Love," featuring NLE Choppa. He produced the beat while living on campus and recorded the song in his dorm room using equipment from Kenny Lattimore, Jr., who also attended his school. You also can hear the vibes on Trillian's "10 PM In Miami" Remixes with Busta Rhymes, rising singer Honey Bxby, his Conglomerate labelmate Connie Diiamond, Cash Cobain and R2R Moe. Trillian and his dad have been working together in the studio since they first collaborated on "Hey You" off Busta's 2020 album E.L.E. 2: The Wrath of God. They reunited on Busta's 2023 album BLOCKBUSTA and again on his recent EP Dragon Season... Equinox. At this point, the father-son duo are unstoppable.

"The greatest thing about watching your child do what you do and what you love to do is when they choose to do it on their own, number one and number two, when they choose to do it their way and not try to do it the way you did it," Busta tells iHeartRadio. "To see him become a young artist, a young executive, and a young businessman, the most impressive thing is the fact that he understands that the one thing that connects us all, especially under my watch and under the Conglomerate Entertainment umbrella, is ain't nobody going to get no shortcut here and ain't nobody going to have no cheat code here and ain't nobody going to complain around here. Everybody got to bust their ass and work. At the end of the day, to see him do it as a father, there's no greater joy than that because there's a lot of other s**t that they could be doing that you definitely ain't going to be proud of as a parent."

With two major singles in rotation in fans' playlists everywhere, Trillian plans to keep the music coming in 2025. iHeartRadio sat down with the rising artist to talk about his "Klassy Fly" movement, the launch of his label Breadwinners Entertainment, his upcoming new music, working with his legendary dad, and more. Scroll below for the entire conversation.

First of all, congratulations on everything that you've been doing. What's something that keeps you motivated to keep you going?

I ain't going to front, I be having my days where... every artist gets hard on themselves at some point in time of their career. And most importantly, we all get discouraged, but the brighter picture is what the music is going to do, what the impact is going to make on people. That's really my inspiration for real. I know for a fact that at some point I'm going to get my break and I'm going to impact people. I'm already impacting people now, and that's my biggest s**t when it comes to this music thing. Just making a positive impact. Of course, we all got our flaws. We human beings we ain't perfect, but I'm trying the best way I can to put myself in a light where it's not negative. I'm trying to cater to the youth too, because there's a lot of kids that look up to me, watch me and watch what I do. So I don't really want to be that bad role model, or I don't want to be that artist where their parents are telling them, yeah, you can't listen to 'em at that age until you get to this age. So just the motivation of the kids, just motivation, knowing that I can make an impact with my words and my music. That's my biggest motivation.

You make up a decent part of what The Conglomerate is today, alongside your father and your label mates. What made you really want to follow in your dad's footsteps?

Like I said, bro, music was something that was always a part of my daily life. It was something I did every day whether that was me practicing for class, for the drums, whether that was me practicing and training my vocals to sound a certain way, whether that was me just working on my pen and just writing music. I just always been inclined with music. So I feel like the real inspiration was with my brother. My brother wrote my first rap, my middle brother, TK. He knew how to rap a little bit. And he was like, 'Yo, here, go with this.' And then I tried it. I performed it at my mom's grand opening at her store. She had a store back in the day, and I performed it at her grand opening. Me and my man's Lee Paris, shout out to LP and the whole YRF family. That was really the inspiration. From there, I was like, 'Yeah, I'm going to start writing my own lyrics and actually going crazy.' So ever since then, after my brother wrote my first rap, bro, I started really working on my pen and just writing my own lyrics, bro. And that s**t just became what it was now.

What would you say your goals and aspirations are as a musician in general?

That's a good question. Some of my goals and aspirations is one, to make an impact on the world and the youth, and, two, I want to be able to set up a foundation for other visionaries, creatives, artists and other people that want to get into the entertainment world, get into nightlife, get into rapping, get into photography, videography. I feel like I have all those resources and I feel like I can help connect those dots.

And also being a part of a fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Incorporated. Spring 2023. Four club, Line President, TikTok. So just being a part of all of that and actually getting that experience and just being able to connect with other individuals, that's been my biggest thing. I want to be able to create that foundation and that platform and give people that push so that they can also reach the networks and reach the people that they want to reach through whatever fields, whatever talents that they have.

How do you plan to do that?

Well that's the whole purpose of Breadwinners Entertainment LLC. That's my record company that I'm starting right now. I don't even really want to call it a record company no more, bro. I just really want call it like a foundation. A place where people can come to and actually be free. You don't got to deal with all the extra clauses of labels. So that's where I feel like I come into play.

Speaking of your music, I know you just dropped your new single, "Show Me Your Love" with NLE Choppa. Talk about how that record came together.

I actually made that song originally by myself, and I made that song in my dorm room gang. I was at school. I called my man, his name is Kenny Latimore. Well, Kenneth Latimore, his pops is Kenny Latimore. I went to school with his son. They both had the same name. I met him. He has a travel studio. He brought all his equipment from Cali to Philly and we happened to link up. We built a relationship, and over the course of a year, we recorded this song. Just so happened to be in my dorm room, chilling, vibing, ain't nothing to it. I was like, 'Yo, let's record a song.' I had this beat. I recorded the song. I'm like, 'Nah, this the one, this the one that people going to jack and f**k with, you feel me? I told my pops, 'Yo, bro, I got a song, you want hear it?' I sent it to him. Problem was, and you want to know it's crazy. "10 PM Miami," you know about that song?

Yeah, that was the next song I was going to ask about.

Yeah, that was my first single, and I'm probably about to answer your second question right now. That was supposed to be my second single. "Show Me Your Love" was supposed to be my first single, but the reason why we didn't get it out in time was because we couldn't get it cleared in time. So that's how "Show Me Your Love" came about for the second single. Now, "10 PM in Miami," that song really just came about from me experimenting in the studio. I ain't never made a song that sounds like that before. So for "10 PM," I was just on some s**t like, I want to make something new. I want to test my sound. I want to test how far I could go, my limits, my range of music. See how artistic I could get and what type of flows I could play with. I was trying to see if I could touch these type of beats because this Detroit sound... it was something that was new to me. So I'm like, you know what, let me just go experiment. So "10 PM" really was just an experimental song and it came out exactly how I thought it would. I'm not even going to lie.

Both of those songs are two completely different sounds that definitely allow you to expand your artistry as well, man. So salute on that.

That's what I'm all about, bro.

You've also worked with a lot of different New York artists like Cash Cobain and your label made Connie Diiamond as well. So in your opinion, what do you feel is the state of hip hop in New York in 2025?

Amazing, point, blank period. It's where it was missing something and it's back, you feel me? That feel good music, good dance music, good vibe, good music that makes you want to get up and just dance and vibe and party. New York is back. Facts.

You've already got two records out that are buzzing. What's your plan for the rest of the year? Is there anything that you got coming up?

I'm trying to drop one more single called "My S**t." But yeah, I want to drop one more single and then possibly drop an EP. Everything is about timing and I'm also learning that too. That's another motivator of mine, you feel me? Just learning patience, having patience. Just enjoying the process and enjoying everything that comes with the process. The process is a part of it. I honestly got to tell myself that every day, but I'll definitely say I'm trying to drop a single before the summer ends. So that EP and then album definitely to start the new year 2026.

That's what's up. You just also appeared on your dad's EP came out earlier this year. How is it working with your dad in the studio and what's something that you learned from him about making music?

Man, working with my pops in the studio is probably the most funniest, but yet best learning experiences ever. He's always giving you jewels, always putting you on a game, and catching you up to speed with things. But most importantly, he's always working. He's never taken a day off in the studio ever. He works Sunday through Sunday, bro. It's an everyday thing. So just seeing that work ethic at his age. Granted my pops ain't old, you feel me? My pops is Benjamin Button. He a young, old n***a at his age. People usually be typically chilling around this time, retired. He's still going, bro, full-fledged, 100% and breaking every stage and rocking every song and working every single night in the studio like he was 18.

I've heard that too. He's definitely addicted to the studio for sure. You spoke earlier about your "Klassy Fly" genre. Can you expand on that?

To be Klassy Fly is to live with high taste, discipline, and originality. It's a standard. It means mastering both refinement and swagger-being the type to wear loafers with tattoos, to speak with intellect but walk with a champ's confidence. Klassy Fly is sipping something smooth on a rooftop while your record spins at the function. It's being well-read, well-dressed, and well-respected. It's about dressing like wealth without needing to prove it, speaking with clarity, and moving with intention. It's hosting the flyest events while keeping it exclusive. It's elevating your mind, your wardrobe, and your circle. To be a Preppy Don is to dominate any room with quiet power and timeless style. It's the merger of Ivy League flair with street sensibility. A Preppy Don might pull up in a cardigan and loafers— but his presence still speaks boss. He understands etiquette but never forgets the code. He's a tactician in business, a poet in his bars, and a strategist in life. It's like Westside Gunn meets Ralph Lauren or Tyler, The Creator energy with a Trench Coat Mafia blueprint.

Is there anything else you want to leave the people with?

Don't count me out, man. I'm coming in strong. I got more music on the way. I also got a vlog series on the way called D'ay in, Day Out' coming out ASAP, no, Rocky. I'm dropping more content. I know y'all want me to stay consistent, but there's a plan. There's a reason behind everything that's going on. So just trust the process. And I got y'all. Sorry for the wait. Make sure you quote that and put that in the s**t.