Trina Is Still the "Baddest Bitch" Out There

How does one earn the title of "Baddest Bitch"? And truly earn the title — not just say it over and over again in songs as listeners roll their eyes.

Well, first off, it helps to be Trina. Unlike other self-proclaimed "bad bitches" Trina has been living up to her title for years. Whether you know her from the Miami anthem “Take It To the House”, the breakup remedy “Single Again” or the raunchy “Look Back at It”, there's no denying that Trina is the baddest of them all.

“Yo, you the baddest bitch," Miami rapper Trick Daddy told her after their first recording session. And since then, the name stuck. And unlike others, Trina and her image have only gotten stronger throughout the years. The rap star even has her own record label, Rockstarr Music Group

Trina's latest role takes her away from music, tough. She is now the brand ambassador for the makeup line Body of Royalty. Body of Royalty prides itself on being “proactive” and “confident”, clearly two traits Trina exudes. We chatted with the star about her makeup secrets, the story behind her nickname, and relationship life lessons.


New Times: How does it feel to be the brand ambassador for Body of Royalty and how does this fit into your image as a female rapper?

Trina: Well, I love cosmetics. I’m constantly using makeup to travel, perform, be in videos. I thought the brand was really nice. It’s the quality of the brand. I’m a big eyelash fanatic. I love, love lashes. I got the products and everything else at the photo shoot but it was really more about the lashes for me. It really drew my attention and the product was really glamorous. 

What are your beauty secrets?

Wash your face. I usually clean my face two to three times a day. It’s because I live in Miami. it’s just so hot all the time, and you have to wear makeup and take it off and sometimes I sleep in it, which is not good. I definitely would say just a good cleanse. I’m a big, big fanatic of cleansing and eye serum. I think that’s my beauty secret.

So don’t be a dirty bitch.

[laughs] Definitely not. Don’t be a dirty bitch.

 How did you decide that you were the "baddest bitch"?

Oh man, that came from a long time ago from Trick Daddy when I first started doing a record with him and I was really nervous when the record came out. I went to the label with the record and they were just coming at me trying to sign a deal and I was totally against it. Trick didn’t hear the record until it was done and he was like, 'Yo, you the baddest bitch', and I was like, huh? And then everyone started. It was the name of my first album and it kind of stuck. It was a very spontaneous thing and just happened when he heard the record It’s more about being a strong and powerful female. You don’t settle. You don’t take no crap. You just do you and you’re independent.

 How do you think you've paved the way for female rappers?

I think in a major way because there were not a lot of female artists. Nowadays, it’s totally different than when I came out the grind – it was way more severe. I definitely get a lot of compliments and there’s a lot of acknowledgement from the other girls that are coming out. You have to be strong, powerful, make your own money, don’t settle, don’t take no crap. Whether you are a Trina fan or not, you were definitely listening to this record, or somebody was, whether it was your sister or your cousin.
You're dubbed the most consistent female rapper of all time. What qualities do you posses that you think contributed to this?

Just a lot of hard work. It’s a lot of dedication. It’s a lot of entertaining the fans, whether it’s an album I’m in, a song, a feature, a video, a performance — it’s something that has touched the fans and kept them going. It’s not an easy task to be on a sixth album and be strong. It’s about focus. I’m completely focused. I know what I want. I know what I love.

How does femininity plays a role in your songwriting?

I’m always writing from a place where I have a lot of women friends and they all have different issues. Some are married, some are single, some are trying to get married. It’s a bunch of different women that I learn so much from. I take that, and I put that into music because it’s realistic. I learn from my friends and what it is to be a woman. Being happy, being heartbroken — whatever it is — I take it from all the women around me.

What is your secret for keeping a man?

I would just say let him do whatever he needs to do. If he wants to stay, he’ll stay. You cannot force him to stay or make him stay. Unless you have a knife or you got a kidnapping situation happening, you let him go free. Otherwise, don’t force him to have a kid, or do a bunch of silly things to try to make a man stay. Be you, be genuine, be humble. I’m me 150%. I’m going to give my undivided attention and if you choose to not respect that and take advantage of that, that’s your loss. I’m not going to mess around and play the role of dumb dog or be like a floor mat to you. I’m going to get up and remove myself from the situation because it’s about my worth. And if he wants to stay, he stays. And if he don’t, please let him leave. Let him roam with the rest of the dogs. 

What is your advice for girls out there who can’t seem to get over their ex or some guy?

If any of my friends are in that situation, we don’t talk about him, we don’t speak about him, we don’t play bad music, we don’t play anything that will remind you of him. We stick it out, we're tough, we put on the hottest hits and get over it records, we have a good time. You focus on what you need to do for yourself. Put all of that energy into yourself. So much crying creates wrinkles, bags, and stuff like that. We don’t need that. Go shopping, go to dinner with your girlfriends, go to the spa. Just do things that don’t have you reliving that situation with him. Workout, look extra sexy, and he’ll know. He'll realize it’s his loss. 
Who was your favorite artist to collaborate with?

I’ve done so many, it's hard to pick. I got to work with Snoop Dogg all the way to Lionel Richie to Rob Zombie. One of my favorites was Kelly Rowland with the record “Here We Go”, because that was a different for me. She was part of one of my favorite groups, Destiny’s Child, so I was really excited and to be able to have her on the record was so great. 

Are there any artists you still want to work with?

I would say Rihanna. She’s my favorite. She’s very raw, and tells it how it is. She’s very sweet, very sexy. Her music is amazing. I love her voice.