Quiet as kept, Trina has become the most consistent female MC in the game. The femcees who thrived when Trina was just a mysterious guest rapper on Trick Daddy’s “Nann N***a,” haven’t been too active for the latter part of the decade. Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim haven’t released albums in five years while Eve, despite an attempt to come back with singles like “Tambourine” and “Give It To You” featuring Sean Paul back in 2007, hasn’t dropped an LP since 2002. Brooklyn’s own Foxy Brown also hasn’t hit stores in years. Though she dropped "Brooklyn Don Diva" last year, she hasn’t offered a new studio album since 2001’s "Broken Silence."
Meanwhile, Trina’s consistently been putting out material since releasing her first record "Da Baddest B**ch" back in 2000. Currently off cycle, she’s working on her 2010 offering, "Amazin’" and hustling to jumpstart her label, Diamond Princess Entertainment. BET.com recently caught up with the Miami rapstress to discuss her relationship with Trick Daddy, becoming a CEO and rooting for female MCs.
BET.com: Trick Daddy and more recently Rick Ross left Slip-N-Slide, but you’re still there. What goes through your mind when all these stars leave the label?
Trina: Nothing, I really don’t worry about it. That’s their situation. For me, I got a great situation with Slip-N-Slide and I make the best out of it and nothing is perfect. I just understand the pros and cons of my situation. Like I said, I put my foot forward to make the best out of the situation and even with my company, DP Entertainment I have artists that I’m signing also. I know what the business is and I understand more being the CEO and being on the back side of it and being able to see the same thing that goes on. So, it is what it is. You become wiser and as an artist, when you do labels and you do a joint venture and you become a CEO, it just makes you become a more stronger person. So, you know I don’t think there’s anything wrong if you deal with a label and you decide to move to other things, it’s all about you. You gotta make the best situation for yourself.
BET.com: So you started your own label?
Trina: Well yeah, I have my own company, Diamond Princess Entertainment. I have four artists that I signed. We’re currently working with one group right now, Pretty Money; it’s a girl duo group. They have a mixtape out right now. It’s called "Staying Pretty." It’s just a young, energetic vibe, crazy and it’s just fun. One is a rapstress and one does R&B, she sings and together it’s just beautiful and I’m just excited and just so happy to be able to be in this position, to be able to put out artists, you know just to see the movement grow. It’s actually being an artist and a business person at the same time, so it’s a great thing. It’s an elevation of myself.
BET.com: We haven’t seen you work with Trick Daddy in a while. How is your relationship with him these days?
Trina: The funniest thing is I’ve spoken to him yesterday. We’re cool. I mean, I don’t get to see Trick a lot. But, you know how you got a family, but you got uncle, sisters and brothers and people all over the place that you don’t speak to all the time but if you speak to there’s no change? I can go to Trick’s house and when we’re having a cookout, we might wanna go eat. We have this funny kind of relationship and he’s married to my cousin, so therefore it’s a family relationship so I couldn’t get rid of him even if I wanted to. It’s just that, Trick is doing his own thing, he got his label, he’s working with his own artists, he’s moved to another label and you know, he just finished an album. I support Trick no matter what.
BET.com: How do you feel about people saying there are no female MCs when you’re still pretty active?
Trina: ["Still da Baddest"] was two years ago. How many albums came out when mine came out? How many females dropped an album? So if you say, just one Trina album in stores, then it’s a lack of females. When you can’t even have a category with the females in an award show, that’s a lack of females, because there’s no albums out, there’s no music to hear, so how can you make a category? Before there was me, there was Kim, there was Eve, there was Missy. There were all these women that were out, so there was a diversity. I’m one of the people rooting for it. Like, “Missy where’s your album?” Come on! We need it.
BET.com: 50 Cent has said many times that he initially wanted you to be on “Magic Stick.” Why didn’t you jump on the record?
Trina: I don’t remember. Don’t even have me to say anything, ‘cause it was so long ago, I can’t even tell you, or remember why. But I do know that it was a good record and I loved it, but I’m mad I ain’t on it too now that you told me.
BET.com: You don’t remember hearing about that?
Trina: I remember it coming up and [people saying] you the baddest chick, you should be on this. And I was like, ok, call 50, I’ma join the remix. It was one of those kinda things. It was kinda fast so I don’t remember verbatim what was said. I don’t know. It was all good, I loved the record.
BET.com: What else are you working on?
Trina: I did a movie scene for the movie "Cookout 2." Yay! That was really good. It was really quick. I was so nervous. That was fun. I’m shooting a reality show at the end of this year. There are just so many things. There’s gonna be a lot of surprises so just look out for me, I’m gonna be all over the place.