Trina
Da Baddest Bitch

'Tha Real' rating: 4.5

Record Report
Who do we have to blame for females taking the sex kitten route in rap? Do we point the finger at Lil Kim? Foxy Brown? Whoever the culprit may be, it’s no lie that they’ve definitely started a trend. It no longer seems necessary to have skill. As long as you’re sexy and can talk about that sexiness, albums will sell. The next sex kitten to cash in on this is Miami’s Trina. Trina was first brought to us through label mate Trick Daddy on his breakout single 'Nann Nigga.' Trina grabbed listeners’ ears with her estrogen-induced verse that put Trick in his place. If Lil Kim boasted about things Vanessa Del Rio wouldn’t do, then Trina was definitely the one that talked about things Lil Kim won’t even do. The hell with being the Queen Bitch. Trina is Da Baddest Bitch.

It is only fitting that that Trina names her debut album Da Baddest Bitch. But the word "baddest" seems to take on its original meaning when describing this offering. 'D.B.B.' is not terrible, but it’s not great either. It starts off better than expected with 'The Big Lick' featuring label mates The Lost Tribe. The concept of the song has Trina and some male friends setting up to rob a guy she knows. The guy is warned, but never suspects a thing. 'The Big Lick' is the best song on the album and is very entertaining to listen to. A video for this would be great, but will likely never happen.

'D.B.B.' takes a downward spiral from there as the rest of the album dwells on the same thing: Trina talking about how bad of a bitch she is. If you’ve heard her current single, 'Da Baddest Bitch,' then you’ve basically heard the entire album. The song is catchy (or is it the video?), and you will eventually find yourself singing along to the corny Michael Jackson phrase, but do we really need an entire album with songs that dwell on the same thing? This is bearable for the first half, but it gets tiring the rest of the way. At least the skits are entertaining though. One will definitely get upset at Trina jacking the hook to Dr. Dre’s 'Bitches Ain’t Shit' for her 'Ain’t Shit' with Lois Lane and switching it to "Niggas ain’t shit but hoes and trick / lick the pearl tongue / nigga keep your dick."

Trina doesn’t talk about anything worth listening to again until the last 3 tracks. 'I’ll Always' is a tribute to her man and how they’ll always be there for each other. Right after that is another tribute, but this time to her mother appropriately titled 'Mama'" featuring J.A.B.A.N. and J-Shin. And finally, we have 'Take Me' with Pam of Total, which really digs into Trina’s heart. On this track, Trina dreams about being taken away to a place where she can be seen as just a regular person, not as a sex symbol or a hoe (let me know if you find that place).

Of course Trick Daddy appears on the album, along with others. A lot of "others." Out of 17 tracks (3 of them being skits), guests appear on 12 of them. Most of them unnecessarily (Twista appears on 'Watch Yo Back,' but just does the hook. Booo!!). Production wise, it’s basic Miami ass shakers. No disappointments on that side. So if you do cop this album, at least you’ll have something to bounce to.

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