Katrina Taylor, also known as Trina aka “Da Baddest Bitch,” celebrates her 35th birthday today! It’s been 16 years since she hit the scene back in 1998 (what grade were you in?) making her debut on Slip-N-Slide artist, Trick Daddy’s hit single, “Nann.” Since then Trina’s maintained her sustainability in this male-dominated industry and has been dubbed one of the most influential women in hip-hop by Billboard—something you may not have known.
In celebration of her birthday, we’re giving you 10 things you may not know about Trina. Happy Birthday to Miami’s own!
Trina jumped on Trick Daddy’s “Nann” after the rapper wanted her to ‘go toe to toe” with him from a girl’s perspective.
“Trick knew that I was feisty and could hold my own. He knew if he needed someone to talk trash, without acting or forced, he knew that’d be me,” she told Billboard.
Slip-N-Slide wasn’t here for Trina’s songs about love for her sophomore album, Diamond Princess, but gave her the green light after seeing her rise to stardom with Da Baddest Bitch.
“The label was always against the love songs or the slow records. They love the pop, raw songs. There was always a fight. But… they let me simmer down and agreed that I could do more of what I wanted to do.”
You’ll never catch Trina in any hip-hop beef.
“Beef is a waste of energy and time. Beef doesn’t pay the bills. Beef doesn’t put food on the table. I have to take care of what I need to do so I’m good for the next 10-years. I don’t have time for that type of lifestyle. My girlfriends and I were the types that supported each other. It’s not about hip-hop, it’s about what’s in the inside and that’s insecurity.”
Some of Trina’s best advice on the industry came from fellow female-rapper, Missy Elliott.
“She’d tell me to stand my ground and stand for what you believe in. No matter if you if you are in a relationship or not, always keep your business your business and do real business the way you want to do it. Nobody can hold you down better than you.’Til this day, no matter what I do – whether I sign a contract or go independent – that advice stands true and I use it. You have to step up to the plate knowing what you want, who you want to work with, and you have to fight. It’s something that I take with me.”
In an interview with Vibe, Trina gives solid advice.
“…If you work hard and you believe in your craft and yourself, I don’t think nobody can stop you. I know for a fact a lot of new artists and girls I know in the industry they’re still trying to get out there, putting out mixtapes and records. You just can’t give up. You gotta keep on pushing the envelope and pushing the door until you get to where you’re trying to go. You’re the person that’s gotta make that happen. No matter what team’s behind you, if you don’t put the effort behind it, it’s not gonna work.”
Trina wants to drift away from her earlier sounds and go for something “unpredictable.”
Trina says, “I recorded a few records [for her new album out in 2015] that are pop-y, but I didn’t want to go out of my element. I didn’t want to do crazy different and you just don’t understand the record. As soon as you hear it you’re like, this is not a Trina record. I want it to still be me, but you can still tell she’s trying different sounds, she’s changing up the sound and she’s doing something.”
You may follow her, but Trina isn’t the biggest fan of social media.
“I really don’t like social media, honestly. But I do understand the platform of it. I understand that it’s a platform for artists to make sure that your fans understand what’s going on…but there’s a downside to it. It can be annoying and it’s distracting and instead of promoting a record, people are promoting your personal life, your family, your kids. It starts getting all over the place. It’s a gift and a curse to me.”
You’ll never place Trina in the baby mama category.
“I don’t want to be sitting around being somebody’s baby mama, with the baby mama drama, with no family. I have too many friends that have it like that. That’s not my lifestyle. There needs to be a husband, a family and forever after, or it will not be no baby, none of that. I’m just not into that, I’m not the girl for that. I would’ve have several babies if that was the case.”
Trina has her own mobile app.
“It’s the Trina app. It lets the fans know what are you doing. You have concerts, you have clothing lines, whatever. A TV show. A song is out. An album is out. A video is out. It’s like a day in the life of you for mobile. You download it on your phone, it’s on iTunes right now, and they can always click on it to see what’s going on with you. That’s different. Even though we have Twitter and Instagram and Facebook and websites, sometimes we don’t sit and go on them. On your phone, you’re right there. Everybody in this world is constantly on their phone 24 hours a day. You’re stuck in this phone, so I think with this, it gives the fans a chance to feel like they’re involved and connected and see you all the time.”
Catch Trina on a TV near you.
“That’s a big one. We’re in talks with a TV show. I love television. I’m not exactly sure what the show is gonna be. It’s based around me. It’s my life. My life is one that’s not so publicized with the exception of music or videos or interviews. The personal side of it, you don’t really see. I’m really private when it comes to that. But with music and transitioning from being under a label for so long and branching out with my own label Rock Starr Music Group and being the CEO of that and bringing in artists, it made me become the extraordinaire of what I’m doing. To show the different aspects, to show the downside, the one you don’t get to see if you came to the concert or if you listen to a record. It’s the domestic, submissive side. The side that’s at home and cooking and having girl talk. Because outside of music and when I’m performing and doing interviews and all this stuff, I do regular stuff. Go shopping, go to the spa, have fun with my friends, drink champagne, wine and have girl talk, laugh, cry, argue, take trips. Relaxing stuff, party, have fun, see my nieces and nephews and do the regular life.”