Who's still the baddest bitch? After a few years' lull of mixtapes and pushed-back albums, Trina is once again riding high on the success of her fifth studio album, Amazin'. The lead single, "Million Dollar Girl," which features Keri Hilson and Diddy, continues to tear up clubs and the radio alike, and Amazin' itself went as high as number 13 on the Billboard Top 200. (Click here to read New Times' recent feature all about her current rise back to major fame.)
With the critical and commercial success, now it's time for the award cycle to take note. Her first official nod: a nomination for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at this year's BET Awards. Trina's been a nominee or winner in the past at the American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and the Source Hip-Hop Awards, but this is her first shot at the BET title.
Her competition? Ester Dean, Rasheeda, Lil Kim, and Nicki Minaj. This could be tough. Minaj (and the Young Money crew in general) has cleaned up in nominations overall, and the Queen Bee is, well, the Queen Bee.
(Actually, can we count Young Money as Miami artists, kind of, since the men of the group allegedly all bunk together down the street from Miami New Times offices, at the Cite condo? Hah.)
Still, we have faith in Trina. And, oh, Khia must be eating her heart out right about now (though she seems to have chilled out on the MySpace smack-talking in recent months).
To read the full list of nominees, click here. BET will broadcast the awards show live on Sunday, June 27.