Trina on Collaborating With Jacolby Satterwhite and Pérez Art Museum Miami

Some bitches are bad, but only one can be the baddest, and though many rappers claim Miami, there is only one woman who helped build the city’s rap-scene reputation, from the late ‘90s to today.

Y’all should know by now, we’re talking about Trina, the Diamond Princess.

“A lot has changed, drastically,” the pioneer MC says. “The sound is different. Miami is so multicultural, with so many different types of records. It’s hip-hop, it’s rap, it’s pop, it’s Caribbean — it’s so many different sounds. You’re more open to do whatever you feel like doing.”

Trina has proved this through personal experience. Not only is she about to release her most hands-on and sonically experimental album to date, she’s also dabbling in an entirely new medium — visual art.

Da Baddest Bitch was tapped by New York artist Jacolby Satterwhite for a starring role in his latest film, “En Plein Air: Diamond Princess,” produced in collaboration with the Pérez Art Museum Miami for the institution’s WAVES multimedia series.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” Trina says. “I’m actually excited about the whole project and seeing how it comes out. I know it was really interesting shooting a video that way.”

“En Plein Air” combines images of Trina with images of weaponry, architecture, armor, and clothing from Satterwhite’s mother’s personal collection. The artist sees a connection between Trina’s “feminist and capitalist Diamond Princess” persona and his mother’s own obsessions. He remixes Trina’s voice, music, and image over 3D renderings, creating a surrealist collage of abstractions. Not even Trina has seen the final product.

“I was really amazed when I first got there,” she says. “To see how it was done and just the interest in the records of mine that they put together to do it. It was fun. It was very refreshing.” The premiere of Satterwhite’s film on Thursday, April 30, will close with a live Trina performance, giving the star a chance to show off some of her own most recent works of art. She’ll likely play all your favorite classics, but she promises to give fans a taste of that new-new, like “Real One,” her single with Rico Love, or “Fuck Love” featuring Tory Lanez. Her next album doesn’t yet have a name, but that’s only because she’s thinking hard on every step of the way. For Trina, this project is something really special.

“I’m in a good place and it reflects in the music,” she says. “This album is more personal because, honestly, I’ve grown so much from my first solo project. I can just tell when I’m in the studio with the producer and just creating the different sounds. It’s a different experience.

“It’s where I’m at in life at this time,” Trina adds, “very free, very spirited, very fun, and just very in control.” 

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WAVES: En Plein Air: Diamond Princess (Jacolby Satterwhite x Trina x TOTAL FREEDOM), Thursday, April 30, at PAMM, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. The event starts at 10 p.m., and tickets cost $10 to $26 plus fees via pamm.org. Children 6 and under may attend for free. Call 305-375-3000 or visit pamm.org.