Trina's looking more and more like a grown-up, classy lady these days. Maybe it's because she is a grown-up, classy lady.
Of course, the Diamond Princess is still putting out albums. But she's also becoming a total fashion maven! And yesterday, Miami's first lady of rap was in town meeting and greeting her fans at Macy's downtown, possibly prepping them for their own future careers in the clothing and/or shoe industries. People lined up, and smiled as they got their moment in the spotlight with Trina.
We got our time slot with the Rockstarr when she was whisked backstage to chat with us about her fashion faux pas, that "Fuck BET" tweet, and, of course, the marriage proposal by Crossfade's own Jason Handlesman.
Crossfade: Were there other female rappers in Miami that inspired you when you were starting out?
Trina: When I first started, there were really no rappers from Miami. I think my inspiration when it came to women was more like the Latifah, the Salt-n-Pepa, the MC Lyte. And then there was the era where there was the Missy, and everybody came in later down the line. There really were no girls. Well, like, it wasn't in Miami. But I loved like Roxanne Shante. I loved like J.J. Fad. But they were just, like, not Miami artists. Those were the girls that I liked and I grew up with.
Are you still involved in the scene down here at all musically?
Yeah, I get involved with a lot of stuff. Now that we have so many more artists ... You have Ross. There's Trick. There's just all the new artists. There's Pitbull. There's everybody that's in Miami that's coming up. The whole Young Money Family. Everybody that's out here. It's kind of like one big circle. So, everybody like intertwined. I still work with some of the same artists. I worked with them on my next tape. So, it's like one big circle.
On Twitter, there was something with the BET Awards. [She tweeted, "Fuck BET.") Is that something you want to talk about?
There's not much to talk about. It was a form of expression for me, how I felt personally. And after getting in a conversation with Stephen Hill, the founder and owner of BET, we kind of came to a mutual understanding. It was very important that I spoke with him one on one as opposed to, "My fans are ecstatic. They don't believe it. They want me nominated." And we kind of understood the reason. I didn't put out a music video within a certain amount of time for eligibility. It is what it is ... And now I understand. So we had that closure and I'm moving past. BET always shows me a lot of love, and I mean, just from whether it's the television show, or just the actual network. I'm moving on from that.
You're doing a fashion event today. Do you have any fashions that you grew up with that you're embarrassed about now?
Like fashion mishaps? Oh, boy. Oh, yeah. When I think about it from when I first started, and I look back at the pictures then to now, some of them are like, "Did you really wear that? What were you thinking?" And I think about the process of when I did it, and I look back and I see a picture at the award show. And I'm like, "This has to be the worst outfit in the world." But at that time, to me, it was like, "This is hot." It's fun. It's all a part of growing up. Shows you how times change, fashions change, you change, just everything changes. And it shows you a place you were at, whether it was like crazy hair to funky clothes and how you just evolved and grow into more. I think that with music now, music has gone more into the real fashions. It's all about fashion, designer, all that stuff. It kind of works with the music, and I think that's what makes it really, really special.
One of our music writers, Jason Handlesman, proposed to you once. I don't know if you remember that.
I remember that! [Trina laughs, claps, and covers her face.] He's a really funny guy. I love him. He's a funny guy and a great interviewer. He's a great guy.
What's next for you?
I'm wrapping up my sixth album. I'm doing TV that I'm excited about. I'm trying to put out a show line and work more with the fashion thing. 'Cause I love fashion. I'm just trying to build my brand. It's really more about my brand. Music always comes. But now it's like building an empire of fashion, cosmetics, everything. And who knows? Later in life, it could be family, marriage, and kids. Who knows?!
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