Trina - Still Da Baddest Review

The fourth album by hip-hop artist Trina continues the Miami native's mission of stripped-down Southern rap with a lascivious twist from a female perspective. With guests that include Missy Elliott, Keyshia Cole, and Pitbull, as well as newcomers Qwote and Shonie, STILL DA BADDEST has no shortage of energy, but it's Trina's attitude and no-holds-barred delivery that carry the show. The lead-off single, "Single Again," is one of the standouts, as is the title track and "I Got a Bottle," on which Trina is joined by Missy Elliott.The Wire (p.63) - "BADDEST is a good and difficult and three-dimensional listen because her motives just aren't placeable and when they are, they wade in contradiction."...full text Even after the fall from Atlantic and a long awaited hiatus, the acclaimed Queen of Miami is back at it again with the release of her new album, ‘Still Da Baddest,’ basically a follow up to her debut and bestselling album to date, ‘Da Baddest Bitch.’
It’s been a longtime coming since the release of Nann and Miami is still holding her down strong, Trina is back on the scene with a hot single already climbing the charts. The first official single, ‘Single Again,’ hit radio stations in heavy rotation, essentially making it a ladies anthem, something for them to vibe to in the club. Keeping the fuel to her style, she has upped a level in lyrics and production from the albums of before.

Trina has always delivered lyrics of a sexual nature expressing that in full detail, with this album she narrowed that to only a few songs. Other songs deal with issues revolving around her personal lifestyle and that of Lil Wayne in that you can hear vividly. She wasn’t trying to be subliminal in those lyrics, more obvious than everything. If you listen to the lyrics closely, the maturity is risen a little more from her other albums, she came just a little bit harder in subject matter and delivery, there is no denying the fact that the expressions bleed through the lyrics. The flow has honestly changed and her style does switch up on certain tracks depending on the beat. Even though her delivery has upped a notch, the signature Trina style is still there. With the production side of the album, there is a mixture of elements ranging from club to slow jam. Her tracks offer a different vibe depending on your mood. The choice of producers does add an extra flare to the hype that has already gathered around the anticipation of the album....full text I haven’t been sleeping well lately. See, there’s this one question that’s been weighing heavy on my mind. Night after night I stare at my bedroom ceiling and wonder, is Trina still the baddest b**tch? Now let’s take a moment to truly pontificate on that question. First things first, if Trina’s still the baddest, then there must have been a time when she was the baddest (presumably starting in 2000 when she dropped the aptly titled Da Baddest B**ch). Is that true? Well, in 2000 the obvious competition for Trina was Foxy Brown, who was on her way out of the spotlight, and Lil Kim, who was at the height of her chart-topping powers, but had lost a little bit of her nasty edge. If this were the 2000 Baddest B**ch Olympics, it’d be close, but I’d have to give the gold to Kim.

What a difference eight years makes. As we kick off 2008, there can no longer be any question that Miami’s finest female rapper is now the baddest b**tch. Kim’s fallen off (due in part to some jail time), Remy Ma’s not a serious contender (again with the prison sentence), and there doesn’t seem to be any young challenger on the horizon. But a true champion knows they have to defend their title, and so Trina has decided to remind the world who’s queen with her fourth album, Still Da Baddest. Actually, she decided to declare her rule months ago, but due to repeated album delays her queendom’s been on hold. Well the moment of truth has finally arrived. Can Trina recover from her notorious break-up with Weezy F.? Will we look back at this album as a career-best? How many times can I possibly write “b**ch” in one review? Let’s find out.

In the age of reality tv and internet porn it’s almost impossible to shock the public anymore, but Trina gives it her best shot on Look Back At Me. In case you forgot, Trina’s from Miami, more specifically the strip clubs of Miami, and Look Back’s simple bounce and clap beat serves as the perfect setting for Trina to spit lyrics so obscene they’d make R. Kelly blush. But forgotten admist all the golden shower and pearl necklace references (references you’re probably better off not understanding) is the fact that Look Back might be Trina’s weakest flow on the album. Apparently she was so focused on shocking us, she forgot she needed to actually flow too, and unfortunately the same goes for guest-feature Killer Mike. By comparison Phone Sexx, Trina’s geisha-sounding ode to long-distancing loving, is much better. If Trina is telling the truth when she says she’s “125 pounds” then she’s the only phone sex operator who’s honest, but regardless, Trina uses her wickedly clever rhyme-style to more than accomplish her freaky mood-setting mission. Sometimes Trina’s so bad she’s good (Phone Sexx) and sometimes she’s so bad she’s just bad (Look Back), but either way she’s still the baddest. ...full text