on straight. A lot of girls have low self-esteem and aren’t confident. A lot of young girls think they actually can fuck their way to the top. They aim for that because that’s the only thing they know. Some girls don’t know no better and they think that’s what it takes to be able to get something out of somebody. But that’s definitely wrong; the less you give, the more you’ll receive. So if you’re giving it all up too easy, it defeats the purpose. You know, a man will always want something he’s never had. Especially in the music business, a lot of people do have that perception that all successful women have slept their way to the top. It’s such a cliché, and as a woman in this industry, we constantly get downplayed because of it. It’s just because of – I’m not even gonna say images – but it’s just the way the industry and society is built. They’ve gotta realize that as a girl, we work just as hard as the guys, but why is it that we can’t just be doing us and making our own money? It doesn’t have to be about being with that person, cause you’re getting something your own way. You’re out grinding yourself. So I definitely think that women get overlooked. I don’t know how much you followed The Source sexual harassment trial, but that was kinda the focus of the trial. I honestly haven’t followed the whole trial. I don’t know too much about what’s going on with that situation. I just heard bits and pieces of the story, but I never got too much involved. I do know that as a woman in the industry you have to be on point, because guys do get disrespectful and rude and they feel like it’s cool to say and do whatever. They may do things that make you uncomfortable as a female. If you’re at a video shoot, they might be just thinking you’re a jumpoff. You have to know your position and be able to stand firm and not let nobody take advantage of you. You should be able to work without being harassed and bothered and humiliated. Unless that’s what you want, and I don’t think women who work for magazines and women who are hairstylists and makeup artists and video models, I don’t think that’s something they want. During the trial, it was alleged that Benzino bragged about sleeping with you and other female rappers to people working at the magazine. Regardless if it’s true or not, would you feel disrespected if someone threw your name out there bragging that they’d slept with you? I would definitely feel disrespected but I honestly have never heard that [Benzino said that]. I don’t want to say the wrong thing, because it’s just word of mouth. Me, I never heard him say that with my own two ears, so I don’t know the case. If that was true I would definitely feel disrespected and be upset, but I’m not gonna say anything about him because I don’t know if he actually said that. If he did, that would be very disrespectful. With your Diamond Dolls weekend, you might catch some backlash portraying yourself as a role model for young girls. Your lyrics aren’t exactly clean. Would parents want their kids looking up to someone who raps about “fucking five or six best friends”? There’s always going to be backlash; that’s just the ignorance of the world. To be an artist is based on creative thoughts. As an artist you’re speaking of things that happened in your life and things that you’ve seen with your friends and homeboys, anything that goes on around you. Regardless if you’re talking about sexuality or money or whatever, it’s a form of expression, but you’re still a woman and you have rights and a say-so. You have a chance to say yes or no. I can tell a girl, “I wouldn’t go this route.” I may see somebody that’s going down a route that I took before, and I feel like if I rewound the hands of time I wouldn’t have gone that same route – so I can help somebody. I can prevent them from making the same mistakes I’ve made or mistakes that somebody I know has made. That’s the whole purpose. You’re always gonna get backlash because a lot of people live in a world of denial. I live in reality. I know what goes on around me in the streets and in the clubs. I’m a person that’s attuned to that; I’m aware of everything I speak about because it’s real. A lot of people like to live behind a wall. You’re not a virgin or St. Mary, so you know what’s going on. With modeling, acting, or whatever, there’s all types of stuff that goes on. There’s no perfect world to live in. Everybody has probably indulged in something that they could say, “I wish I wouldn’t have did that.” If not, the world would be a perfect place. Are you going to discuss safe sex during the Diamond Dolls weekend? We’re gonna talk about safe sex, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and we’re gonna talk about girls that have invested time in these relationships with guys that are beating them. We’re gonna talk about any situation that a girl has been through. Girls are afraid to say certain things because they feel like they’re alone or they feel like someone would judge them. It’s not about that; nobody’s perfect. There’s girls that have been raped, assaulted, or molested. [All those topics] are gonna
come up. It’s all about building their confidence and letting them know that they’re not the only person in the world that may be going through depression or going through these things. A lot of younger girls look at us as celebrities and feel like it’s such a non-real world. But we’re not robots. As a woman I’ve been through situations myself. I know what it’s like to be happy and to be sad and to have my heart broken. I know what it’s like to be humiliated, be criticized, and be appreciated. I’ve been through all that so it’s easy for me to speak out. I know you said you don’t want to talk about Lil Wayne, but I wanted to ask you about the B.G. diss record where he alluded to the rumor that you were sleeping with Baby before Lil Wayne. I’ve never actually heard that record, but I heard what it said. When I did the [diss record “What’s Beef”] just being mad that incident came up, that’s why I addressed it. I don’t have a problem with [B.G.], but as far as what he said on the record, that’s not true. That’s a big ass lie. The only way to know [that I slept with Baby] would be if you were there. I felt that it was very disrespectful to me. I never said anything disrespectful to [B.G.]. I addressed it, but I don’t got no beef. I ain’t got nothing bad to say about him because I don’t know him like that, but what he said was disrespectful and mean. And it’s a lie, so it definitely pissed me off. I saw you and Ludacris together at a show a while back and y’all seemed like a couple. Were you involved with him? I never was involved with Ludacris, we’re just really good friends. I’ve been knowing him for so many years. When I used to go on the road with Trick, Ludacris had “What’s Your Fantasy” and I used to perform with him. It’s like a family. Me, Chaka, Ludacris, we was all real cool. But I wasn’t dating him, it was never like that. Especially when dealing with men in the industry, is it hard to tell who’s genuine and who just wants to brag that they got at “Trina”? I think for me, I can kinda tell. I’m very observant and I’m very aware of the game. I watch guys and their approach, and everybody has a different motive. Everybody sees Trina on TV, but that’s not the real Trina. The Trina in real life is different from the Trina that’s on TV or shaking her ass on stage or in the videos. So when guys approach me or even think about coming at me any type of way, I can tell if it’s for the character Trina or for me. It takes a long time to get to know me. I can count on a few fingers the guys that really know the real Trina. I definitely know how to weed out the fake from the real. Is there anything else you’d like to say? I’ve got my perfume out, Diamond Princess. I also have a mixtape coming out in a couple weeks, Rockstar, hosted by DJ Ideal. I got a bunch of features on there: Rick Ross, Deuce Poppi, and Plies. I got a reality show I’m filming which is gonna be good – I’ve actually got some footage from the OZONE Awards on there. I’ve been working on my new album, which is crazy. I’m almost done. I’m excited. It’s gonna be a great new year for me, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m good. I’m waiting to shoot MTV Cribs; I’ve got a brand new $2 million dollar house. I have a great life, and nothing to complain about.
Trina and some of her “Diamond Dolls” (Photo: Bogan)
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