Trina

Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), better known by her stage name Trina, is an American rapper from Miami, Florida.

Early life

Trina was born Katrina Laverne Taylor December 3, 1978^[1] and is of African American and Dominican descent.^[2][3] Growing up, she lived in both the Liberty City housing projects in Miami and upper-class Pembroke Isle.^[4] She graduated from Miami Northwestern High School, where she had been a majorette; after high school she worked office jobs at AT&T and United Parcel Service and studied real estate sales.^[5]

Personal life

In late 2005 Trina began a highly publicized feud with Tampa- based female rapper Khia and Jacki-O. Rumors of feuds with female rappers Lil' Kim and Geisha are currently circulating on the Internet. From the fall of 2005 to the spring of 2008, Trina dated rapper Lil' Wayne. The two had a very publicized relationship. After the couple separated rumors that Lil' Wayne had gotten Trina pregnant began to surface, with both Trina and Lil' Wayne denying it. During their nearly two year relationship, both rappers were involved in highly public feuds. Gillie the Kid, a rapper from Philadelphia, and B.G., Lil' Wayne's former band mate began taking shots at both Trina and Lil' Wayne, saying that she's had sexual relations with both of them and several rappers and producers. In the spring of 2006, Trina released a track entitled "What's Beef", the exact name of the Notorious B.I.G's diss to 2Pac in 1997.

Trina is currently in a relationship with Denver Nuggets Power Forward Kenyon Martin. ^[6]

Music career

Miami rapper Trick Daddy asked Trina to recite a verse on his debut and in 1998, that track, "Nann Nigga", ended up being the first single of his www.thug.com album. The single became a hit reaching No. 3 on the Rap Charts. Thanks to the success of the single, Trina gained popularity and got a deal with Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic Records. In March 2000, Trina's debut album Da Baddest Bitch was released. The album entered the Billboard Chart at #33.^[7] The album's lead single, also titled "Da Baddest Bitch" underperformed but the following single, "Pull Over", became one of Trina's biggest hits.

The next two years she spent time with Missy Elliott developing her second album.^[8] On August 27, 2002 Trina released her second album Diamond Princess in USA.^[9] The album spawned three singles, including "No Panties", which became Trina's first release outside of the U.S. and the smash hit song, "B R Right" featuring Ludacris. Her third studio album titled Glamorest Life was released October 4, 2005,^[10] it charted at #11 on the Billboard Albums.^[11] The album featured her highest charting single to date, "Here We Go" featuring Kelly Rowland. It also became her first single to chart outside of America. Glamorest Life sold more than 400,000 units in the U.S. according to Soundscan totals.^[12]. In 2007, Trina released two mixtapes. Rockstarr Royalty was released in the spring of 2007 and the Baddest Chick 2: Reloaded was released in the fall.

On April 1, 2008 Trina released Still da Baddest after it was pushed back originally being planned to be released on February 12.^[13] The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Rap and R&B charts, and at #6 on The Billboard 200.^[14]

Business career

In 2004, Trina began working on her fragrance. In the fall of 2005, she released her first fragrance called Diamond Princess named after her second studio album. In 2006, she started her Diamond Doll Foundation, which helps inner-city teenage girls throughout South Florida deal with sex, drugs, alcohol, pregnancy, education, and relationships. In a 2008 interview Trina stated, "I love my foundation, it's a really beautiful thing because these girls are just so nice and open with their feelings. It's no dress up or make-up, it's just me with all those girls and we have a good time". In 2008 Trina really began to get into the business side of everything by launching her clothing line Pink Diamond Couture in June 2008 while beginning to work on her second fragrance, a record label and production team. She is currently working on television show that will premier in late 2009. In the fall of 2008, Trina stated in radio interview, " I don't beef, I don't do that, cause it's not fly. I make music and money. I'm a business woman, I don't have time for some childish men and women who want to hate on me because I'm successful".

Discography

• Da Baddest Bitch (2000)
• Diamond Princess (2002)
• Glamorest Life (2005)
• Still da Baddest (2008)
• Amazin (2009)

DVDs

• Live & Uncut

Awards

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards are awarded for outstanding achievements in the record industry. Trina has received one nomination.^[15]

BET Awards

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network. Trina has received four nominations.^{[16][17][18][19]}

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year. Trina has received one nomination.^[20]

Soul Train Music Award

The Soul Train Music Award is an annual awards show that honors the best in black music and entertainment. Trina has received two nominations.^[21][22]

The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards

The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards is an annual awards show created by The Source, an American hip-hop magazine. Trina has received one award from four nominations.^[23][24]

References

External links

• Official website
• Trina at MySpace
• Trina on Twitter