As artists and hip hop fans gear up for the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, the one-and-only Trina is likely prepping her acceptance speech for when she accepts her long overdue “I Am Hip Hop” Award.
News that the Miami-born rap icon would receive the honor, presented annually to one game-changing rap act, came about a week-and-a-half ahead of the award show, which is going down on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
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With Trina being set to receive the coveted accolade, which is essentially BET’s lifetime achievement award, let’s recap some noteworthy facts about her.
She has West Indian roots
Did you know Trina is an island girl?
Born Katrina Laverne Taylor, Trina’s mother was Bahamian.
Trina’s parents separated when she was a child. She was very close to her mother. Sadly, in 2019, her mother passed after losing her battle with cancer. She was 62-years-old.
She's inspired people with sex-positive bars for many years
We definitely need to shoutout Trina for what she’s most known for, and that’s hyping up her listeners with sex-positive lyrics.
As we’ve said before, Trina has remained true to her sound from 1998’s “Nann” to later bops like “F**k Boy” and “BAPS.”
“I just feel like it’s a freedom of expression,” Trina told Complex back in 2020. “I came out in my career talking about being sensual and being expressive. Some people can’t really handle it, and that’s fine. It’s not for everybody.”
“This is not the world for you. This is the world of extraordinary, and it’s women being free of fear and saying what they feel like saying,” she continued.
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She works to support women in the rap game
Trina also goes out of her way to show love to women in rap, showing that she’s all about uplifting fellow artists.
“Shout out to all the new female artists. I love to see it. There’s more women that we can celebrate that are beautiful. Hate it or love it, we’re here to stay,” she told Complex.
.@TRINArockstarr names @_FloMilli, @iamdoechii, @CityGirls, @Latto, @itsKaMillion and @GloTheofficial as a few of her favorite rappers of this generation. 💕💎
“I like new fun. I love to see the girls doing their thing.” pic.twitter.com/xQptNAb7qq
— Female Rap Room (@FemaleRapRoom) September 24, 2022
“I just love to see the girls doing their thing, ’cause women need to get to the bag for themselves,” she told Fat Joe during the IG Live.
And when it comes to collaborating with them, she puts her money where her mouth is. Before many were familiar with Latto and Saweetie, they had already scored a feature with the “Diamond Princess.”
We love a queen who’s down to give others their flowers and bring on the encouragement!
She's Queen of the 305
Through her music and overall vibe, Trina has also made a name for herself as the Queen of Miami.
“Now you know that I’m the Queen of Miami,” Trina confidently says in “Here We Go.”
“305, motherf**ker, from the county of Dade,” she raps in “Bad B***h Anthem.“
Sure, she may have also crowned herself as the Diamond Princess, but Trina makes it a point to rep her hometown whenever she can.
In fact, Trina was even granted the Key to the City and honored with her very own celebratory day in Miami: “Trina Day.”
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She has deep ties to Yung Miami of City Girls
We should also note that, with Trina being Queen of the 305, she fittingly has a connection to Yung Miami of City Girls.
During an interview with The Shade Room earlier this year, Trina spelled out exactly how she’s tied to Yung Miami (aka Caresha Brownlee) and confirmed that she’s actually the City Girls rapper’s godmother.
“I grew up with Keenya, Caresha’s mom,” she said during the sit-down. “She used to come to my mom’s shop, get her hair done, so we were all in the same space, same clubs or whatever.”
Trina then confirmed that Keenya made her Yung Miami’s godmother, and she watched her grow into the woman she is now.
“She always has been the same. As a little child growing up, Caresha always had character, always been funny, always been sassy,” Trina recalled. “She’s always been like that.”
She shares a close bond with Trick Daddy
Of course, Trick Daddy is another South Florida rap star to whom Trina is deeply tied.
Trina was publicly connected to Trick Daddy from the moment she hit the scene with her beloved verse in “Naan,” as they were both on the track and went head-to-head in the music video.
They continued to be close for numerous years, with Trick Daddy notably getting married to one of Trina’s cousins, Joy Young.
Additionally, Trina dated Derek “Hollywood” Harris — Trick Daddy’s brother — way back in the day, and the rappers have grown to share a “brother and sister” bond, as worded by Noreaga on Drink Champs.
“I think I’m the only person that can check him,” Trina said while on the podcast. “He’s gonna always be Trick no matter what, but I can get through to him.”
“I can put him in his place. ‘Cause he needs that, for sure,” Trina added.
This close bond and their back-and-forth antics led Trick and Trina to land their own radio show together, though it was ultimately canceled.
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She's a reality TV icon
On top of her artistry and musical associations, we also have to point out that Trina has also put in work on reality TV.
She recently hosted the Baddies South reunion, and she has been a consistent fixture on Love & Hip Hop: Miami (LHHM) from jump.
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You do NOT want to disrespect her
During her time on LHHM, Trina notably taught viewers one important lesson: don’t tick her off!
After Nikki Natural, an aspiring rapper who was dating Trick Daddy at the time, referred to Trina as a “b***h” out of the blue, Trina erupted and, with the help of some cast mates like Sukihana and Hood Brat, whooped some butt.
So, while Trina’s definitely all about supporting the next generation of baddies, don’t get it twisted: she will demand the respect that she deserves.
She used to be a realtor
Taking it back to her pre-fame days, Trina actually used to work in real estate before transitioning to rap.
“Before I came in doing this music, I was doing real estate. I thought I was gonna be a realtor selling big fancy houses on South Beach [and] Star Island. That was my dream, and then Trick offered me to do this record,” she said on Get Into It With Tami Roman.
As Trina’s influence on the rap game is undeniable, it’s safe to say that the world is better off with her killin’ it in the studio rather than showing open houses.
She's da baddest
Finally, we have arguably the most important fact about Trina: she is da baddest. Period.
Trina let us in on this fact way back in 2000 with her debut album, Da Baddest B***h, which included a song with the same title.
She went on to remind us of this fact in two subsequent projects: 2008’s Still Da Baddest and 2014’s Who’s Bad.
Shoutout to Trina, and we’re glad to see that BET’s giving her the flowers that she’s earned through her artistry.
