Trina's "Diamond Princess"

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...is, like, amazing! Trina smuts all over the place, the production is amazingly friskodelic and the Missy and Luda guest appearances are both top notch. Trina is an interesting figure - not as femme-fatale as Lil'Kim or as tortured as Foxy or as suave as Eve, just endless, wall-to-wall grin-while-you-throw-your-legs-up smut. She does to ho-rap exactly what her counterpart Trick Daddy does to thug-rap: surgically extracts the pathos, the drama and the realism until all that's left is a cheerful, almost non-threatening extremism.

But Trina has a more wired personality than Trick Holiday - maybe she's the female Ludacris? - and she has better production too: lots of fantastic eastern influenced grooves, heaps of variety and very little of the indentikit bounce-funk that you'd expect from Slip'n'Slide. Heaps of this is surprisingly slinky and sexy: "Rewind That Back" is shimmering indian-funk with an amazing appearance from Missy; "B R Right" careens back and forth on hypnotic gypsy strings; Ü & Me" is lush, winsome Roc-A-Fellá-style nu-soul; "No Panties" is busted dirty funk; and maybe best of all is the insane - and insanely percussive - banghra-bounce of "How We Do?"

What I love most though is the awesome tension generated between the sophisticate production and Trina's none-more-simple, one-step-up-from-Khia spittin': she's the ultimate wolf-in-sheep's clothing.

So, what does everything else think?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I really liked the two songs I know but one step up from Khia is a step too far for me!

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:38 (twenty-three years ago)

But Tom it's a very small step!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Clearly the Church needs to look into this ;-)

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:50 (twenty-three years ago)

I will buy it anyway probably. "No Panties" fits yr persona-description excellently.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:53 (twenty-three years ago)

yr persona-description

Um, whose, though? ;-)

Slip'n'Slide

Presumably the producers? Haven't heard of them offhand. Info please!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 24 October 2002 15:49 (twenty-three years ago)

slip'n'slide is her label/posse. Trick Daddy is the top dawg.

― joshd, Thursday, 24 October 2002 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah we haven't discussed enough how that "trick daddy loves the kids" song is like one of the best of the year.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 25 October 2002 03:38 (twenty-three years ago)

can't say i'm wild about Slip N Slide beats in general, but there was a Trina single earlier in the year (i think for a sdtk, not the new album) which has this fantastic snare roll thing going on. anyone know what i'm talking about?

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 25 October 2002 03:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Trina's album is not very Slip'n'Slide-sounding at all actually - she's farmed a lot of it out to different cats like Kanye West (who is fabulous but not very Blueprint-ish at all), Missy & Nissan etc.

I have Thug Holiday but haven't listened to it much - very little struck out at me on first listen like "Take It 2 Da House" or "Remember Me" or "Nann Nigga". I should spend more time with it.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 25 October 2002 04:17 (twenty-three years ago)

"friskodelic" is such a great term for Slip 'n Slide in general. Tim is so right about this album. This is like my hip-hop album of the year I think. The out-manning the men is all over this album and I just wish Hustlin had Kardi on backup. B R Right sounds so damn dirty & Kandi is like a love letter to Chyna Doll-era Foxy.

But what I really wanna know is what y'all think about the Tate piece on her and eve in the village voice here. Her flow really takes it away the dirtier her lyrics get -- like she sounds really enthusiastic about it. "Nasty Bitch" and "Get This Money" are the tops here.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 31 October 2002 20:02 (twenty-three years ago)

This record is SO FUCKING EXPENSIVE in the UK. Only the Khia one costs more. Does anyone know a place you can get import CDs cheap? I am hopeful the Khia album will get a release seeing as "My Neck, My Back" is but I've got little hope for "Diamond Princess". Soulseek is shit for Trina, too.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 1 November 2002 00:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom, it's getting a release in Australia ==> it's almost definitely getting a release in the UK. There's a bigger market for Trina there than here.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 1 November 2002 00:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom it's £11 in Mister CD, Berwick Street (tho' check Reckless across the road, which is where I got it for £8.49!).

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 1 November 2002 08:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Awesum Marcello thanks! In these heady days of Fopp one can so easily forget about Mr CD.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 1 November 2002 08:29 (twenty-three years ago)

I should've seen this before I posted my "b r right" thread. anyway i really wanna hear more of this album. now.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Friday, 1 November 2002 09:15 (twenty-three years ago)

three years pass...

[spam]

― online directory main, Friday, 21 April 2006 22:45 (nineteen years ago)

I feel nostalgic for the first time I heard this.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 22 April 2006 00:10 (nineteen years ago)

Spambot's got taste.

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Saturday, 22 April 2006 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

five years pass...

this album is great, 'b r right' is a top 5 kanye beat

― prego, Wednesday, 28 September 2011 18:15 (fourteen years ago)

it's his BEST beat!

though da baddest bitch >>>>>

― prolego, Wednesday, 28 September 2011 18:47 (fourteen years ago)

two years pass...

your periodic reminder that this album is all-time classic 4eva and eva

sit back and appraise the don diva

― lex pretend, Friday, 10 January 2014 10:52 (twelve years ago)

one month passes...

http://www.audiomack.com/song/co-piscapo/you

― just sayin, Thursday, 6 March 2014 17:46 (eleven years ago)

i love how she releases one of these break-up anthems every so often and they're all amazing

― lex pretend, Thursday, 6 March 2014 18:21 (eleven years ago)

that other track on that site "money ain't a problem" is great as well

― lex pretend, Thursday, 6 March 2014 18:22 (eleven years ago)

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