The Femcee Letters: An Open Letter to Trina

Note: This is the fourth in the "Femcee Letters" series, co-presented by The Official Home of the Femcees. Counting down to when Nicki Minaj's highly-anticipated debut Pink Friday drops on November 23, each week an open letter to a femcee will be featured here.

Dear Trina,

"So this is the little lady who started this great war." First said by President Abraham Lincoln to Uncle Tom's Cabin author Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1862, I thought this quote fitting to introduce my letter to you. As Honest Abe noted the book's influence on the Civil War, your career evolution has sparked a similar conflict inside my system. That's right, my eyes and testosterone are at war with my ears, mind, and heart now, with each side making equally valid points to what pleases their senses. To try to find a possible truce between them, let me once again go through your career (like I did your homegirl Kim last week-here's hoping I have more success this time).

As one of the premier acts at Miami's best known strip club Club Rolexx, your hometown's reputation as the home of dirty rap was a part of you from the beginning-let's face it, 2 Live Crew's entire discography could have easily been written about you. Then, all of a sudden, here comes their protege Trick Daddy, who notices you and offers you a shot at the more legit money that comes with the rap game. Quick to accept, your presence was finally made known on the lead single from Trick's junior album (but mainstream breakout) "www.thug.com", "Nann". The fact that your bars were in the same league as Trick's when it came to the gritiness, arrogance, and X-rated appeal would be a sign for years to come that you were confident in your ability to secure a place among hip-hop's most talked-about femcees.

A couple years later was your deal with Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic, which begat your Y2K debut "Da Baddest Bitch". Though best remembered for the title track/lead single (which set the pace for your career attitude) as well as the follow-up "Pull Ova" (which would forever insure your ultra-thick hindquarters in every hip-hop fan's Top 5), what many will overlook is what I like to call the Deep 3 (and I don't mean inches) towards the end of that LP. Of course, I am speaking of "I'll Always" (where you actually talks about how happy you are with your man) "Mama" (basically the femcee version of Pac's classic), and the Pam (of Total)-assisted "Take Me" (so you had your evolution planned in advance, eh?). Of course, since the temptress style was still "in" for femcees, most of your guest work (notably on "One Minute Man").

Of course your sophomore set "Diamond Princess" would introduce us to your other alias, and show us the clientele you had built up by then, thanks to guest verses from the likes of Luda, Missy, Loso, and E-V-E. However, it would be those who contributed and later became industry heavyweights that I most remember DP by. Examples include the Luda-assisted lead single "BR Right," complete with a string beat from Mr. K. Omari West (while he was first an A-class producer, but before he reached superstardom as a rapper). Other highlights include the various beats from Jim Jonsin (a full six years before "Lollipop", "Whatever You Like", or "Kiss Me Thru The Phone") and Cool & Dre (2 1/2 years before "New York" and "Hate It or Love It")'s O'Jays-sampling "U & Me" (alas, this album's only personal track). However, it's the guest verse on "Told Y'all" (also produced by C&D) which sticks out the most, as a certain former corrections officer makes his first national appearance (over four years before Hustlin'). For the record, I had a feeling about his CO status from the first time I ever saw this. Overall, it seemed like you were destined to forever be known as the homegirl with the gutta mouth and the gluteus maximus (and I mean MAXIMUS) to back it up.

However, the first steps towards your transformation took place three years later in your junior album "Glamorest Life". Though the "deep" factor was low again, at least it went up one (now there were two such tracks). The primary difference is what Atlantic should have done all along-MAKE ONE OF THEM A SINGLE. That they did, with the Kelly Rowland-assisted "Here We Go". Over Jim Jonsin (now he was less than three years from breaking out)'s sample of the Force MDs' "Tender Love," once again you proved you had feelings too by lashing out at your unfaithful man, while at the same time mourning the loss of what could have been. Peaking in the upper fifth of the Billboard Hot 100, it remains your biggest hit to this day.

However, once fall of '06 hit, your career reached an impasse. In addition to your deal with Atlantic having expired and various emcees (male and female) you had reached out to later turned against you (maybe because they wanted to take your place at a certain Mr. W.F. Baby's side). It was in that flurry that you displayed your true battle savvy in "What's Beef?" sharpshooting at your targets with plain facts: a) by explaining that Khia never gets screen-time in her own videos (neither "My Neck, My Back" nor Janet's "So Excited" had her on there), b) by pointing that one with street-cred of B.G.'s caliber shouldn't be taking shots at females (and notably calling him a "Cash Money reject"), and c) by questioning whether Gillie da Kid is really the Philadelphian he claims to be. Though all three responded, their return shots all failed to reach your magnitude...personally, Geezy and Gillie should be counting their lucky stars that you and Weezy split up soon afterwards, rendering the beef moot (and you all know what I think that other female should do-hint: it involves bleach, and it's not for clothes or skin).

It seemed like that's exactly what you needed to get the last bit of negativity out of your system, as you have since taken a more positive outlook for your two EMI albums "Still da Baddest" and "Amazin'". Both albums combined have 8, count 'em eight in-depth quality tracks, as well as co-signs from the likes of Monica, Keri Hilson, Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Lyfe Jennings, and (wait for it) Diddy (lousy rapper, but great businessman, so still a plus). Though the overall decline in rap sales has led to these being your lowest-selling albums, they are also your most positively-reviewed ones-perhaps you're trading in the "money over everything" mantra after all?

So the ears-mind-heart alliance is still winning the battle, but there's one final battle to be fought...that is the visual evolution. Though closer to Foxy than Kim or Nicki in image evolution, there's still been a few notable changes (most notably, the post-Atlantic diet). The eyes-testosterone army's last stand is their appeal to my preference for the uber-thick ladies. However, the mind's first blow is "She's been in this game for over 10 years, you still expect her to look like she's in her early 20s?" What makes the eyes-testos surrender, however, is the fact that you're snagging up more mainstream shoots with the "curvy pinup" approach (before the end of the decade, you're going to make the SI swimsuit issue!)

So, after further review, the more honorable side of me has won the battle-so I approve your evolution in full now. I don't think any other femcees can say they've stayed relevant among their crowd for a decade and are still going strong. Though sensuality and cocky confidence will always be part of you, your maturity over the past several years has ensured that your prominence will continue for many years to come. And once again, your fans can trace this all the way back to the next-to-last track of your debut.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to write another open letter to your former Atlantic labelmate, who you helped on "One Minute Man" and who returned the favor on "Rewind That Back" and "I Got a Bottle". Thanks for your time, and I wish that you continue to experience all the joys this art provides!

Sincerely,

Burmy

For more information, the Official Home of the Femcees can be found on Twitter here and on Myspace here. Facebook page coming soon!