Trina can actually rap. No, no come back. I’m not going crazy and you don’t have to revoke my hip-hop card but I meant what I said. Now I don’t mean that WHAT she raps about is noteworthy nine times out of ten, but if you can get past that, she has a solid flow and a passionate voice, albeit one that takes a little getting used to.
Now her last album, Glamorest Life (that’s not a spelling error either) was pretty bad to be honest. There was some good production but ultimately the album suffered from repetitive and predictable content that wasn’t terribly interesting either. So, why would I bother listening to Still Da Baddest? Well, I heard the lead single and was impressed with the production as well as the fact that Trina wasn’t rapping about how good her sex game is. I also don’t think that female rappers get enough respect in today’s hip-hop world. Frankly, a lot of them don’t deserve it because rapping about how many ways you can, uh, “do it” with someone isn’t very engaging to a wide audience and many are put off by how ‘in your face’ (no pun intended…well maybe a little) it can be.
When the opportunity came around to review this then, I didn’t exactly jump at the chance, but I was interested enough to give this a listen. Read on, I think you’ll be surprised.
Tracks
1. Intro
2. Still Da Baddest
3. Killing You Hoes
4. Single Again
5. Look Back At Me Ft. Killer Mike
6. I Got A Thang For You Ft. Keyshia Cole
7. I Got A Bottle Ft. Missy Elliott
8. Wish I Never Met You Ft. Shonie
9. Clear It Out
10. Stop Traffic Ft. Pitbull
11. Phone Sexxx Ft. Qwote
12. Hot Commodity Ft. Rick Ross
After the brief “Intro”, “Still Da Baddest” kicks off the album in an impressive fashion. Serving as an “I’m back, whether you like it or not!” track, Trina proves she can actually rap serving up some decent braggadocio over some triumphant production.
The lead single, “Single Again”, with some catchy production care of J-Roc, sees Trina unleash an aggressive break-up track. It’s another example of how Trina can actually rap as she changes her delivery and flow each verse to better reflect the lyrical content. Christina Milian was rumored to be singing the hook originally, but for whatever reason, Trina herself eventually sung the hook. Many are speculating that this track is an ode to the relationship that she and Lil Wayne shared.
Interestingly enough, the better tracks on this album follow in a similar vein. Content-wise, “Wish I Never Met You” is quite similar although there’s more regret within the song than “Single Again”. The somber guitar licks are complimented by Shonie’s hook work as the two lament a relationship that went awry. On the other side of things, you have “I Got A Thang For You” which plays out as a slightly shyer, yet grown ‘I got a crush on you’ track and is boosted by a low-key yet nevertheless strong, vocal performance by Keyshia Cole.
“Phone Sexxx” isn’t as bad as I expected as Qwote really does have an impressive singing voice and the beat has a somewhat Asian-flavor to it with the string synths in the background. I suppose it comes off better than other sex rap tracks as it’s somewhat imaginative without being unnecessarily graphic. However, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in the minority praising this track.
The problem with many of the other tracks is that whilst they’re bad, there’s nothing terribly special about them. “I Got A Bottle” whilst somewhat humorous, is dragged down by an irritating hook and average beat. Similarly, “Hot Commodity” whilst backed by some great production is brought down a little by the sex rap lyrics and a ‘just there’ guest appearance by Rick Ross.
Having said that though, there are two tracks that are bad, but for different reasons. “Look Back At Me” is unlistenable as the sex rap is so over the top and unashamed I think it would make even the hardiest (no pun intended there, honest) porn star blush. As the most of the album manages to stay away from the sex rap, this really acts as a blemish on an otherwise listenable album. It’s also the longest track with the most uninspired production, coming off as a poor-man’s “Whisper Song”. The other track, “Stop Traffic” features equally uninspired production but is completely killed by Pitbull’s hook that even a two year old with no grasp of the English language would find pathetic:
”Green, mean go. Yellow mean slow. Red mean stop, now drop now roll. Girl you got an ass, stop traffic like a red. Girl you got an ass, stop traffic like a red”
Pitbull ladies and gentlemen, reminding you of how a traffic light works.
Review album by 411mania.com
[Music video] Trina Ft. Keyshia Cole -I got a thang for you
0 comments:
Post a Comment