Trina

"I work really hard," said the composed young lady during a recent phone interview. "I’m pretty dedicated and have this drive to get what I want. I am also covering different themes this time around; touching so many different areas… I think people are responding to that."

Needless to say, it’s been a whirlwind trip of sorts that brings Trina to where she is today. The Southern siren was born and bred in Miami’s tropical sunshine. She began her current career path in the late 90’s, appearing on a record by high school friend and then rising rap star, Slip-N-Slide labelmate Trick Daddy. Her appearance on the seminal hit single "Nann" was actually a happy circumstance. "I have known Trick for a while and when he was getting ready to do that record he said he wanted me on it. From there, I just caught the bug; I wanted to do music."

Since then, Miami’s chocolate jewel has been living the glamorous life. On her two previous albums, 2000’s Da Baddest Bitch and 2002’s Diamond Princess, she shared this life of excess with tales of sex, money, jewelry and high times dominating the content. This marketing move, coupled with her model looks made her a household name. It hasn’t hurt that she’s also made some high-profile guest appearances with artists like Missy Elliott and Ludacris.

She admits, however, that while she has enjoyed the life of a diva, a lot of the decisions around her music weren’t her idea; she just went with the flow. "I was new and didn’t know a lot," she confesses. "So I pretty much just played it by ear and followed along." At the time, female rappers weren’t a dime a dozen and the ones making a splash (Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown) used their sex appeal to translate into record sales. Trina’s record company had its blueprint.

On this outing, however, Trina adopted a new attitude. "I’m more mature," she said in her sexy southern drawl. "Learning more about the business has allowed me to feel comfortable with making more decisions on this project. I had more creative control than I’ve had for any other records I’ve done before. Things going on in my life, with me growing, changing, evolving, I wanted to explore that on this album. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that."

Though she still keeps things sexy, with the up-tempo club songs that she’s known for, she also explores more personal fare like the aforementioned "Here We Go." This real-life love song based on a failed relationship partners her with Destiny Child's Kelly Rowland, whose earnest and passionate vocals help set the mood for the more melodic track. In addition to this collaboration, Trina has called on some other high powered industry friends. Other guests included Southern Prince Lil’ Wayne, Lil’ Scrappy, Missy, Ciara, and the Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige. California’s unofficial ambassador Snoop Dogg even stops by to lend his laid-back, West Coast influence on the song "Sexy Gurl."

"I just love his work," comments Trina excitedly. "I was on his album and he returned the favor. It’s a good time and I’m very pleased with the record."

Production from the likes of Jazzy Pha (Nelly, Ciara), Mannie Fresh (Hot Boyz, Lil’ Wayne), and Cool and Dre help make sure her lyrics are backed by catchy, slamming music. And, for her part, Trina keeps things moving, never sounding over shadowed by any of her guests.

What is missing, however, is the staple duet with friend and mentor Trick Daddy. "We actually did do a song for this album," explained Trina. "But it used a Prince sample and we couldn’t get the clearance in time for the drop date." She assures her fans that the two are still very close and will continue to work on projects together.

In the meantime, she’s going to concentrate on the new, classy, business-minded woman she’s grown up to be, keeping a hand in her musical decisions and taking more control of her outside projects. In addition to the television pilot and new album, the independent woman has plans for a perfume fragrance (Diamond Princess), a clothing line (Denim & Diamonds), and a brand of Vodka (Pink Diamond). She will also be establishing a modeling agency to help aspiring, wide-eyed young people like she used to be. All of which fit neatly into her glamorest Miami lifestyle, which, for the record, has her "happily" single.

Trina, The Glamorest Chick

"I’m just working so hard right now it’s not fair to get involved in anything else."

For right now, music is her passion, it comes first. An upcoming tour is in the planning stages and for the foreseeable future, da baddest chick in the game plans to hold down her spot. Take a moment and catch a glimpse of her world.

P.O.S.

Fortunately, drive and passion are two things that he has in abundance. These traits are what led him to co-create, along with like-minded friends, a collective called Doomtree. It’s a crew made up of independent MC’s and producers who just vibe out and make music; mostly rap-influenced, but music nonetheless. They share talent, ideas, and energy, as well as a desire to say something that means something.

It was his drive and passion that also led to his first recording contract.

"With Doomtree, we decided we wanted to put out a record. So I recorded one." said P.O.S. "We didn’t do a lot of remixing or mastering, the whole thing was first takes in the studio. It was real raw, but it was a vision." The album, 2004’s Ipecac Neat was a melding of punk influences and attitude with rap lyrics about politics, social interaction, and personal relationships--the sad kind. Full of angst and raw as a newborn, the album nonetheless resonated with fans, who slowly bought into this dread-lock wearing Black kid with the heavy wailing guitars and intense wordplay. The buzz caught the attention of Rhymesayers Entertainment; a Minneapolis based record company whose owners also happen to be its producers and artists. Their most visible talent, Slug (of the group Atmosphere), offered to take Alexander, now known as the rapper P.O.S., on tour with him.

"I went out on the Warp Tour, mainly to help sell the merchandise and move equipment," said the stalwart musician. "Sometimes I got a chance to perform on the side stages, and I did it, without compromising my duties: I would rap, eat, and then spend all day selling shit. Sean (Slug) was impressed with my work ethic, so when the group set out on their own tour, after Warp ended, he brought me along to open."

That opportunity led to increased record sales and notoriety, both of which Alexander appreciated. "I went on the road expecting to struggle," he recalled. "But I didn’t have to struggle. People were receptive and open and it worked out pretty well."

One of the major reasons, agreed Alexander, is due to a song off the album called Duct Tape. A staple of the artist’s performance set.

"That song just came into being one day," he offered. "It’s a very personal exploration about not having a dad, of what it feels like going through that. People could relate."

It is this honesty and straight-forward music that Alexander believes touches his fans most. "I don’t pander," he stated matter-of-factly. "I can’t see the point in music unless it is honest. And whatever success I’m going to have, it has to stand up behind the music. I don’t do diamonds, skylines, love, or anything like that. I do chaos. I do truth." And he does this all with the help of a fostering environment. According to Alexander, the arts in Minneapolis are very important and open. He said that per capita, "there are more theaters here than in New York," and that on any given day you can go to music club and see a show featuring artists who do Soul, Rock, Rap, Punk, Emo, "just a mix of genres" and people will stay for the whole thing. They enjoy it all.

It was this acceptance and immersion that allowed Alexander to stay true to his P.O.S. persona without seeming conflicted. Having been in and out of punk or hardcore bands since he was a teenager, he says the thing that attracted him to rap was the affinity and attitude it shared with Punk, but also the immediacy it offered. "With hip hop it’s just me, sharing myself. There aren’t any anchors or instruments or distractions." He goes on to add, "I play in bands because I love it. I rap because I love it."

And it was this love that guided the creation of his new album Audition. "The album shows lots of growth. I took more time on the songs and we have a more polished studio sound," he explained. "I’m very proud of it. But," he cautioned, "For people who liked the first album, its going to take longer to like this, because I made it for me."

He continued, saying, "I made it as abrasive as possible, almost repellant to weed out posers. With the lyrics, I just kept it concise. I figured if I couldn’t say it in two verses, it wasn’t worth saying. With the music, I’m running everything through crazy gates and Fender amps, sequencing dirty, filthy sounds. I do use some familiar samples but I freak them out so bad that they aren’t recognizable."

However, Alexander – who remains a big part of his own son’s life – hopes that he doesn’t go unrecognized. "My goal is to not have a job. To write songs and have people hear them and be able to relate." Not too much to ask from an unapologetic musician from the Midwest. Give him some attention.


Editor’s note: P.O.S. performs with label mates Blueprint and Atmosphere at The Fillmore on Nov. 10. It’s an all ages show. For more information contact The Fillmore or go to www.fillmoreauditorium.com. You can also find out more about P.O.S. and Rhymesayers Entertainment at www.rhymesayers.com.