You Don’t Know Nann!-A Review of Da Baddest by Trina

Trina came onto the scene in 1998 with Trick Daddy telling us, “You don’t know nann,” and the truth is after listening to her memoir on Audible, I realized I absolutely didn’t! Trina’s memoir opened up a whole new world of knowledge of the music business for millennial readers. For me, I was very proud of her by the end of the book, and honestly I had always been proud of Trina. I felt she kept it 100% real at all times, but knowing what I know now has my pride swelling for us Black women that are out here winning.

Trina tells us her life story from beginning to present and there isn’t a dull moment to note. She talks about her upbringing in a middle class family, and reveals the evolution of her independent streak. I don’t know if I am the only one who thought Trina grew up in poverty, but she certainly did not. It wasn’t upperclass, but very middle class and the family dabbled in some less desirable activities that Trina was not privy to as a child. That’s the way it should be. While the adults handled business, the kids were encouraged to be kids. The parents and other adults in Trina’s village were not strict, but they provided structure, set rules and boundaries, and applied consequences when necessary. She and her sister never went without and they were loved and they knew it.

Unlike some of the other memoirs I’ve listened to over the past year, Trina didn’t hold back on her intimate relationships. I appreciated her transparency and honesty, because I am a fan, and it’s comforting to know that a celebrity I admire has felt some of the same things I’ve felt, and they worked their way through it.

Of course, the biggest thing Trina discusses is her career. I had a few “laugh out loud” moments when she talked about her initial meeting with Trick Daddy, and later the beginnings of her career. Again, I have to say I am proud of the moves she made and her determination to stay true to herself. I completely got it when she discussed her role on Love & Hiphop Miami. It enlightened me to certain aspects of how this particular reality tv franchise is run, and I imagine that other legends in the game have similar contract stipulations when it comes to these shows. When I first saw that Trina would be joining the cast, I was annoyed. I felt she was too good to be on the show. After listening to her memoir though, I recognized that its all about multiple streams of income, and a type of accessibility to fans. Some things have negative results because there were no guidelines for conduct, but when done correctly, the ending doesn’t have to be disastrous.

One thing that Trina talks about in depth is her feeling on loss and death. I felt this was the deepest part of the book and again, I appreciate her transparency. My heart broke for her to some degree, but I admire her resilience. She recognizes that the show must go on, the living must live, but she doesn’t deny that grief takes a toll. Things do not get easier, you just don’t allow it to take over anymore. I felt all of that.

Trina’s story was a rollercoaster ride full of reveals and reality checks, and I truly enjoyed it.

However…
I am not happy with the lack of direction in her reading. Just because someone is a celebrity, educated, or both, doesn’t mean that they read well. To my knowledge, there are producers and/or directors present during audio book recordings. I felt they left Trina out to dry and it wasn’t right. She mispronounced a lot of words, and it had nothing to do with her accent. They are probably words she’s not in the habit of using and therefore was nervous about saying or simply didn’t know how to say them. Why weren’t corrections made? Why weren’t these things edited? I don’t blame Trina. I blame the editors and production team. They should have done better. Knowing that Trina is serious about what she puts out, the team should have done better by her.
This was almost a five-star listen, but production dropped the ball. Otherwise, pick up this book and I promise you will not be disappointed. Da Baddest did that!