Waka Flocka Flame and Tammy Rivera are changing the narrative of what a hip-hop family looks like. Their WE Tv reality series, Waka & Tammy: What the Flocka, is a shift from their years as cast members of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.
During their time on VH1, the couple faced infidelity, a period of separation and beef with co-stars. But this time around, they are focused on showcasing their life as a family with their teenage daughter Charlie and how they mix marriage and business with their music careers and expanding empires.
A main focal point of the show is Waka’s relationship with Charlie. Though she’s not her biological father, their bond would make you believe otherwise. He’s been a constant figure in Charlie’s life since she was a young tot and as she grows, their bond only gets stronger. The couple insists that season 2 of the show reveals more about them as parents.
A look at Waka’s Instagram page is filled with special daddy-daughter moments and it’s something fans love to see, especially coming from a rapper, as many often get a bad rep for the misogyny in hip hop. Waka is proving different with how he loves his wife and child.
Waka gushes when he speaks of his bond with his bonus baby. “I made Charlie. You couldn’t make me feel like I didn’t,” he told us. “But, I wouldn’t ever try to make her erase her real connection with her father, her biological father.”
That doesn’t mean he hasn’t made mistakes along the way. He admits to being too overbearing at one point in time, which he says had an adverse effect on their relationship.
“I’m not trying to force my daughter to do anything, I’m just letting her be Charlie. I was that guy already who tried to push fears on her and seeing the amount of space that grew in between us on an emotional level that physically hurt us,” he explained. “So what I’ve learned to do is let Charlie be Charlie because we know how to raise kids from our community…from the hood, the ghetto, the slums, whatever. But we don’t know how to raise a privileged Black kid.”
With that privilege comes its own set of challenges. Many celebrity parents struggle with finding a balance between giving their children the best while also keeping them grounded. Riviera makes it clear that she refuses to downplay her daughter’s lifestyle to appease anyone.
“My struggle with Charlie is for her to realize who she is,” Rivera stated. “I want her to walk in that…I want her to know that ‘Yes, I am a celebrity, I am on TV and this is what it is.’ That doesn’t make you not humble…I’m not telling her to walk around and brag but [know that] ‘I am who the f**k I am’ and you’re just going to have to deal with that.”
Though they aren’t new to reality TV, the couple has had their share of private matters turn public. Waka says he’s learned from his past mistakes and is grateful to have his wife remain by his side. Through it all, they’ve managed to come out on top and plan to stay that way. They will not succumb to the reality TV curse of having their marriage fall apart for the world to see.
“We aren’t trying to break a curse. And I can tell you from my experience with infidelity, that it [boils down to] do the couple want to be together and how bad the man wants to do it [to right his wrongs],” Waka said. “Do your woman want to accept you, my boy? …TV can’t break nothing up that was already bonded and welded together. Before television, me and Tammy already had a relationship. She was already my friend.”
Rivera echos her husband’s sentiments. “We’ve been together for 10 years…we were on Love & Hip Hop and if that didn’t break us then I don’t know what will.”
Check out the full interview below where the couple talks about new business ventures, working on music together, mental health, and more.
What the Flocka airs every Thursday on WE Tv at 9 p.m. EST.
