The world of hip-hop has come a long way since Da Brat
first rose to fame in the ‘90s, with collaborations like the ubiquitous
dance floor anthem “Ladies’ Night (Not Tonight).” Back then, there were
no Lil Nas X makeout sessions with a stacked male dancer at the BET Awards, nor much LGBTQ+ visibility at all among mainstream Black artists.
“Both
misogyny and homophobia created a culture where coming out would have
been career suicide for a Black woman in hip-hop,” Da Brat, born
Shawntae Calloway, told Variety upon coming out as a lesbian last June and announcing her relationship with partner Jesseca “Judy” Dupart.
Now, the couple is set to star in their own WE tv docu-series Brat Loves Judy,
which will take fans behind the scenes of their lives and relationship.
And after 25 years in the industry, it’s clear Da Brat has a story to
tell.
“I don’t give a fuck anymore; if I’m happy, that’s what matters,” the
47-year-old says in a sneak peek of the series released this week. “I’m
Da Brat, I’m out the fucking closet, living out loud with my baby
because I love Judy, and Judy loves me.”
Premiering August 5, the series is something of a spin-off of Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta,
on which Da Brat starred for several years. Dupart is a monied public
figure in her own right as the founder and CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair
Products.
The
preview promises conversations between Da Brat and her family about her
coming out publicly, and, perhaps most excitingly, a potential
engagement for the stars.
“WE tv has long solidified itself as a
home for authentic stories and relatable relationships,” Lauren Gellert,
WE tv executive vice president of development and original programming,
said in a statement. “These two powerful and successful women are
sharing their brand-new relationship with audiences for the first time
ever, bravely inviting viewers to experience all their emotional
‘firsts’ alongside them.”
It’s another sign of our very queer
times that “behind-the-scenes docu-series about a celebrity coming out”
has become its own TV genre. For all its subject’s problematic views, I Am Cait
offered an unprecedented inside look at the transition process of one
of the most famous trans people in the public eye. Netflix is currently
producing a docu-series about former Bachelor Colton Underwood, who came out as gay earlier this year.
Brat Loves Judy also comes on the heels of another long-awaited public coming out among ’90s hip hop royalty. Over the weekend, Queen Latifah publicly acknowledged her partner, Eboni Nichols, and their son for the first time publicly, when she accepted BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Reflecting
on her own experience coming out later in her career, Da Brat was
grateful for the positive response but also circumspect about her
decision.
“Oh, my God, the reaction made me feel like, ‘Why didn’t I do this shit years ago?’” she told Variety.
“There were some people saying, ‘We knew it.’ Well, good for you! Now I
know it, and I’m able to say it. I did this on my own terms.”
