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Da Brat and BB Judy

Da Brat (left) & BB Judy (right). Photo by Nathan Pearcy

Shawntae Harris-Dupart “Da Brat” and her wife Jesseca “BB Judy” Harris-Dupart are the epitome of a modern love story. Brought together by social media, the two share a beautiful Atlanta home, a booming business, and are preparing to welcome their first child together. For our Pride issue, the two wives sat down with Tagg to talk about all the things they’re blessed to celebrate this June.

 

How It Started

Da Brat first saw her future wife when she stumbled upon an inspiring post on BB Judy’s Instagram page. “The message really resonated with me because I was going through something at the time. It was exactly what I needed,” Da Brat says. The iconic rapper began following BB Judy’s page and when she saw that BB Judy wanted celebrities to help sell her popular Kaleidoscope hair care line, Da Brat jumped at the chance.

The two finally met a few months later and Da Brat invited BB Judy to the studio after attending a stop on her tour. “We were talking about things we were interested in. Then I looked at her and said, ‘I’m interested in you,’” BB Judy recounts. Da Brat immediately lost her cool. “I tried to drink me a little drink, I missed my mouth it spilled all over my clothes. I was a complete wreck after that, like shy and everything,” she says.

The women kept in touch, but a comedy of errors delayed the two from starting a relationship right away. Living in different cities—BB Judy was based in New Orleans at the time, Da Brat in Atlanta—a string of failed trips to visit Da Brat caused BB Judy to move on with someone new.

Eventually, that relationship ended, and Da Brat slid into BB Judy’s DMs to clear the air and reconnect. BB Judy relocated to Atlanta, and the two tied the knot just last year on 2/2/22. Between Kaleidoscope’s recently released collaboration with Da Brat, their reality television show, Brat Loves Judy, and writing a book to release in 2024, the couple is constantly busy. They stay connected with date nights and are intentional about making any time together quality time. “In between takes we’ll hug and love on each other,” Da Brat says.

Da Brat is especially appreciative of her ability to publicly love on her wife. While the successful entrepreneur is accustomed to living out loud, Da Brat had been in the closet since her teens. She came out with BB Judy’s support in 2020. The couple took a cute photo together and joked about posting it to their accounts. Then BB Judy actually did. “I was like, ‘Bitch, we came out the closet!’” Da Brat says. Nerves quickly took hold, but her love was there to calm her down. “I was like, ‘Beautiful, everything’s going to be okay,’” BB Judy says. Soon after posting, a wave of positive responses began to pour in. “It was the best thing we could have ever did. It was a weight lifted because now I get to tell the world who I love, how I love her, and how she loves me, so it’s just the best thing ever,” Da Brat says.

And Baby Makes Three

BB Judy and Da Brat in Black & White

Photo by Nathan Pearcy

While BB Judy and Da Brat discussed children lightly when they started seeing each other, a child wasn’t an explicit part of the plan at the start. Things changed thanks to a Kaleidoscope campaign. “We did a promo where we said, ‘Hey, we’re extending the family’ and shot an ultrasound on me that showed the new collection coming out. But I never put the picture on social media because once we said, ‘We’re extending the family,” we had such an outpouring [of love and support],” BB Judy says. Da Brat saw that love and support and told her wife, “I think I really want a baby.”

@darealbbjudy Instagram gender reveal postWith both women in their 40s, BB Judy knew that they had to get serious right away if this was something they wanted to do. “We started the journey to figure out what this would look like. We both got checkups and full physicals to see who was the best to carry and who had the healthy eggs. We got educated on picking a donor, the medication, all the things involved in this,” BB Judy says. With three children already, she expected the process to be relatively easy, but it didn’t turn out that way. Da Brat had uterine fibroids and polyps, which she had to get removed. After egg extraction, BB Judy wound up in the hospital with blood clots in her lungs.

Ultimately, they decided that Da Brat should carry the baby as she hadn’t had the experience before. “Watching her look at the ultrasound for the first time, the baby’s heartbeat for the first time was amazing,” BB Judy says. In March, they posted a video of their festive gender reveal event with the caption, “Baby Harris – Dupart is a boy” featuring a bunch of blue heart emojis.

Though she’s a little nervous about giving birth, Da Brat is fully enjoying the experience. “She’s got little baby shoes. She’s got like 20 pairs of Jordan’s for the baby already. She had an emotional moment where she said, ‘The foot that I saw in the ultrasound is going to be inside of this shoe!’” BB Judy says. Da Brat interjects, “Shut up! Okay, now my swag is totally gone!”

BB Judy does everything she can to ensure that her wife feels heard, listening to all of her questions and requests. As a first-time mother, Da Brat wonders about the science behind the baby breathing in the womb and her milk coming in. She even asked BB Judy for an in-home ultrasound machine. (BB Judy looked into it, but Da Brat says she’s moved past that request.) The wives are posting regular updates on YouTube and Instagram to share Da Brat’s questions and their pregnancy journey with others.

Living In Color

BB Judy and Da Brat hold Kaleidoscope products

(Photo by Sterling Photos)

When considering advice they’d give to others looking for the love and success they’ve found together, BB Judy and Da Brat agree on a core truth. “Remove the labels. A lot of people live by the labels,” BB Judy says.

Da Brat is quick to speak to those looking to define her. “Just in case everybody wonders if Brat is a stud or a femme, I think I think I’m everything all in one. I’m just Brat. I love pretty panties, but I also love boxers, so my thighs don’t rub together. I love fingernails, I love makeup, but I also love to ride motorcycles,” she says. “There’s different things. I’m just me.”

Both women agree that a good relationship is one where all parties can be 100 percent themselves. Da Brat explains, “Just be you and don’t worry about the label stuff. Don’t let people put you in a box. We don’t live in boxes: They have four corners and not enough room for us women to do our thing.”

 

 

Tagg Magazine 2023 Pride Cover w/ Da Brat & BB Judy
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Sondra Rose Marie
Sondra Rose Marie
Sondra Rose Marie Morris (she/her) is a memoirist, journalist, and entrepreneur. Her words covering mental health, racism, death, and sexuality can be found in ZORA, Human Parts, Dope Cause We Said, The Q26, and on Medium. As of 2024, Sondra is the owner and Editor in Chief for Tagg Magazine. Follow her adventures on Instagram @SondraWritesStuff or Twitter @sondrarosemarie.