When Fabolous rapped "Cause the entree ain't as good without somethin' on the side," he was alluding to the cultural praise of the side chick. In hip-hop, having a side piece is just as mandatory as owning a gaudy chain or an Italian sports car. Although cheating is widely viewed as a disgusting action, the idea of having a side piece is contradictorily worshiped in hip-hop culture.
The exploitation of hip-hop by record companies attributed to the rise of the video vixen in the '90s. Videos with half-naked girls received more requests, and the more the government tried to ban them, the more popular they became. Soon, video vixens became a standard in rap music videos. Some video vixens have crept their way into famous rapper's homes, just to cause drama and attain fleeting fame. Some aren't video vixens either, just a lady looking for her come-uppance, or else, just a man looking for something different to satiate hormones.
Blackmail has been the weapon of choice for several side chicks. Most recently Kevin Hart's attempted extortion/cheating scandal has made major headlines nationwide. Other side chicks become mainstays in the lives of the men who they have slept with, also giving birth to illegitimate children. "18 years, 18 years, she got one of your kids, got you for 18 years," quipped Kanye West on "Golddigger," a warning that many rappers choose to ignore. Still, some side chicks survive public scandal and achieve the seemingly impossible dream of receiving a wedding ring. Coincidentally, the same dream that every side chick in the country has, is a nightmare that every cheating man has. Infidelity has crippled many relationships, Jay-Z infamously almost lost Beyonce last year due to his own lack of self-control, an issue which she didn't hesitate to lay out on wax on her Lemonade opus. The latest alleged sidechick scandal to come to light involves Young Thug and a reported four different ladies, on top of his fiancee, Jerikka Karlae.
It seems like no man is immune to the lure of a side chick. The Game once famously stated that all men cheat. Whether you agree with him or not, the power of the side chick is irrefutable. Here's our list of some of the most notorious hip-hop-affiliated side chicks of all time.
Lil Kim
The Notorious B.I.G. is a rap legend and a self-titled pimp. Unlike many rappers today, B.I.G. rapped about his real life. Christopher Wallace and Faith Evans got married in 1994, not long after meeting each other at a photoshoot. The two were seemingly happy, until Biggie decided to sleep with his female protege: Lil Kim. Kim and Biggie began their work relationship after the Queen B freestyled for Smalls, but the two couldn't keep it professional. B.I.G.'s affair with Lil Kim would become high-profile, and last until his untimely death in 1997, as did his marriage to Faith. Lil Kim has never been shy about voicing her love for the legendary the MC, as well as voicing his love for her. Kim even told The Source, after the fact, that she was impregnated with B.I.G.'s child, but decided not to keep the baby created out of the love affair.
Tamika Fuller
Christopher Bridges, better known by his stage name Ludacris, is one of the most successful rappers turned actor. The Fast and Furious star was linked to West-African dime piece Eudoxie for years, apparently in love, before they tied the knot. In 2013 though, during an alleged "break," Luda slept with Tamika Fuller, someone he counted as a friend prior to their sexual engagement. The love affair eventually ended in a pregnancy, which resulted in Luda's baby girl, Cai Bella Bridges. Tamika shared her side of the story in a personal essay you can read here, claiming Luda promised the world to her if she would just get an abortion.
Joseline Hernandez
VH1's Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta has become one of their most viewed shows. Millions of people sit glued to their TV screens, as they ingest gossip and drama centered around famous hip-hop acts. Stevie J, a Grammy-winning producer from the late 90s/early 00s (known for his work with another rapper on this list, Biggie), is among the stars in the series, and first recruited Joseline Hernandez to work with on a business level, as a singer and rapper. Later, it was revealed that the two were sleeping together, behind the back of his girlfriend Mimi Faust-- another cast member, of course. While Stevie would leave Mimi for Hernandez, things have since soured. Although Hernandez gave birth to Stevie's sixth child last year, the two are currently locked in a custody battle.
Nia Guzman
Chris Brown hasn't been able to get his love life together, at least not yet. After the exceedingly public falling out of Chris and Rihanna, the R&B singer started dating Karrueche Tran, after meeting her in 2011 while she worked as a stylist in LA. Those two have had their own share of ups and downs over the course of their relationship, dragging on into 2017, and in the midst of that relationship, CB apparently had an affair with little-known Nia Guzman. The affair ultimately destroyed his relationship with Tran, she even went so far as to get a restraining order against the singer after things went (heavily) south, but in his documentary Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life, CB claims that he has no regrets. Nia gave birth to Chris' daughter, Royalty, whom he also named his seventh studio album after.
Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Barrino was poised to become the biggest R&B singer in the country when she won American Idol in 2004. Her voice was reminiscent of Patti LaBelle, and her talent was untouchable, but, ultimately, it seems like a public affair ruined her career. Antwaun Cook, the father of two sons, began dating Fantasia while he was still married. Initially, the two denied that they had been sleeping together until Cook's divorce was final. The truth came to light though, and Fantasia has been labeled a homewrecker ever since. Cook and Fantasia had a child before they split up, and Cook returned to his estranged wife.
Kat Stacks
Born Andrea Herrera, Kat Stacks immigrated to America from Venezuela when she was eight years old. She was forced into sex-trafficking as a teenager, and was almost deported after being arrested for possession of a firearm at 19. The prostitute-turned-groupie exposed several hip-hop artists via social media, claiming to have slept with Lil Wayne, Nelly, Bow Wow, Soulja Boy, and many others. She did her rounds as a sidechick, and found her fifteen minutes, if not more, in the limelight in-so doing.
Sarah Chapman
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is one of the richest rappers in the world. His label, Bad Boy Records, produced some the biggest stars to ever grace a stage. All the fame and fortune must have affected Diddy's fidelity though. Combs cheated on his baby-momma, Kim Porter, with Sarah Chapman back in 2005. In fact, both women fathered children for the Bad Boy creator the next year. Currently, he's been loyal to Cassie.
Karrine Steffans
Karrine Steffans, also knows as "Superhead," is perhaps most infamous groupie in hip-hop. The list of hip-hop icons she has slept with is legendary. Usher, Shaq, Ice-T, Diddy, Juelz Santana, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Too $hort, Pusha T, and many others have laid with the queen of fellatio. Karrine has named Young Buck as the best lover she ever had, and she has a son with rap legend Kool G Rap. Steffan's expose book Confessions of a Video Vixen, The Vixen Diaries, and The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce & Keep the Man You Want have all made The New York Times Best Seller list.
Alicia Keys
R&B singer Mashonda married super-producer Swizz Beatz back in 2004. The couple began to face issues as rumors of Swizz's infidelities hit the media. Not only did Swizz father a child with UK singer-songwriter and producer Jahna Sebastian in 2008, he also began publicly dating Alicia Keys in 2009. His divorce with Mashonda was not finalized until 2010, and thus, Mashonda would go on to claim that fellow r'n'b singer, Alicia, stole Sizz from her. Last year, Keys released a song dedicated to her step-children called "Blended Family (What You Do For Love)." Swizz and Alicia, for their part, appear as happy as can be these days.
Amina Buddafly
Amina Buddafly is married to veteran rapper Peter Gunz. Gunz's claim to fame is the hip-hop classic cut "Deja-Vu (Uptown Baby)." The old-school rapper and Love and Hip-hop star is always entrenched in relationship issues, and is famous for marrying his side chick, Amina. Originally, Amina was Gunz side piece while he was with Tara Wallace. Gunz left Wallace, married Amina, but still got Wallace pregnant afterward. Gunz currently has ten children, that we know of. Amina and Wallace share the rapper, and have been publicly critical of each other on the reality television series.