In case you missed it, over the weekend DDGβrapper and boyfriend to The Little Mermaid star Halle Baileyβcaused quite a stir online thanks to a new song he released admitting his insecurities about the their relationship and her success.
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Titled βFamous,β the nearly four-minute-long song seemingly takes shots at Bailey, explaining how the hardest thing he ever did was fall in love with βa famous bitchβ and that all he ever asked her to do was βbasic shit.β As the song continues, the rapper discusses his frustrationβand fragilityβwhen it came to seeing this famous woman that he loves βkissing dudesβ and holding hands while filming a movie; getting DMs from men congratulating her on her successes; wondering if sheβs actually sleeping with her costar and more:
βI been so insecure that I be thinkinβ you really be fuckinβ niggas you in movies with// But on the internet, I just be coolinβ it, but in my head, a nigga really losinβ it.
Gotta be payinβ good βcause you keep doinβ it, I might just tweet somethinβ just to ruin it// I got a platform, Iβm abusinβ it.
Itβs a couple things about your job I wanna know (I do)
When you shoot your movie, do these niggas turn you on? (On)When you leave the set, do yβall still text each other phone? (Phone) Just because they filminβ it, it donβt mean that it ainβt wrong.β
Look. Itβs one thing to have these insecure feelings and discuss them with your partner with the intent to make them aware of how youβre feeling and then take that personal journey to fix it. But itβs a whole other thing to publicize your relationship insecurities to the point where you project a false image of your partner as a potential cheater to the masses and even admit to doing something to sabotage their success because of it. Yeah, that βI might just tweet somethinβ just to ruin itβ line hits different when you remember how he repeatedly trolled her and her new film online.
This songβcoming off the heels of days-long discourse stemming from Keke Palmerβs boyfriendβs attempt to mom-shame her (as a way to cover up his insecurities about her getting attention from Usher at his concert, if weβre keeping 100) just further highlights the conundrum that often follows successful women who are in relationships with men who are lowkey jealous of their success.
Even though part of the allure of the relationship was due to the fact that their respective partner is famous, successful and βa catch,β men who havenβt come to grips with how to properly manage their egos and their own internal emotions will no longer view that as an attraction and start to feel some level of resentment and insecurity once they feel their own value and what they bring to the table is called into question. And unfortunately, this can manifest into shady songs, questionable tweets, and far more insidious things if left unchecked.
In both Palmer and Baileyβs situation, their respective partners knew exactly who their girlfriends were and the star power they possessed when they got togetherβand if they didnβt, they learned almost immediately afterward. They should not be expected to dim their light, shirk back from their successes, or over-explain their intentions to assuage the frail feelings of their partner. If the roles were reversed, those same men would feel the same way and take issue with their partners moving in the way that they did.
As the old saying goes: βIf you canβt stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.β And if you canβt handle the success of a Black woman, leave her alone and get out of her way so the next man can.
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