Da Brat Waited 25 Years To Come Out (& Why Meeting Her Wife Changed Her Mind)

The male-dominated rap world is rampant with sexism and misogyny, so Da Brat (née Shawntae Harris) had to battle twice as hard to get her voice heard. However, she fought the good fight and won, becoming one of the most influential female rappers of the '90s. Da Brat blazed a trail after the title track from her debut release "Funkdafied" blew up, making her the first solo female rapper to score a platinum album, per XXL.

Unfortunately, the rap world's also synonymous with homophobia, reflected in the few rappers who have come out as gay. Da Brat eventually became one of them, but it took her a long time before she was ready to crack open the closet door. The performer was only too aware of the rigid expectations placed on female rappers. Da Brat spilled the sexist beauty standard tea on "Hollywood True Stories" (via E!). She shared that women are "expected to look a certain way" — which equates to beautiful arm candy-type, period.

Da Brat slammed the industry over its glaring double standards, name-dropping two examples of male rappers who are unlikely be viewed as anybody's idea of arm candy. "Look at Biggie and Heavy D," she said, sharing that, meanwhile, women had to always appear "f***able" while clawing their way up the career ladder. It's little wonder Da Brat waited 25 years before deciding to come out. Even then, it was only after meeting her wife that she changed her mind.

Da Brat was forced to go the extra mile in her career, proving her lyrical skills while dropping it like it's hot for the boys. However, after 25 years, she was done frontin'; Da Brat was in love and wanted to shout it from the Chi-Town rooftops. "I met someone who made me feel fearless," Da Brat told Daily Blast Live. "I'm so grown, and my journey has been so strong that I have built a coat of armor against anything that anybody has to say about me," she continued, admitting it was "the best thing I've ever done" to be out and proud.

Da Brat had previously been reticent to go public with her sexuality for a good reason. "Both misogyny and homophobia created a culture where coming out would have been career suicide for a Black woman in hip-hop," she told Variety.

However, when Da Brat did come out, she did it with a bang, posting a heartfelt and tearful video gushing about her girlfriend. "I have never experienced this feeling. It's so overwhelming that often I find myself in a daze hoping to never get pinched to see if it's real so I can live in this dream forever," she wrote. So, who is Da Brat's girlfriend? What's the 4-1-1 on the woman who inspired her to come out? Well, she's called Jesseca "Judy" Dupart, and she's not Da Brat's girlfriend anymore — she's her wife.

Da Brat and Jesseca "Judy" Dupart tied the knot in a fairytale-esque ceremony in 2022. The rapper gushed about her beautiful bride to People. "Everything about her made me want her to be mine forever," she admitted. "And I felt like I knew it not much longer than from the day we met." Da Brat also shared the special meaning behind their wedding date.

"We've been calling each other twin flames for a while. So this date, 2/22/22, is a significant event," she explained. "It signifies angel numbers, and it also is reminiscent of twin flames," the newlywed said. The pair was quick to make up for lost time together and within a year, they announced they were starting a family — Da Brat was about to become a first-time mom at 48. "BLESSINGS all 2023," she captioned pics of herself cradling a baby bump, including a shout-out to Hope Fertility in the post.

"It's been quite a journey," the rapper told People about becoming an older mom. "There's a lot of stuff we learned about women over the age of 40." She revealed the couple had decided to try for a baby on the day they married. "It started as a joke; we were like, 'We're extending our family!'" Da Brat said. "But then ... it was like, 'Oh my God do we want to actually have kids, and if we do, girl, we better hurry up!'"