Rap legend Da Brat and beauty mogul Judy open up about their meet-cute, fertility journey and collaborating professionally

BY NIC CROSARA

Da Brat (Shawntae Harris-Dupart) and Jesseca “Judy” Harris-Dupart have undoubtedly earned their reputation as a power couple. They’ve both been gamechangers in their crafts, with Brat being the first female solo rapper to sell 1 million copies with her debut album, Funkdafied, and Judy dubbed a “superhero entrepreneur” for building her multi-million dollar brand, Kaleidoscope Hair Products. Since first going public with their relationship back in 2020, the lovebirds have brought their fans along for the ride, from their fairytale wedding to their fertility journey – and in doing so, they’ve allowed us to see the beauty and magic of Black queer love being celebrated in the mainstream. ››

Brat and Judy dial into our Zoom call from their home in Atlanta, Georgia. Brat is rocking a side-swept ‘fro and monochrome hoodie reading “spiritual savage”, and Judy is sporting a black outfit with colourful graffiti printed over it, her curls as glossy as you’d expect from the founder and CEO of an epic haircare line. They’re both positively glowing, living in marital bliss with the company of their six dogs who occasionally kick up a fuss off-camera.

I’m eager to find out where the WLW icons’ love story began. Brat and Judy exchange knowing looks before Brat goes on to tell me about finding Judy on social media and thinking, “Wow, who is this lady?” Eventually, Brat ended up doing promo for Kaleidoscope Hair Products and Judy was doing a major tour. “I wanted to meet her ‘cause I was doing promo for her and she’s in Atlanta and I got off a flight and thought, ‘You know what, I’m just gonna stop by and meet her just to say hi’,” Brat continues. However, the herstory-making rap legend had to wait for 30 minutes to meet Judy, who had to fight her way through a crowd, signing autographs and taking pictures. “So, me, Da Brat, had to wait on this lady to get to me,” Brat smiles. “When she finally did, we hugged, we talked for a hot second, we took a picture and I was like, ‘Let’s link later, like away from here. We can do more videos or maybe you and your team or whatever…’”