GlobalGrind had the pleasure of speaking with Chrissy Lampkin, the fiance of rapper Jim Jones, about her new VH1 docu-series “Love & Hip-Hop” and everything in between. Chrissy doesn’t tip-toe around the obvious and surely doesn’t believe in keeping quiet if she disagrees with something. Chrissy keeps it 100, which is probably why she’s Jim Jones’ fiance. Chrissy reveals why she proposed to Jim, dishes about their first kiss, her favorite hip-hop albums and much more!
If you thought the show was initially centered on the life of Mashonda and Swizz Beatz, you’ve been misinformed. Jim and Chrissy were at the head of the pack, but as things would have it, Jim stepped aside to let Chrissy have fun with other ladies involved in hip-hop romances. Check out Chrissy’s exclusive interview with GlobalGrind below.
GlobalGrind: The show was initially supposed to be about Jim Jones, how did it become centered on you and the other ladies?
Chrissy Lampkin: Because Jim at the time wasn’t interested in doing a reality show the way they planned it, but I was interested in it. It’s been so long like three or four years almost. It was supposed to be “Keeping up with the Joneses” or “Jim and the Family.” It took on a whole other life with the girls. Basically, it was definitely around him and our relationship and his business, and then it morphed into me being with the girls, which was a better fit for his lifestyle. He said he’d always support me and what I was trying to do with the show. He just didn’t want them following him all day or play reality show games with him.
GG: What made you decide to join the cast of “Love & Hip-Hop?”
CL: It’s so good to be part of a project. Win, draw, or lose it was a change for me. It kept me busy. Even though some days were harder than others, it gave me something to look forward to doing. So far I’m happy with what I saw and I’m just moving forward.
GG: You and Jimmy’s mother kind of get into a disagreement during the show. How is your relationship with Jim’s mom?
CL: It is what it is. I respect her for being his mother, and I want her to respect me for being a grown woman first and being his wife/fiancé second. That’s what that is.
GG: There was a little drama between you and Somaya Reece during the season, what else can we expect to see during the series?
CL: You have to stay tuned. Whatever you watch is definitely the truth and real. None of it is contrived. They put us in situations where we’re forced to talk about situations. But it’s all real stuff that you can see. The viewers will be able to pick up on that. It’s all real life stuff.
FIND OUT WHY CHRISSY PROPOSED TO JIM AND MUCH MORE ON THE NEXT PAGE!
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GG: You and Jim have been together for almost seven years. How did you come to the conclusion that you were going to propose to him?
CL: We talked about marriage a lot. I felt that everything at hand that I wanted to show him I loved him enough to do it in front of the whole wide world.
GG: Were you nervous?
CL: Absolutely! It was definitely a time in my life where I was like ‘OMG! What am I doing? Oh yea, what I set out to do. ’ I love him so I did it.
GG: What’s the most difficult part about being the wife or girlfriend of a rapper or hip-hop artist?
CL: Just the different roles I have to play. I have to be best friend. I don’t even think it has to do with a rapper. I think it’s being involved with a man who has a lot of things going on no matter his career. When you’re in a relationship, you’re someone’s partner. You’re what they need when they wake up. You’re what they need in the middle of the day. You’re what they need when they come home and when they need your opinion about something. If they need to talk to you, you have to be there. That word partner is real. When you’re in a relationship and you’re someone’s partner you have to take the ugly with the good. And I’m built for that. I want to be there for him. My advice is if you’re with someone in any industry that’s successful; it tugs on them, so just understand and stay strong.
GG: With rappers come a lot of groupies, what’s your craziest groupie story?
CL: I honestly don’t really have any. I always say that Jimmy must be a ninja or deals with women that are ninjas. I don’t have that problem and I don’t want those problems. I don’t deal with it.
TO FIND OUT WHAT JIM JONES AND CHRISSY’S FIRST KISS WAS LIKE CLICK ON THE NEXT PAGE!
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GG: Describe your first kiss with Jim Jones.
CL: We were in my living room. I lived in Florida at the time. It was so unexpected and it just happened. We’ve been together ever since.
GG: In a recent interview, you set the record straight that the show isn’t centered on Mashonda and her relationship with Swizz Beatz and that it never was supposed to be. Are you two cool with each other?
CL: I don’t have any problems with Mashonda. There was a lot of press about her having a show. We all worked hard. I don’t feel like it’s my show, her show, or anyone’s show. It’s a show we all worked on collectively. It’s our show. I worked hard. I think I worked harder than anyone because I had more to deal with it. I don’t know if what I had to deal with was more hurtful or less hurtful, but I had to really come to work and show the world what I was going through and still walk away and say “f*ck it.” That’s hard work. It’s everyone’s show.
What are your Top 5 Favorite Hip-Hop albums of all time?
Snoop Dogg’s “The Chronic,” Biggie’s “Life After Death,” Tupac’s “Makaveli,” Total and Jodeci’s first albums. That’s my era right there; it’s exactly what I still love to hear.
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Chrissy Lampkin, Olivia, and Emily Bustamante.
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Chrissy Lampkin.
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Chrissy Lampkin and Jim Jones.
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Chrissy Lampkin.
