Somaya Reece hasn’t been able to stop people from talking about her! As one of the stars of VH1′s Love & Hip-Hop, you either love her, or you hate her! The interview she does with us at Mommy’s Dirty Little Secrets is a must read to let you see a different side of her story!
MDLS exclusive interview BELOW!
I see in you a relentless drive. You have a lot of criticism but shake it off…. How do you keep going? “I don’t know if you noticed, but I mentioned throughout the show, if I don’t make it, my parents don’t make (referring to her stunt on VH1’s reality series, Love and Hip Hop). My parents have health problems, so they can’t work. I don’t have time to play. I’m out here to work, that’s it!”
Do you have any help? Brothers? Or sisters? “I had an older brother that was murdered. I have five sisters that chip in. But since I make the most, I give the most.”
Tell me a little about your background, you look very exotic. “I’m from El Salvador,” declaring her heritage as she says ‘El Salvador’ in a thick Spanish accent.
Really? Somaya doesn’t seem like a very Spanish name. “I guess if you say it with a Spanish accent you’ll see it more. Somaya,” she says with the return of her accent. “My full name is made up of 12 names. I really have a serious Spanish name,” through laughter she begins to recite her name. “Somaya Gonzalez (he he he, ha ha ha, chuckle chuckle chuckle) Reece.”
Do you tell your age? “No. If your not 19, forget it! That’s when you start to hear, you’re too old to rap.”
I completely understand! There is a lot of pressure behind women! So what are your thoughts of being looked at as a sex symbol? “I’m from Latin America, so that’s normal. Turn on telemundo and watch it for an hour, the women are beautiful and sexy. I don’t know any different. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
In your circle women are Judged by size of their ass… You have an incredible body….but I notice I see so many pictures where you’re so small but on the show you were much bigger, what size are you? “Currently I’m a size 10. 10-12. I get that a lot. When people see me on the street, I always hear ‘you’re so much smaller in person.’ But the show was tapped a year ago. I lost 50lbs since then. I was a 14-16 during the show. I was always that tall girl that was over developed.”
“I use to have a severe bulimic and anorexic problem. I was smiling on the outside, but I was dying. I starved myself down to a size one. I’m 5’10; my body wasn’t built for that.”
Wow I never knew that about you! “Yea. I wish people wouldn’t have prejudged me off of a google photo. I was missed managed; I was told if you’re skinny, everyone will like you. I never saw what they were doing as manipulating me. I finally got sick of it. The dizzy spells. I decided it wasn’t worth it. I am the boss of my own destiny.”
No stranger to the industry, Somaya announces. “My fans that’ve been riding with me from the beginning, know me.”
You were pegged as the outsider throughout the show (Love and Hip Hop), what is your relationship with the girls like now? “I’m still the outsider. I only talk to Emily and Mashonda. She’s not the troublemaker people make her out to be (referring to fellow cast mate Emily B.). And Mashonda is really cool she embraced me. And Mamma Jones too! She loves me.”
“But I’m not a rude person; there’s a difference between being real and being rude. But you can’t treat people less than human. You can’t keep pushing buttons and expect a bomb not to go off. But I’m always willing to get to know the girls. I have no beef, they were never a threat to me.”
Any regrets? “This show totally didn’t show you who I am, or the passion I have behind me. They cut out everything that was positive. My meetings with record labels and the meetings I set up with Pitbull. Jim (referring to rapper Jim Jones) wasn’t even on the top of my list of people I came to New York to see. But since the show involved him, that’s all they focused on.“
“I really came out to meet with Pitbull. He understands what it means to be too Spanish for hip-hop and too hip-hop for Spanish.” I turned down record deals to go with an investor and put out my music.
Are you a singer or a rapper? “I sing. Since English is my second language, my singing voice in Spanish is sooo much better that my voice in English. But I do rap. That’s my main thing. I have a mix tape coming out in June called ‘Rebel With A Cause.’ I’m extremely rebellious, but I do have a cause,” laughs Somaya. “I also have a soundtrack for a Lions Gate movie called ‘Go For It’ in theaters May 13.”
On the show Chrissy was innocently making fun of your face. Behind the scenes I was told there was a horrific situation you survived that effects your face still? “ I was about 16 when I broke up with my ex-boyfriend. He was hiding in the bushes waiting for me with a knife. He beat me up and stabbed me in the head, mouth and face. They pretty much had to sew my face back together. I lost a good amount of my bottom and top teeth.”
“That’s why when Chrissy made a comment about my teeth; she should know some jokes are not always funny.”
“If you really stare at me, you can still see an indentation on my face. I went through years of nerve therapy but I still have days when my face is hyper sensitive and it hurts to talk and smile. This is something I live with every day.”
“Working with battered women and children shelters and with people who suffer from domestic violence, or race and sexual preference abuse has become a big part of my life! I don’t promote violence; I promote standing up for myself.”
What do you want to be known for and remembered for in 10 years? “All I ever want to be known for is that I continue to share my story of struggle to inspire people. To be a motivation for people to stand up for yourself.”
After reading this article you may still dislike or choose to hate Somaya. But you have to respect her journey to get where she is! Thanks for sharing your secrets with us Somaya!
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