There’s a reason why some advise against mixing business with pleasure, but that hasn’t stopped many recording artists and producers from doing it anyway.
Blac Chyna, who goes by Angela White, debuted her new relationship with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Derrick Milano months after removing her plastic surgery.
Things appear to be going well with the “Can’t See Me” rapper and Milano, so much so that even Chyna’s mother, Tokyo Toni, seems to approve after the trio joined Instagram Live together.
Meanwhile, R&B songstress and rapper Tink and her producer Hitmaka are among the latest examples of how careers can skyrocket but personal relationships can also go awry when the chemistry between female artists and their producers extends beyond the studio. The two were recently in the midst of a public breakup after being in a long-term relationship.
But they aren’t the first and likely won’t be the last dynamic duo to turn into a cautionary tale.
Here are more details on Tink and Hitmaka’s saga as well as other notable female artists who blew up while dating their producers, only to have their personal relationships end on a sour note.
Tink and Hitmaka
Both Chicago natives, Tink and Hitmaka teamed up professionally in 2021 when he produced her “Heat of the Moment” album. The two found success together, as Tink was dubbed by some as “the future of R&B.”
Things were all good until she went viral after posting several videos on Instagram calling out the Atlantic Records exec and his “foul” behavior. She shared that they had a “physical altercation,” and in response, Hitmaka, who formerly was known as the rapper Yung Berg, went live to tell his side of the story.
According to him, he and Tink were actually lovers in the middle of a breakup. He denied putting his hands on her, explaining how they unknowingly ended up at the same restaurant in Mexico and, when he left with some girls “out of respect” for Tink, she lost her cool and attacked him.
Tink then made another video confirming that Hitmaka was being truthful when he revealed they had been dating for years. She also confirmed he never put his hands on her, adding that she was the aggressor because she felt disrespected.
@Official_Tink x @_Hitmaka Album 3 is on the way 💿🖤🔥 pic.twitter.com/X1VX7loKUT
— ☆NEW TINK COMING SOON.☆ (@gottaloveralph) December 29, 2022
The “Toxic” duo achieved musical success together, but their working relationship seems likely to follow in the footsteps of their personal one. According to Tink, Hitmaka was upset with her because she wouldn’t give him $2 million after she told him she wanted to produce an album without him.
Ashanti and Irv Gotti
While fans are certainly here for Nelly and Ashanti being booed up again, Irv Gotti made it clear he was bitter when the two stars first started dating over two decades ago after claiming he and the former Murder Inc. singer were an item at the time.
In a series of 2022 interviews and his Murder Inc. documentary, Gotti claimed he and the “Happy” singer had an affair while she was signed to his label in the early 2000s. He said he was in love with her despite being married to hat designer Debbie Lorenzo.
They were undoubtedly a dynamic duo in the studio. Gotti produced Ashanti’s platinum-selling self-titled debut album, which sold six million copies in 2002. The Grammy-winning artist later became the second artist in history and the first woman and Black artist to have three songs chart consecutively on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2009, Gotti announced he was releasing Ashanti from Murder Inc. but admitted they’d stopped speaking long before that. After initially failing to address his claims, Ashanti went on record in 2022 saying Gotti “flat-out” lied about many aspects of their relationship. She believes she was manipulated by her former label boss, who is 10 years her senior, because she was young and naive.
Ashanti admitted she was never his girlfriend. When the romance ended, and she moved on with Nelly, the 42-year-old singer alleged Gotti made “death threats” and let his feelings get in the way of business, something she believes led to the demise of Murder Inc.
“There is some regret because again me being the gullible Suzie or the naive Nancy thinking that someone is a good person and they’re coming from a genuine place in their heart,” Ashanti said. “Sometimes I regret believing in that person and believing that they really meant what they said.”
The “Foolish” singer has moved on both in business and her personal life as she and Nelly seem to be happily reunited; however, it seems to be the opposite for Irv Gotti, whom Ashanti said she believes “wishes death” on her.
Summer Walker and London On Da Track
London On Da Track may be a sought-after super producer, but Summer Walker once called him “the worst bd [baby daddy] on the face of the planet.” The R&B artist made the assertion in June 2022, almost a year after the duo ended their on-again, off-again relationship that began in 2019.
London worked heavily on Walker’s debut album, “Over It, which instantly became a fan favorite. Not only did it come in second on the Billboard 200 and The Associated Press’ Top Albums of 2019 list, the album also peaked at No. 21 on Billboard’s Top 50 Albums of that same year. It was also the most streamed album on Apple Music and won the 2020 Soul Train Music Award for Best Album, among other accolades.
Though Walker initially seemed happy with London, there were allegations of infidelity throughout their relationship. That didn’t stop them from welcoming their daughter Bubbles in 2021. She is Walker’s first child and London’s fourth.
Summer Walker was not pleased with London On Da Track after he spent time with their baby girl over the weekend! She blasted him for not being a cooperative and present father, and questioned a bruise she had on her face when she returned home! 👀 pic.twitter.com/Mc8Ts9tpYt
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) December 20, 2021
Since the breakup, Walker hasn’t been shy about being at odds with London, publicly calling him “selfish” for not spending much time with any of his kids. But earlier this year, she praised him for being a “good dad” during a March 2023 appearance on “Caresha Please.”
The “Girls Need Love Too” singer said she’s always hoped for “a good co-parenting situation where we could still be cool enough to work. I can’t deny that we make really good music.”
Diddy and Cassie / Diddy and JLo / Diddy and … There’s a List
Whether you call him Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy or Love depends on the year you tapped in with him. But one thing that’s undisputable is that the music mogul has dated as many high-profile women as the number of times he’s changed his name.
Diddy dated his former Bad Boy artist Cassie Ventura for 11 years, but the couple never got engaged or married. The two were first introduced in 2004, when Cassie’s former producer and boyfriend Ryan Leslie convinced Diddy to partner with his NextSelection Lifestyle Group to release her debut album.
The self-titled debut peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 charts, boasting three top hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
In 2007, Cassie was selected as a spokesmodel for Diddy’s Sean John brand, according to a report by Daily Mail. It was around this time that the “Me and U” singer and Leslie seemed to have parted ways and she was working more with Diddy.
Though there was much talk of a second album produced by Diddy, it never came to fruition. Some singles were released but not a full-length album. They split for good in 2018, and Cassie moved on to marry and have two children with her personal trainer, Alex Fine. She left Bad Boy the following year.
Oh don’t wake that up! 👀☕️#Cassie husband and former #Diddy trainer, Alex Fine, refers to the rapper as “old n fruity 🏳️🌈” under ig post pic.twitter.com/l0oiO4ZRjb
— All Tea All Shade (@TeaTimeTips2) September 24, 2023
Diddy also dated megastar Jennifer Lopez, affectionately known as JLo, from 1999 to 2001. They met when Diddy worked on Jlo’s music video for her hit “If You Had My Love.” Things fizzled out after his very public arrest in 1999 and accusations of infidelity on Diddy’s part.
The former couple split amicably on Valentine’s Day in 2001, and have casually remained friends.
JLo credited Diddy for teaching her what she “needed to know about the music business” and “what kind of artist” she wanted to become.
The Revolt founder has also been linked to many women, including Lori Harvey, Naomi Campbell, Gina Huynh, and late supermodel Kim Porter, the latter of whom he shared three children with. He is currently “single but dating” his “Shawty Wop” City Girls rapper Yung Miami.
Christina Milian and Dre from Cool & Dre
Christina Milian dated Andre Lyons, better known as Dre from Cool & Dre, from 2006 to 2009. The two met while Dre was working on Milian’s third album, “So Amazin’,” in 2006. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 charts and No. 3 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
The New York Post reported that Milian was dropped from Def Jam shortly after the “So Amazin’” release because of Dre, which he vehemently denied.
For her part, Milian said the two were still close when they separated but broke up because it was “hard to grow together when you live on two different coasts.”
Ike and Tina Turner
Ike and Tina Turner’s tumultuous relationship history has been well documented for the world to see. The late Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll not only dated her former producer, she married him – and their toxic love affair inspired the acclaimed film “What’s Love Got To Do With It.”
The duo began performing together in 1957 and eventually became one of the biggest acts on the music scene. Through working with Ike, Turner was introduced to other iconic acts like the Rolling Stones, whom she became close friends with.
From the late 1950s through the time Tina filed for divorce in 1976, their professional success was a stark contrast to their personal lives. Unlike some other female singers who began romances with their producers, Tina Turner achieved her greatest successes after leaving her abusive husband and went on to break multiple records, cementing her place as a legendary artist.
Berry Gordy and Diana Ross
Music mogul and CEO Barry Gordy and legendary singer Diana Ross dated from 1965 to 1970, which resulted in having a child: Rhonda Ross Kendrick in 1971 — the same year they split.
They called each other Black as a nickname, which signified how proud they were to be Black and display Black love. Their romantic relationship began after Ross and her group The Primettes, signed to his label, Motown Records.
Ross worked as Gordy’s “secretary” before officially signing in the 1960s under the group’s new name, The Supremes. She left the quartet to embark on what became her solo music and acting career. The Supremes officially disbanded in 1977. Her success continued as a solo artist, achieving more accolades.
