‘I Don’t Think They Are as Happy as They Claim’: Waka Flocka Says It’s Difficult to Share His ‘Happiness’ Despite His Stepdaughter’s Approval of His New Relationship

Rapper Waka Flocka Flame says he’s struggling to share his newfound happiness with his current girlfriend, Melanie “Big Mel.” One obstacle is the pushback from social media users who, two years post the announcement of his divorce, continue to hope for a reconciliation with his ex-wife, Tammy Rivera.

The “O Let’s Do It” recording artist took to social media on Thursday, Jan. 18 and shared a post on his Instagram story that read, “One of the toughest pills to swallow in life for me is I gotta hide my happiness…. Man i’m built for it but this s—t stinging.”

Waka Flocka and Big Mel (@wakaflocaInstagram)

It’s unclear exactly what prompted Waka’s post. But when The Neighborhood Talk reposted it on the outlet’s Instagram page, many online ripped the artist apart for sharing his relationship woes online.

“Ain’t a damn soul waking up talking bout ‘lemme go see what Waka doing,’” one person wrote.

Another person commented, “After you dawg walked Tammy you want us to welcome a lookalike.”

One remark suggested that Waka’s post might be a signal that he might not be as happy as he keeps telling his fans.

“I might be weird for thinking like this but when people talk about how happy they are,” the person wrote. “I dont think they are as happy as they claim.”

This comes over a week after his stepdaughter Charlie, Tammy Rivera’s daughter, defended the star in his Instagram comments. The 18-year-old took a stand against trolls criticizing Waka after she shared a picture of his new partner who he has been dating for months now.

“Leave my father alone he is happy and my mother is happy both in separate relationships,” she wrote. “Y’all are miserable and pathetic worry about who y’all exes is f—king and what they look like.”

So bothered by the comments, Charlie made a video further pleading for people to respect her parents’ choice to be happy apart.

“My daddy is in a relationship he’s happy and that’s it. She’s a pretty girl, she smart,” she said. “My mama is happy with her man and she don’t want to post him just like I don’t want to post my man.”

Charlie is competing with the memory of one of the most cherished “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” couples. With the two married for eight years before publicly announcing their separation, fans are locked in with wanting them back together, flooding both her stepfather’s and mother’s comment sections.

Less than 24 hours after Waka’s post about not being allowed to share his happiness with his fans, he returned with a newfound boldness about his love.

He posted in his Story a video of two camels kissing and said, “When you finally get in a relationship and don’t care who’s looking.”

The video was originally shared by Jackdanielstv and showed two the desert animals swallowing each other’s faces.

Waka and Tammy were married for eight years before announcing their separation and divorce in 2022. The rapper, who cheated on Tammy during the marriage, said their breakup made him “appreciate everything” in life. Last April, the “All These Kisses” singer took accountability for her part in the demise of their “toxic” relationship. They share no children together.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top