S. Samuel
West Coast rapper Somaya Reece has updated fans hoping to catch another glimpse of her on the small screen by revealing plans to make a return for next season's "Love & Hip-Hop" reality series.
With the show slated to return this November, Reece talked about what advice she has for the series newcomer and rapper Juelz Santana‘s baby’s mother, Kimbella.
“It’s funny because so many people have asked me, ‘How does it feel to not be the villain?’ [Laughs] I will say no matter who decides to come to our show, be yourself,” Reece said in an interview. “Don’t try to be a wh*re or act like you’re going to bust a cap in somebody. Don’t turn into somebody else because you’re on television. If you’re going to come on this show with a bunch of strong women, you better know to just be yourself. Especially for [Kimbella], if you’re coming into a situation where you don’t know anyone, be honest because neither of us on the show likes dishonesty. It’s really important to remain honest and true to yourself.” (VIBE)
Dipset’s Jim Jones recently spoke to SOHH and said the reality show was initially set to center on him.
“‘Love & Hip-Hop’ was initially my TV show that [VH1] has been trying to do for about four years now. But for three years prior, they had been trying to get me to do this reality show and they shot a pilot. I wasn’t really feeling the pilot, because I felt the camera was too much on me and showing too much of my life as far as Jim Jones is concerned. So we had re-evaluated the situation.” (SOHH)
Jim also said he offered VH1 an opportunity to gain his support if they found a way for girlfriend Chrissy Lampkin to get her own show.
“My lady had an opportunity to shoot a pilot too, but the pilot she shot kind of fell through and she took interest in the whole reality show thing. So I went over to VH1 and told them if they want me to put my involvement in a TV show, or all of my involvement, they need to do a show behind her and I’ll do it. I also said I’d find a way to participate in it to make sure it’ll be a success. And that’s really how the whole show came together. They went and got Olivia, Emily and the girl Somaya. Then they put them around Chrissy and now you have ‘Love & Hip-Hop.’ Two episodes in and it’s feeling like a sitcom.” (SOHH)
Last March, Lampkin opened up about putting “Love & Hip-Hop” into full motion.
“In the beginning, it was a pilot about me and Jimmy [‘Jim and theFamily Jones’], and he wasn’t really comfortable with that,” Chrissy explained. VH1 producers volunteered to bring in “some more females, make it more interesting,” and eventually Emily, Olivia and aspiring rapper Somaya Reece were added to the cast; Emily’s close friend Mashonda Tifrere (ex-wife of Swizz Beatz) also appears. “If I don’t have to work with Jimmy every day, I’m with it!” the ever-bouncy Chrissy, who actually proposes to Jim on the show, laughed. “He didn’t want to be bothered with the cameras every day.” (MTV)
“Love & Hip-Hop” is slated to return Monday, November 14th via VH1.
Check out some past footage of Somaya Reece below:
