Amina Buddafly Cover story - “I'm not concerned about what people think”

Amina Buddafly

“I'm not concerned about what people think. They always have their idea of who you are. “

Talented artist, author, yogi, and mother Amina Buddafly is mainly known for being a member of the former girl R&B group Black Buddafly which she founded together with her sisters, and from the reality TV show Love & Hip Hop New York.

During our walk in the park, she opens up about her new man, family matters, her intentions for next year, and the new BET show After Happily Ever After, that she stars in, where ex-couples help each other find new love.

Interview & Photography by Amina Touray

Amina Touray: Do you have any plans for the holiday?

Amina Buddafly: I will take my girls to Germany, as I like to do almost every year. We’re going to see my family there - I have a brand new niece, and we just can’t wait to be home!

AT: This is your first time seeing your niece, right?

AB: Yes, my twin sister had a baby, and I’ll be seeing her for the first time.

AT: Are you going with just the girls or…

AB: Yes, me and my two girls. I’m in a relationship, and he may come to join us, but we haven’t decided yet.

AT: So, how long have you been dating him?

AB: It’s been a year; I can’t believe it! I’ve kept it on the low and didn’t really let anybody know until recently when I started posting him on my Instagram. I wanted to be quiet about it for at least the first six months.

AT: He’s not a public figure like yourself. Is he used to your lifestyle yet, or is he camera-shy? AB: He’s absolutely camera-shy, and I’m trying to get him out of it because he’s also an influencer. He’s amazing at what he does; He coaches people on how to buy and sell real estate. He’s kind of famous on an app called Clubhouse. We met on the app Clubhouse. He’s big time over there, so I’ve been telling him - “you better come out of your shell!”. I’m an open book with my life, and if you’re going to be with me, you have to be comfortable with a camera in your face.

AT: Is he getting along with your kids?

AB: He loves my kids! He thinks my girls are the best, which they are. (laughs)

AT: Talking about relationships - you currently appear in BET’s TV show After Happily ever After. Tell us more, what is the show about?

AB: It’s a dating show I took part in that we filmed in July in Kentucky for three weeks. I filmed with my ex-husband and his other ex. The concept is trying to find love for my ex, and he was trying to find love for his other ex. Since I’m already in a relationship, I didn’t date. We (Amina, Peter, and Tara) were known for being on Love & Hip Hop together in that triangle relationship. But we’ve all moved

“I wanted to be quiet about it for at least the first six months.”

on and have been living our separate lives. It airs on BET every Wednesday at 10 pm.

AT: It’s been eight years since you were in Love & Hip Hop. How do you feel about people still commenting and asking if you’re over your ex?

AB: I have gotten used to it, and it doesn’t bother me. I look at it and shake my head because they’re the ones stuck in the past, not me. I’ve lived on; I’m a totally different person than I was eight years ago. So I’m not concerned about what people think. They always have their idea of who you are.

AT: New year is coming up. How has this year been for you? sic a little bit, so I am working on getting back to being creative. I’m writing a lot, and I have also parted ways with my main producer, who produced my last album. So now all the pressure is on me because I’m literally producing, writing, recording my project all by myself, and it’s a lot of work, and it’s hard! I’m taking my time with it, but I’m proud of myself because I can create something amazing with no help, just by myself. And in the end, I feel like I will be even more proud of myself once it’s completed. My goal Is to drop my fourth full album on my 40th birthday next April.

AT: How do you think that album is going to be different?

AB: It will just be more me. Even though I think it’s a great thing to collaborate, when you do something that you do all by yourself, you just feel so strongly about it. For me, it’s more about expressing myself. I want to put something out there in the world that I’m proud of because it will stay for a long time, even after I’m gone.

AT: From one topic to another, how do you feel about the idea of “cancel culture”?

AB: I’m not really with it, even though I do think some things are wrong that people say. Right now, it’s Kanye West in the limelight. He definitely said some things he shouldn’t have said, but I’m not with canceling. I

think people are too opinionated sometimes. I’m not making excuses for statements that may be harmful to somebody, but personally, I don’t judge anyone for something that comes out of their mouth.

AT: How have you grown with everything happening worldwide over the past two years?

AB: All the crazy stuff that happened over the past two years didn’t affect me as much as I think many others did. I never got scared; I’m fearless in general. It was just weird, especially with the pressures...I felt like everything was going in one direction, but luckily it’s going back in another. I kept doing my thing, and I wasn’t somebody that had to rely on an employer. I wasn’t in any situation where I had to make tough decisions. As the artist that I am, I never stopped working.

AT: And if you read your book (Mi Dishes & More), you talk about how you eat, exercise, and play with your kids. That has kept you grounded and helped you spiritually, too, right?

AB: Yes! SELFCARE! That’s the number one thing in my life. I literally put that in front of everything except my kids. I put that before my work because without self-care, I can’t function or work right. First, I got to do my yoga, meditation, be silent, and then I got to what I wanted to accomplish.

son you’ve learned from your children, and what do you hope to teach them?

AB: Biggest lesson I have learned is that life is fun when you focus on the little things. Also, they are teaching me patience every day. My older daughter Cori checks me when I’m irritated and tells me to take a deep breath and relax. Those are the moments I pat myself on the back because I’m the reason she is that way. They remind me that love is all that really matters, the same thing my mom taught me when I was a kid. It’s funny because I install things in them that they teach me later on when I forget, and it all comes full circle when those beautiful moments happen.